Every week there is a new horrifying or gobsmacking event happening in the US. I try to write in ways that are relevant to current events and how to navigate them while tending to our inner world and the collective, but I don't have the capacity to respond to them every time. Now that my cued e-letters for Reiki training are up (we've postponed the start until we have more registrants, so let me know if you are interested!), I'm confronted again with what to write. 

I'm going to speak plainly today. 

If you haven't been paying attention, you need to now. 

If you listen to Fox News, it's time to find another source. They've been lying to you. 

It's time to find non-violent ways to respond, and repeat, ad nauseam. This is the necessity of these times. 

Minnesotans are brave. Resilient. Scared. Doing the thing anyway. In frigid, unsafe temperatures. I love them. I wish they didn't have to do this.

I know many of you have Minnesotans in your life. Check on them. Send them care packages. Protest in solidarity with them (there are many ICE Out protests going on around the country.) Let them know they aren't doing this alone.

Us Midwesterners are hearty folk. We've lived through the bitter cold and snow year after year. We care about our community, and that is showing in the unwillingness to submit to bullies who just want us to lay down and take it. Fuck that.

The macrocosm is the microcosm. Imagine (or remember) an abusive family system. The emotionally and physically abusive parent hurts one of the children. The other is the golden child (immune to the physical harm, but also steeped in the emotional harm in different ways). The child who is being hit says something, speaks out about the abuse. "How dare that child say anything?" thinks the abusive parent or enabler. They should just sit there and take it. The abusers thinks the child is making them hit them, because the child upset them. It would all just be better if they were quiet.

Well, that's the narrative for the US right now coming from those in positions of power.

Historians and political scientists have a world for it when it's a government: Totalitarianism.

From Britannica.com:
Totalitarianism is a form of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens. It is characterized by strong central rule that attempts to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression. It does not permit individual freedom. Traditional social institutions and organizations are discouraged and suppressed, making people more willing to be merged into a single unified movement. Totalitarian states typically pursue a special goal to the exclusion of all others, with all resources directed toward its attainment, regardless of the cost.

My work is all about healing and releasing trauma. This administration is generating so much trauma it brings me to tears. Sometimes I collapse on my floor, head in my hands, before I rally myself. 

Alex. Renee. A baby that stopped breathing from being teargassed. An autistic woman carried away as she was on the way to the doctor. A peaceful protestor blinded. Oglala Sioux Tribal members detained (they are the only ones who never immigrated! wtf?!?!). People of color (citizens and those here legally) profiled, harassed, detained because of how they look, how they speak, how they dress. I could go on and on.

All of these people, they need us. We need us. 

The Republican members of Congress have the power to stop this. There is still time to pressure them to rein in ICE. Congress: 202-224-3121. You don't have to have the perfect thing to say. You just need to call. Honestly, I find it rather cathartic hounding Ron Johnson. ;)

What I do believe in is the power of the people. You and me. There are more of us than there are of them. We are fed up, and this doesn't have to continue. We just have to be willing to do something about it. Stand in your power. Don't give it away to them in complacency or fear. We are stronger together. 

Voces de la Frontera has resources to support immigrants, and rally to protect them in Wisconsin. Donate, volunteer, get involved. We need to be ready.

Monarcha is the rapid response line in Minnesota. They need our support. 

Keep an eye on the 287g program, and speak up! This gives municipalities federal money for local law enforcement to collaborate with ICE. Because they've been deputized in this way, essentially any police officers in participating counties are also effectively ICE agents. They often also have beds reserved in their jails for detainees. There are numerous counties in Wisconsin that are currently participating at the time of this writing: Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marquette, Outagamie, Sauk, Sheboygan, Washington, Waukesha, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood Counties Sheriffs' Offices, and the Palmyra Police Department. This is also reversible! So if you live in one of those counties, speak up and say you do not want your police department participating!

Know that I'm doing what I can to stand with you in this. I've been standing up to bullies since 1987. Standing up to these bullies has become my new hobby.

If you need help regulating your nervous system, or finding moments to recharge to keep doing the thing, I'm here. 

I'm also wanting to offer Reiki to immigrants and those being harmed by this administration. If you would like to donate funds to help sponsor folks, or donate your own Reiki skills to help, let me know. Hopefully, our little bits of effort will lessen some of the long lasting impacts of this harm. 

Keep showing up.

Love ya'll and stay safe out there,

Sarah

Last Friday, I had just wrapped up with clients, and decided to log onto Instagram briefly before heading home. The first thing on my feed was a video of the most traumatizing and disturbing ICE encounter I've seen yet.

