I used to be scared to draw The Tower card from the Lineage of Change Tarot deck.
Not anymore. Now I can harness the ability to remain calm in the midst of destruction. I have language, community, and the audacity to understand a new world awaits and needs room to grow. I must be still, move through the intense emotions and reach a perspective that allows me to see past the illusion.
There’s an old Simpsons episode where Bart Simpson falls in love with his babysitter. The babysitter does not share his feelings. Bart has a dream sequence where he envisions her ripping his heart out of his body. Holding it in her hands while it’s beating. Throwing it against the wall and watching it slowly slide to the ground.
That’s how I feel about the intergenerational actions of a ruling minority. A minority that consistently shows their inability to care for the collective. An inability to see the forest for the trees. An unwillingness to accept we are one species on one planet.
That feeling is QAHR! The tension, the pain, the rage, the disappointment, the devastation, the disbelief, the annnnnnnnger!
And yet, at the same time, there is a light that shines in the darkness as I see the wheels fall off their settler colonial bus. One wheel at a time.
We are the Earth, the stars, the universe defending itself.
Fueling the Movement
We have the power and responsibility to transform the manure that is being thrown at us into fertilizer. We must burn through the tyranny we are facing and ALLOW the destruction to occur. Destruction of what no longer serves humanity, our more than human kin, and Mama Earth.
I’m fueling up on every level of change.
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Individual level – I’m mindful about what I am listening to, what I’m watching, what I’m reading, basically soothing my weary spirit with the salves of loving kindness, inspiration, courage, compassion, determination and grace.
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Institutional level – I be reciting the Serenity Prayer regularly when I’m sitting on the city council dais, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things that I can. And the wisdom to know the difference?” My job is NOT to rip anyone’s heart out and throw it against the wall! I’m not an ‘eye for an eye’ type gal. My job is to be like water. Holding the line with loving kindness while being unrelenting in the flow of life towards liberty and justice for all.
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Interpersonal level – who am I surrounding myself with? Are they extractive? Are they fulfilling? Which leads me to the Summit for Action
Climb Every Mountain
I’m on my way to Summit for Action where I get to be with a batch of matches dismantling systems we cannot live within while co-creating futures we cannot live without.
In its 8th year, Summit for action is commit to social and environmental justice and this commitment grounds and drives the work that we do. The core values for the work and the spaces we create are:
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ALL PEOPLE –We welcome and create space for people of all backgrounds and seek to nurture a culture of respect, honesty, inclusion, understanding and engagement.
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HARD CONVERSATIONS – We provide opportunities for honest, challenging and thought-provoking discussions about equity, inclusion and innovation. We center marginalized voices in these dialogues.
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FIGHT FOR JUSTICE- We actively support and fight for equity and justice for oppressed groups. We commit to challenging and responding to bias, harassment, and discrimination. We actively work to dismantle systems of oppression.
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BE AUTHENTIC – We invite people to show up as their fully human and authentic self. We create inclusive environments where people from all backgrounds can connect in the full spectrum of their identities, experiences, and passions.
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LEARN, ADAPT AND BE BETTER- We actively and intentionally using models and practices that incorporate content that reflects diverse ways of knowing, being and experiencing the world. We engage in continuous reflection and collaboration to integrate what we learn into our culture and infrastructure.
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INSPIRE AND DRIVE CHANGE- We believe that conversation is inadequate without commitment to take action. We work to inspire and drive social change around justice and inclusion through helping people identify actions needed to gain traction in their equity work.
For those values to breath, we must burn through the tyranny we are facing. Destruction is a gift. Destruction of what no longer serves us leads to transformation.
Last Public Preview October 24th
Cannot believe we are so close to the premiere of Uprooting Qahr! The film is on the can as they say. The monologues are taking shape in ways that bring plot and character to life. The music is moving into directions that makes my heart sing!
Please join and help spread the word!
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