How do we unsubscribe from this narrative?

I believe it's important to stay informed.  I spend a lot of time on the proverbial mountaintop, but it's incredibly important to know what’s happening in the valley.  After election day, I decided I would be the one in charge of where my attention goes and when. No more being pulled into mercurial drama multiple times a day with the next outrageous move designed to grab attention.  I’m on a strict media diet. I don’t do most social media. I limit when I read the news.  

But even being conscious of where I put my attention and when, my nervous system is on alert.  My cortisol is high. In many ways, this is my nervous system functioning. It's doing what it's supposed to do- letting me know to stay aware. There is tremendous instability all around me. My nervous system is responding to that in the way it is meant to. No need to pathologize that even though it's uncomfortable. But it is important to work with it. 

Forces that seek control over us often work in chaos.  The unknown triggers the nervous system and heightens fear--for good evolutionary reasons. Learning to walk with that fear is a big part of living our best life. Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic is a great companion to learning to live with fear without letting it control you. I used it as a sort of devotional book for years. Each chapter is only a couple of pages, so it's easy to read quickly in the morning. 

Forces that seek control over us also try to isolate us.  They do that by destabilizing communities, pitting folks against one another, and getting us to sever ties with one another. That holds true for relationships with humans as well as our relationship to the natural world, plants, and animals. 

Our ancestors had very close relationships with the world around them.  They lived in an enchanted world where everything was alive- the trees, the river, the ground beneath their feet. And they saw the plants and animals as kin. There were close relationships clans would have with a particular animal, a particular plant.  They lived in a world of connection. They belonged to a very interwoven community made up of their human family, their neighbors, the plants in their area, the river nearby, and on and on. 

Colonizers and invaders moved into the area. State religions were enforced. Then laws were passed that made it illegal to sit under a tree by yourself. To be in the forest by yourself. To sit by water by yourself. To pray without a priest present. Burials now had to take place in the churchyard instead of the family plot, so our ancestors were moved away from us. Bit by bit, we were cut off from the natural world and our ancestors. The keepers of the old ways in Europe were branded witches and tortured and killed. It was a terror campaign that lasted centuries to keep us isolated. To make us orphans- cut off from our extended family of the plants, animals, and ancestors, and feeling alone and adrift in the world. A terror campaign so powerful we’re still feeling the effects of it. The world, once alive and a family member whose support we could feel and relationship we cherished, is now viewed as an object. 

Disconnected from the old ways and the inherent respect and honor for the natural world, empire was able to move forward with no constraints. If the river is not alive, you don’t need to ask it if you can dump your waste there.  If the tree is not alive, you don’t need to ask if you can cut it down to build something. If the mountain is not alive, you don’t need to ask if you can use the minerals it holds. If the ground is not alive, you don’t need to ask if you can drill for oil. Everything is an object and the bully can take whatever he wants whenever he wants. 

I think we’re all tired of living in this story. The story of the hero. The One Great Man that will fix everything. It's a story that disempowers us. That keeps us waiting for The One to arrive. It's a story that breeds charlatans and bullies. A story that feeds narcissism. A story that builds pyramids and their top-down power-over dynamics. Are you ready to unsubscribe from this story? 

Unsubscribing from their narrative is one of the first steps to break free from a narcissistic relationship. We have to quit viewing the world- and ourselves- through their lens. We know the steps that were taken to isolate us, so tracing those back gives us a map to restore the enchanted world of our ancestors where we lived in relationship with the world around us. Unsubscribing from this story can release us from this dead world of might makes right where only certain folks with enough power and money deserve dignity. 

We can unsubscribe and step back into the enlivened world our ancestors knew. A way of living that cultivates gratitude when we recognize that we’re not surrounded by dead objects, but by living beings that love connection and support as much as we do.  A way of living that upholds reciprocity rather than extraction. A world where we belong.  Where we are woven into a community of elements, plants, animals, and ancestors and are a valued member of that community. Where who we are and what we do matters. 

Regular contact and communication with the ancestors is a beautiful way to step into this enlivened world. To start weaving yourself back in to the world that misses you and needs you present. Ancestral communication is not a special gift only bestowed on the few. It is a skill that can be developed. If you don’t know how, I can teach you. If you already have connection to your ancestors, it's important to make time to cultivate that relationship- just like relationships with living humans. We live in a world that seems to move faster and faster (by design) so before we know it, it's been ages since we’ve touched base. Having a regular space designated for that connection keeps you in touch. 

I hold Ancestral Circles that meet twice a month. One meets every other Saturday morning at 10am AZ time (we don’t do daylight savings so its MST all year), and the other meets every other Monday evening at 5 mountain time (I switch that one during daylight savings so it's not too late one part of the year or too early the other). To participate in these circles, you need to have a relationship with a Holy Helper or Spiritual Ally, and a connection with a Vibrantly Well Ancestor.  I’m no longer requiring that you’ve done ancestral lineage repair to participate.  I just want people to develop and nurture relationships with their People, and want to provide the space for that to happen regularly. The group field makes it easier to connect and stay connected so the time together is more powerful and fruitful. 

If you don’t yet have a Holy Helper or connection with a Vibrantly Well Ancestor, I can help you with that. Many  folks are able to connect in just one individual session. Sometimes, it takes more. Practicing the grounding practice available for free on my website is a good way to help the process. 

Are you ready to unsubscribe from this might-makes-right narrative of the bullies? Are you ready to live in a world of care and connection? If so, join us. Register here.