My survival mode kicked in, and I messaged some people I follow about the need to speak up. Why are they staying silent when horrible things are happening? I got home, and I was essentially in a freeze state the rest of the night on my couch, staring at my wall while my kitties purred and tried to soothe my nervous system. 

The encounter I saw online didn't happen in my neighborhood. It's hard to know how to respond when the threat isn't immediately in front of you. It's hard when you try to say something, and the people in power don't listen, and are the ones actively causing the harm. It's hard when you see people suffering... not just suffering... being brutalized and dehumanized, and you don't know what you can do. I can see the deep scars this moment will make on these individuals, and the help they'll need to heal if they are fortunate enough to access those resources in the future. 

I know you see it too. At minimum, you know this is happening out there somewhere. 

Some would say, "Sarah, this is why I don't watch the news. It's too distressing, and I can't do anything about it anyway. You just need to stop watching." 

Yes, current events are distressing. I'm really disheartened by the decisions many humans are making these days. 

Some would say, "That's just how humans are! You can't do anything to change it! People will always hurt other people, be selfish, ignorant, etc."

Yes, humanity has shown violence, thirst for power, greed, and lies for thousands of years.

Guess I should just give up. It's not worth it. Let it all devolve into even greater chaos.

...

That last line was so disingenuous, it was hard to type. 

In my personal life, I'm someone that needs the elephant in the room acknowledged, otherwise I end up feeling pretty gaslit. My life experience has shown me that pretending something isn't happening when it is, not only doesn't stop it from happening, it can also cause more harm. It also makes it harder to address the problem, when you are ignoring the presence of it. While there are limits to how I consume the news (I might need to manage how, when, and how much I take in), avoiding it isn't the solution.

About humanity doing dastardly things... yeah, maybe. But that is only one side of the potential of humanity. The other end is full of revelation, compassion, creativity, resilience, service. That's the side I aim to live on. The fact that I feel things when I see injustice and cruelty is a sign my heart is still open. I can use those feelings as fodder to propel actions that bring healing, liberation, growth, etc. 

I know many of you are walking with me on this path. And, I know it's not easy. I wish we didn't have to do it. 

And if you aren't already walking with us, I invite you to join us. 

So, what do we do?

I don't have all the answers, and I think it's going to vary depending on what's happening in your communities right now. That being said, here are a few ideas:

• Be a part of a neighborhood watch for ICE, or help brown, black, immigrant friends and neighbors safely get to school, work, get paid, etc..
• Learn more about your local ICE detention facilities, protest, and contact immigrant rights attorneys and local elected officials about what's going on.
• Boycott Spotify (who is running ads for ICE and has invested hundreds of millions into AI military defense) 

Brainstorm ways that you can practice non-compliance and throw sand in the gears of the machine. Every bit, small or large makes a difference. If we keep it up, eventually the wall will crumble. 

One upcoming piece of (non)action:

MASS BLACKOUT 
Wed Nov 25–Tues Dec 2nd
(Yes, that's over Black Friday and Cyber Monday)

Avoid major retailers, travel, restaurants. Cancel streaming and digital subscriptions.

If you must spend: support small, local businesses only.  Pay in cash if you can. 
Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30 is exempted from the blackout

To stay engaged for the long-term, we need to be regulating and taking good care of ourselves. You might find our healing work and meditations to be supportive in this process. If so, reach out. 

I'm here for you, and walking with you,

Sarah


P.S. A little palate cleanser and chuckle for ya, from the Canadians.

Uff Da.

The blame game abounds.

How are you feeling right now?

Let's pause and breathe with those feelings for a second. 

I wonder what universal human needs might be under those feelings? Perhaps a need for safety, understanding, a shared reality, love, fairness, etc?

It makes sense why you feel the way you do, when you can see the unmet needs underneath. I invite you to offer yourself some compassion for whatever it is you are going through. 

Now, we can look outward and notice that others also have their own feelings, and needs underneath them. Many times, the blame game is a tactic (often unconscious, because we haven't learned anything different) to not be with our pain and acknowledge what's underneath. It pins the problem as another person, rather than saying, "I feel hurt, scared or angry, because I'm needing to matter, be heard, or belong. Will you help be part of the solution?" That can be far more vulnerable.

Blame also makes it easier to forget that the other person is human too. In being human, we all have the expanse of emotions to feel. We also all have the same universal human needs. 

We might not like how other people are acting. We don't have to agree. But if we are going to find our way through this, each of us has to remember our own humanity. Then we need to look for it in others. (Even if they don't see it in you, which I know is especially hard and painful. Sending extra love and gentleness for you here if that feels true for you.)

The small moments of connection, softness, openness that cut through the blame, have a chance to save us when they ripple into the world. It has the capacity to disarm. 

