There is so much that can be triggered during the holidays and it varies for each person given your own family of origin and trauma. In this fragmented society alot of what we are collectively grieving is the dissolution of
Community longing and complexity
These last three years in Ashland, I have had difficulty finding a sense of community. I joke that I am too ‘low vibe’ for people here because on multiple occasions I’ve had people respond negatively when I talk about inequity.
Hermanas/Sisters
When I was four years old, my sisters organized a little birthday party for me. Struggling in extreme poverty as an immigrant single mother, my mother rarely celebrated any of her children’s birthdays. So it was significant that they pulled
It’s all about relationship
This past week we took our eldest to university. All summer and especially this last month, he has been so sweetly intentional about spending time with us. When we were traveling in Mexico, he kept remarking on how he likes
Naming the Inner Colonizer
A while back mi maestra Estela told us we all need to recognize our own inner colonizer when doing the work of liberating ourselves. I resonated with this term so much because I always felt we need to acknowledge that
Medicina cada dia, ceremony every day
I’ve heard the aboriginal communities are saying at this time we must engage in ceremony 70% of the time to know how to live and heal with the earth. And yet as we are living in a time where we
The Silver Lining and the System (on Post Traumatic Growth)
Around age 10, I started to learn to use the concept of the ‘silver lining’ to manage my grief/loss and helplessness. At this age, I had already moved around 12 times with different caregivers and I was generally depressed. It
Letting go of Striving
Every new year it becomes clear that we are acculturated to striving. It reminds me of a documentary series I love to watch with my children. In the first episode, it discusses how we have been taught to believe that
Chocolate Magia
I was joking with the amigas on our Solstice call tonight about ceremonial cacao. Or any spiritual/cultural practice that has been commodified and made into a craze. The minute it’s a craze, we may want to reflect. I have found
We are not separate from the web of life
Much of the anxiety that many feel is often a result of the way we have been socialized to seek approval from others. When we worry about what others will think of us, how we perform, how we measure up.