It's a confusing time to be alive.
I’m finding that it's easy to slip under the blankets and go to sleep. Or read the news compulsively and hit despair before even getting out of bed.
I've been working with a few practices that have buoyed my soul and helped me remember that chaos is one of the greatest teachers out there.
Perhaps you, too, have been feeling the dense energy of the world and finding it hard to move. I pass these along to you as an offering.
Instructions for dancing with chaos:
Tend to your grief. It's here to remind us of our humanity. Welcome it like a guest, make space for it on your own and in community. Light a candle for the grief in the world. Here is a gem from The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Dig a hole in the earth and release your sorrow into it. Thank the earth, cover the hole.
Keep moving. Energy wants to move through us. When it doesn't it sits in our bellies or slides right into those vulnerable places exacerbating injuries and illnesses. Walk, Dance, Skip, Spin, Stretch. The smallest movement will change your mood.
Vitamin P(leasure): Resource yourself before you help others. Fill your cup with a little joy and connection for pleasure every day. Put it on your to-do list.
Check on your community: Make the rounds: a text message, a call, even an energy scan of your people to feel into how everyone is doing.
Put your body, heart and mind into service: Call your elected representatives, cook for a neighbor, you know this one.
Take in the news on your terms: Our phones have the capacity to break our hearts in an instant. Check news at set intervals. I have been experimenting with sending love to those in harm’s way before and after a news check.
Remember that we are all here on this planet in these human forms at this moment because we chose to be here. Rarely has a time been this dynamic, this chaotic, this challenging. for whatever reason, you got yourself here for this moment. This one right now along with the rest of us.
Take in some good news. Yes! Magazine has been sharing what is working for nearly 3 decades. I love scanning their headlines.
Get with your people: Make more and stronger community, whether it is family or friends or a group that protests on the regular. Put your attention on them and feel the love of connection.
Get barefoot. Take your shoes off. Even if you are an urban dweller, get yourself to a patch of grass and connect to our home—Pachamama— skin-to-skin. Let gravity do her work. The earth can take whatever you've got to give. And she will offer up all her nourishment for you.
Make art. Whatever your practice is, step into it. Write, dance, sing, paint, draw…even if it’s a doodle in the margins. Something bigger, greater and new is coming through us all.
FROM THE INSTITUTE OF PLEASURE STUDIES
Come work with me one-on-one or in a group.
Love Lab 101: Relationship Lab for Partnered and Self-Partnered People
Wednesday, November 1, 8-10 PM EST
Make space for love to come in and she will. Every time.
Joe and I have offered this several times and it feels more important than ever. This time it's free and for everyone, not just romantic partnerships. In this 90-minute community Zoom, we share four practices that you can bring into any relationship-- your parents, children, siblings, and colleagues. Wednesday, November 1, 8-10 PM online. Register here. Free.
Interested in working one-on-one with me? Or two-on-two?
I have a few spots for individuals and Joe and I have space to work with two more couples. If that is you, give me a holler. Let’s create the container that will hold you as you bloom.
As ever, thank you for being here with me. — Jaye