This isn't easy work, but it's important. 

It starts first with empathy for yourself. Then you extend it outward when you've filled your cup a bit. You can't give what you don't have. It's not always fair, but sometimes it's necessary to be the one who shows up first, so things don't spiral out of control. Hopefully, the grace is reciprocated later, or you find others who have the capacity to hold space for you. 

It's not an excuse for harmful behavior or letting accountability slide. But we'll never have a chance for true repair if we can't get past the walls of protection and attack to what is underneath.

The practice of non-violent communication is where I learned much of this, and you might find it supportive if you would like to learn more. 

While I don't have the answers to all the things we are going through now, I do believe that when we remember our humanity it can be an antidote to the harm. You never know what might happen if enough little pebbles crumble off the wall of division.

Hang in there. I care for you. 

Sarah

Embodying who I really am, and supporting others in doing the same has always been a primary undercurrent of why I do this healing work. We all have parts of us that are wounded, hidden, or rejected. Parts that lay dormant, afraid to shine; "Who am I to be brilliant, courageous, or _____?" Parts that contort themselves into roles we've been told we need to fill, or that are just trying to help us survive. As we bring curiosity and care to these aspects of ourselves, we release burdens, and we begin to feel more like our Self. 
As we go through this exploration, we often are confronted with beliefs we've absorbed by osmosis from our family or society: what it means to be a certain gender, masculine or feminine, who or how to love, how we "earn our worth," or "what makes us lovable," etc. Many times, we find that the ideas we've adopted don't fit us in certain places and need to be reworked, or abandoned completely. The cost of holding onto these ill-fitted beliefs might mean losing ourselves, our mental and emotional well-being, or far worse... our life.  

When I see the LGBTQIA community, I see folks who are willing to engage in this self-inquiry. Folks who explore what is real within them, despite what may or may not be supported by the circles around them. People who have the courage to say yes to (or at minimum ask) what is true within, and in doing so, save themselves rather than make others feel comfortable. You all are some of the bravest and most beautiful people out there. You lead by example of how to be your authentic self. 

Together, we have the opportunity to learn what it means to be fully human. We all have access to this wide range of experience and expression. None of us are excluded from being gorgeous, compassionate, handy, strong, brave, intelligent, creative, gentle, etc, etc, etc. There are so many ways to love, and so many ways to be. None of this is new. People have existed in these multitudinous expressions for centuries and across cultures. Diversity is part of humanity, and nature. 

Anyway, these are precarious times, especially if you are trans, non-binary, or are a part of the queer community. If that includes you, I would like to offer you this blessing if you would like to receive it. As they say, take what speaks to you, and leave the rest.

• May you have pockets of safety and acceptance where you can fully relax and be yourself
• May you know that you matter, and there are many people out there that love you.
• May you know that you are not alone, in like-minded souls, and in friends, even if there are few close by. 
• May you be protected, and your rights, dignity, and humanity be honored. 
• May our society evolve from a place of love, and the structures and policies reflect that love and acceptance.
• May you feel the love and strength of your queer, healed ancestors walking with you along the way. 

I got a little teary writing this... I'm a bit of a sap, but I truly do wish the best for all of you. I'm rooting for you. Standing with you. Take good care of you.

Hugs and Happy Pride,
Sarah

March of 2020 I was signed up to take an ancestral healing training with shamanic practitioner Debra Morrill. Shortly before, the Covid outbreak hit, and, like so many other things, the class was postponed until it was safe to reconvene. While we waited, Debra and my teacher Ana Larramendi, her host, suggested that we go on a shamanic journey to connect with one of our ancestors that had survived a pandemic in their time. Since we all were here, no doubt at least one family member had made it through similar times. Now, about two years into the pandemic of our era, I've been reflecting on the wisdom that came from that journey.

I was led to a woman in France during the bubonic plague. She lived with one or two other people, and I could see that in time one of them would succumb to the Black Death while quarantined away in a separate room. My ancestor kept to herself as the sickness spread around her town. 

When I asked what helped her move through those times, I saw her going out into her garden behind the house. Looking up at the sky, the sun radiated down on her face, the light and warmth melting away some of her preoccupation, burdens, and grief. In that moment, she was alive and she could feel. She bent down, plucked a vibrant strawberry, and delighted in its sweet juices. As the Black Death spread around her, these visits to the garden kept her connected with enough light and enjoyment to sustain her through those years.

