WE are creating culture
And please let us use this power of creation wisely - let’s create a world we don’t want to ascend or dissociate from but one we LOVE to BE in!
Picture by Gordon Jackson (8 months pregnant me holding a cacao ceremony at Spirit Horse in Wales)
The root problem I can see in our world, which has several symptoms and stories, comes down to not living rooted.
We have imposter syndrome, compare ourselves to others, have self-worth issues, there's so much pretending and copy-culture out there because we think others have a better life.
Why do we even compare?
Because we are not ROOTED IN OURSELVES. We are like a leaf in the wind, seeing all these different ideas, cultures and external stimulation and hop from one to another without knowing what We truly are - this is encouraged in a capitalist society (it wants us confused and in doubt so that it can sell us things, modalities etc).
And when we actually know ourselves we either feel like a misfit, or arrogant or imposter or somehow wrong.
So many speak of the need to reach higher consciousness, to awaken and to ascend, yet I believe in DEEPER consciousness, being present in our nowness and descending, growing roots.
Because we are no birds.
We are not meant to fly in the sky, nor are we fish swimming in the ocean, getting lost in the traumatic emotions of our past.
We are here on earth but have forgotten our roots.
We are searching everywhere but within ourselves.
We are going to India, singing mantras in a language we can barely translate, praying to deities whose meanings are watered down in short phrases on Oracle Cards and we fly to retreats in Bali to get healed by dancing at the beach.
Just to sit next to another human from our own country and realise that we forgot where we came from.
And there is no judgement in any of that because we are seeking and that is a powerful thing!
Also we wouldn't be able to trace our heritage back to a single origin.
Humans have been nomads and tribes have mingled ever since!
The problem does not lie in cultural exchange, the problem is the detached (ab)use of practices, the exploitation of indigenous people and their lands and stories and the mindless simplifying of stories and philosophies to fit into memes.
But even that I do not judge (ok, maybe a little bit) because it is part of our evolution, part of our change and hopefully part of our recognition and appreciation of one another. (Although of course exploitation is a concern that is not to be treated lightly).
What I am worried about is that we keep floating on the surface, aimlessly distracting ourselves.
We consume, create identities constructed in looks, experiences to be had, objects owned and daily to-do practices that take us away from our "normal" life - instead of allowing those disciplines, modalities, people and plants to guide us home to ourselves.
Read that again:
HOME TO OURSELVES.
If we can’t remember our roots we have to grow them .
WE ARE CREATING CULTURE
But we need to first find ourselves, discover what we want and need, get clear on our values and live by them. Only then we get to grow our roots and find confidence in our innate power - and you know what? then you will see that you can be happy for how great others live their lives, you will be joining roots with them whilst each being our own trees - by simply loving our lives and respecting others, knowing that we need the diversity to thrive.
Instead of trying to create distraction within yourself, actually staying in integrity with what is truly yours and letting others shine authentically, helps us see that we don't need to do it all alone, we CAN'T do it all alone. We are not meant to be our own ecosystem, we are an ecosystem BECAUSE OF OTHERS. Individualist culture made that very tricky to realise.
We might have forgotten our heritage, might not know the wisdom of the land anymore but it is up to us to change that.
LETS CREATE A CULTURE THAT HONOURS OUR EMOTIONS, RESPECTS OUR INTEGRITY AND HEALS OUR HEARTS, BODYS & MINDS
We struggle living our own life when we are unsure of who we are.
By accepting to be on this planet, embracing our humanness and going DEEPER within ourselves and consciously attaching to this earth instead of trying to reach detached "higher" consciousness we truly start to create a culture we are happy to live in.
And please use this power of creation wisely - let’s create a world we don’t want to ascend from but one we LOVE to BE in!
Go within yourself - through tools, practices, people and plants that resonate with you and make you feel safe in order to stay with discomfort and create pleasure - and find out what your core values are.
Write them down and live by them. Check yourself with every decision you are making, every step you are taking if you are in alignment with your values. This is living in integrity.
It can be hard and might require you to be ok with being wrong in other´s eyes and different. And it will take time and constant practice. Nature is patient, true strength lies in patience. Because time and experience allows our roots to grow strong. And when we grow strong roots, we will stand strong in our true selves and become a living example for others to do the same.
And with more people standing tall on their strong roots, we start growing a forest. We join our roots and therefore create our ecosystem.
And guess what, that is us creating our culture.