We are living in a very difficult time in history, but the level of difficulty isn't the same for everyone.
Those on the frontlines of global colonialist slaughter and exploitation are bearing the brunt. There are also those who are standing with them as aid workers, journalists, medical workers, and activists, who are facing the sights, smells, and screams of genocide daily. Then there is the global majority — individuals who are standing with the victims of the empire's violence, educating themselves, speaking t to their communities, and using their gifts and skills at home to ensure seekers can find the truth and we have the vision to rebuild a more liberated world. The following IG Reel by the incomparable ebonyjanice beautifully emcapsulates the dynamic nature of activism:
(Shared from https://www.instagram.com/ebonyjanice/?hl=en)
It is clear that those on the ground in places like Palestine, Congo, Iran, Sudan, Haiti, and even those fighting for justice here in the US are carrying a heavy mental and emotional burden. What becomes obscured, however, is the weight of choosing to be conscious to such atrocities while living in the pseudo-comfort and safety of the Imperial Core. Resisting the cognitive dissonance regarding the global cost of our first world experience is a particular mental and emotional strain that is easy to overlook while observing the crushing realities of the global underclasses, but it is no less consequential and in need of redress.
How does one tend to their mental and emotional health under the weight of class consciousness?
Slowness
Community (vulnerability, reciprocity)
Creativity
Slowness
In a society built on incessant production and consumption, with all of it's convenience technologies attuned to these ends, it's too easy for your entire day to be taken up by these two activities without making a conscious decision to do so. Stemming the mindless tide begins with mindfulness. When one slows down, they can begin to connect with their true desires and needs. Tools like astrology, Human Design, mindfulness, somatic practice, meditation, etc. are all modalities to support the act of raising your awareness of your own humanity and reclaiming your energy and identity from the one chosen for you by the Empire (Producer and Consumer). Instead of seeing yourself as in need of another business, another outfit, another guru, more structure, another supplement, another program, these modalities and practices awaken you to the tools and talents you already possess, and reveal that they are already enough! If there is a need, these practices will teach you that the answer is unlikely to be found in another purchase, but in another community member, and the need will be met in relationship, not merely in a transaction.
While none of these modalities and practices are necessarily convenient, partaking them will reveal even greater rewards—satisfaction, peace, holistic success, and wonder. Another truth is that the journey of using these modalities to reach these rewards brings it own positive impact on the mind and body, while often the pursuit of convenience costs us in added stress and wasted resources.
Choosing slowness when tending to the emotional and mental weight of consciousness is defying the most essential tactics of colonialism, to retool unique human individuals into homogenized machines for production and consumption. It re-affirms that your existence is for more than increasing some billionaires stock portfolio. It honors the truth that you have what you need and the key to its access is learning the the rhythms of your body and sound of your inner voice.
In Part Two, I will speak to how building and living in intentional, radical community resources us to shoulder the burden of consciousness. If you like what you've read so far, consider checking out HDxLiberation: A Human Design Podcast co-hosted by me and Andrea Ward Berg, and joining our Patreon Community!
If you are looking for 1-on-1 coaching, visit my Collab page and sign up for a Free Discovery Call!
Until next time! 💜
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