I planted several strawberry plants in my garden the spring after I did that journey. It was too late to truly enjoy their fruit that year, but I grew other things in the meantime. By June of 2021, the strawberry plants had established themselves. I would step out each morning, my shadow cast over the leaves, crooning as I gently searched for tender, ripe berries. Inevitably, I would find a few. Then I would stand eyes closed, slowly savoring the sun-warmed crimson flesh as the morning sun glimmered through the trees on my face.

These moments, and moments like these... snuggled with my kitties feeling their steady purr and poofy fur, laughing at a silly comedy, feeling snowflakes land on my face, receiving a small act of kindness or shared humanity from a stranger or friend, these seemingly small things have helped sustain me, and tap into resiliency. While there has been so much constriction, challenge, and loss over these last two years, there are still little glimmers of beauty hiding under the leaves. We just need to take a moment to pause, look, and allow ourselves to receive it.

What has helped sustain you during these times? What has brought comfort, relief, or even joy? Share with us in the comments. If you haven't found much of these qualities in your life lately, how can you make space for it to enter, even amongst the struggle?    

With lots of love and care,
Sarah

Over the last few months, as we all have been adjusting moment by moment to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, we've been provided with a unique opportunity. Such dramatic shifts in our daily routines, and oscillating in and out of the old ways of operating offers us new perspective. Some may have had more chances to pause amidst the uncertainty. Though even for those who have had to rush around to ensure survival, this experience has offered us all the chance to reassess.

In sessions, I've heard some of you sharing how much calmer and more supported you feel working from home, and having less pressure to rush off to so many activities. I've heard others sharing excitement about how the Earth gave a sigh of relief with less pollution, but not with how we are all using so much more disposable PPE materials which are inundating our landfills. Others have been grappling with the blatant disparities of class, and color have come to the forefront as we see how socioeconomics and race have played out in one's increasing exposure to the coronavirus. Those are just a few observations I've heard from clients over the last few months.

So, let's pause for a moment, and contemplate these questions:

• From our former ways of operating, what was life-affirming, supportive, nurturing, connective, and sustainable?
• What was running us to the ground, debilitating, destructive, isolating, or overwhelming?
• Then ask the same questions about the new adaptations we've made in the process.
• Once you've had a chance to explore these questions related to your personal world, zoom out, and with curiosity examine how they might be answered by people who identify differently than you. This is a great opportunity to seek out others voices to hear their experiences.

From this clarity comes the opportunity to forge a path that is deeply infused with our values, and leave behind those structures that no longer serve the greater good. Dream with me for a moment, holding the inner critic and pragmatist aside, just for now. If anything were possible, what kind of world would you want to live in (knowing that so much of what is familiar is man-made, and thus can change)? What is essential, and what is superfluous? Focus on the values you want to bring forth. Imagine how you want your relationship with yourself, your family, community, and the Earth to be. Tune in to as many layers as possible: what you would feel, how it would look, sound, taste, smell, and what it would be like to move through your life. Feel free to express this vision perhaps through a drawing, writing, song, dance. Begin to give it life, give it shape.

While the vision may feel distant or removed from the current reality, know that things are shifting. Many of you have told me you can feel it. I can too. If we hold to our dream, and let it guide our choices, it will support us in cultivating this new world.

Though I have been dreaming this for a while, it wasn't until the last few months that I felt that I might see aspects of this transpire in my lifetime. My longing has been for us to come into right relationship with ourselves, humanity, and the planet. A world where we live with reverence, and respect for all of the beings that share this floating rock in space. That we remember to consider how our actions will affect seven generations in the future, as so many indigenous cultures have practiced. A world where we remember what is important: we take care of each other, forgive each other, hold each other with compassion, and laugh and play together. That we witness and embrace those who are hurting, and/or lashing out without judgement rather than ostracizing them. I imagine that if enough of us live by similar ideals, that if/when the old, unsustainable structures crumble, we will have woven a safety net that will cushion the landing for those who have lost the only thing they've known. We will help them back to their feet, and we will move forward grounded, grateful, and healing together. 

So, dear one, I would love to hear your dream, and answers to those questions. Please share with us in the comments below, so we can inspire each other, and remember we are not dreaming up these new ways alone.

Finally, an announcement: For those of you who are feelers, sensitives, or empaths who have been hoping and wishing to find a way to surrender overwhelm, confusion, improve boundaries, self-care, and embrace your gifts, you will want to join us for this upcoming virtual series. The Empowered Empath begins Tues July 21 and runs for five weeks on Zoom. Because this is a virtual class you can tune into the live class (or recordings) from anywhere around the globe. I can also accommodate a larger group so feel free to share with your empathic friends! I'm offering this on a sliding scale to help out during these trying times. See full class details here.

If you feel inspired to jump in, I look forward to working with you!


Much love,
Sarah