Sustaining a movement long term

Hello beautiful soul,

I’ve been really sitting with what I want to share with you… to share in a way that is embodied, and not rushed or forced. As I have sat, and really listened, here is what is in my heart.

I want to start off by acknowledging that there is a lot happening collectively at the moment, and it’s not business as usual.  It’s hard to know exactly what to say at a time like this, other than to acknowledge that white privilege and racism are real, and most importantly, that Black and indigenous communities and other communities of color are experiencing (and have been experiencing) extraordinary violence at the hands of white supremacy.

It’s important for me to say this: Black lives matter, period. 

I also own that while I’ve been doing my own internal work for the past few years to check my internal biases and be a stronger ally, there is still more work to be done. That just like our spiritual journey not having an ultimate destination of “enlightenment,” anti-racism is not a destination we arrive at, it’s a practice and a path we walk. 

Wherever you may find yourself in this conversation right now—whether you’re new to the work or have been in it for a lifetime—it’s important to remember in this moment of collective reckoning and awakening that self-care is a radical act.

We’re no good to any cause…
When we’re burnt out and disconnected…
When we’ve lost our grounding…
When we’re coming from reactivity…
When we’re wrapped up in guilt and shame…
When we’re focused on all the ways we feel we’re not doing enough…
When we’re worried about getting it right…

We can’t be of service when we’re preoccupied with judgement or denial, whether of ourselves or of others.

Taking a pause is not complacency, my loves… it is crucial. 

It is crucial to allow yourself to come back to your body. To feel what there is to be felt within you, so you may move from responsiveness instead of reactivity. So you may choose who and how you’d like to be rather than being swept away with the tide. I feel THIS is how we bring about revolutionary change in the world, my friends… and also this is how we come home to ourselves and co-create a new world.

I’m clear and feel that we can’t make the changes we need in this world if we feel like we need to abandon ourselves in the process. Black women, indigenous women, women of color…. I see you, I love you, and I support you. I am dedicated to doing my work and I thank you for all the deep work that you have done thus far. White and white-passing women, as we begin or continue to do the necessary work to support BIPOC women in having more space to receive, to rest, and to be seen and held in the magnificence that they are, we also get to remember that our burnout serves no one.

To all of you out there in the midst of this radical awakening, remember that you matter, that it’s okay to take space, and that you’re inherently worthy, no matter what body you’re in.

I love you, and I am here. If you’d like to connect in dialogue around what you’re moving through and discovering right now, I’d love to hear from you. Reply to this email and let me know where you’re at. 

Love,

P.S. Disclaimer: I am not an anti-racist expert, there’s still so much more for me to learn… and wanted to share my thoughts with you today of what’s been in my heart. That being said, if you’d like to learn more, some of the amazing women I follow who are doing incredible work in the world are Layla F. SaadApril Dawn HarterRachel Cargle. There are multiple ways to learn from them and pay them for their work.

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