be together & heal

a natural human tendency, if we allow it

I have a deep belief that we need to be in community, and in healing spaces beyond the nuclear family. I deeply believe that we are meant to alchemize suffering together, through ritual, ceremony, song, dance, prayer. We are meant to celebrate and rejoice together through the same mechanisms. This is not a hot-take, and one that has been known for literally ever.

Capitalism and colonialism have created such severe isolation in our social structure, separation from the land, and disconnection from our spirits.

I am not religious, and I wasn’t brought up in any sort of spiritual upbringing. Nor was I a part of a culture that had rituals, ceremonies, prayer. I think there is a lot of people like me, that are spiritually malnourished, isolated, and without a clear path to be in right relationship with our selves, the land and each other. I am a spiritual person, but with rituals that have been passed down through many sources- coming from dance, tarot, meditation. I wasn’t surrounded by a rich abundance of how to be with my spirit- that wisdom came later through many teachers. A lot of my healing came from learning how to be in my body and with my spirt- and this happened through some sense of solitude, but more so a sense of connection with others.

There is only so much healing that can happen in isolation. Healing truly happens in relationship- we need to attune to each other, be compassionate witnesses, and give and receive care, support and love. We also need to be seen, heard, understood in our grief, rage, pain and suffering. It is very un-human to not feel, or feel in solitude as the norm. It is very un-human to be so disconnected from each other, from the earth, and from our spirit. We are a part of this natural world, all other animals know that connection. Humans did know it, and do know it- colonialism/capitalism has- as we know- forcefully, and without mercy, globally tried to strip us of this knowledge. Every part of this wold has been touched by the destruction of colonialism and capitalism. Through resilience and resistance traditions, wisdom, culture and healing, life itself, lives on- in spite of capitalism/colonialism.

I truly believe that the only way to shift our world back to health is through both resistance against capitalism, and a re-integration of community, or connection to the land, each other and our souls. We live on a dying planet, with genocides occurring, with billionaires controlling everything because capitalism and colonialism are disembodied, soulless structures. They support extraction, conquering, and have created a wild range in disparity between a few very powerful people having endless resources and most having none.

The thing I keep coming back to is this tug of war inside of me. It is not resonating to have to become a social media influencer in order to be able to make a living. All I want to do is support people’s healing. I have so much skill, but no one is really able to know about what I can offer- because their is this void of capitalism and the digital noise of our phones. I just want to support people’s healing- because that is deeply a part of my life’s purpose. I want to be able to make enough money to not be stressed and pay my bills. I would like to side step capitalism and the transaction of money when I can, but that part feels hard. See- here is the tension, the forced labor of capitalism to do things we don’t want to do to get our needs met, this negotiation.

And then I realized, when I deleted and tried writing this post for the 3rd time… that the tension was wisdom, and I followed it.

It’s also a tumultuous time to be healing, amidst so much grief and rage, and fatigue. It’s also imperative that we find pathways of healing with each other. Without this, I don’t imagine healing returning to our earth. It’s a funny thing isn’t it- that as we come into right relationship with ourselves, we find ourselves in right relationship with each other and Mother Nature? There can be any order to this, it might be finding more right relationship with the earth that allows parts of you to reconnect, open up, or heal. Or it might be, being in community that allows you to be in your body more, to feel more, to move more- which might make you feel the inherit connection between your living body and another’s- human, or another being- plant or animal alike.

I followed the tension and I realized that I can find right relationship with nature and others, and I do not have to be in wrong relationship: social media dwindling my time, stressing about pricing so hard that I actually never make any money… it all is getting in the way of what I actually align with: allowing my soul to guide me through my body, to commune with her, and nature and others.

So that is what I shall do.

I have decided that starting in January I will be offering a free- absolutely free virtual class Sunday mornings for anyone who wants to join. It will be an offering of somatic tools, but mainly a movement class to prompt you to get inside your own body, to be HERE, NOW.

I even found it funny, that Sundays has always been my favorite day of the week to work in bodywork and now will be my SE day… the day of the lord in some faiths. And it’s funny to me that I work in a church, or have on Sundays until now. I like the idea of this day, the last day of rest before most of our jobs resume on Monday and we enter into the capitalist grind- that we get to be together, a dance church if you will. Maybe some day we can do it in person. Sounds lovely.

This won’t be religious, but is welcome to be for you if you want. You can invite whatever your beliefs are. I believe in the body, and our innate wisdom, and the idea that we are all energetic and spiritual beings- that extends equally to all living beings. This idea will naturally flow through the sessions. I do not intend to be dogmatic, nor do I believe that idea to be. The prompts will be very open, always an invitation for your own life experience to be summoned, your own spirit, your own culture, your own story, your own essence to guide you wherever you need to go.

I hope you join me if this sounds yummy.

The final thing I realized in my multi-re-write process was that marketing can kiss my ass. Healing is about knowing people and being in relationship. I plan to spend a lot less time on my phone and a lot more time being with y'all, talking about what I care about, and listening, and allowing the people that are meant to come into my life to do so.

When you’re ready, I am here.

Thank y’all,

Rylee