Connection and Belonging

I offer this guided practice to those whose lineages have been displaced, disrupted, or disoriented, to those who have experienced disconnection and have looked for love in all the wrong places. Being seen, being heard, being known, and belonging, this is a function of groups, of community. And yet for reasons that existed long before I came along, outside of the control of my ancestors, my first experience of group, which is family, was not so optimal. And so I bought into the obsession and fixation of finding that one special individual other who will see me, hear me, hold me, know me, and be my everything. And yet the ladder was up against the wrong wall. Being seen, being heard, being known, and belonging is a function of groups, of communities. Life does get easier once you find your people. And yet the journey of finding my people took some time, many years to cultivate. Groups can be scary and yet community can be so, so healing. During this process, I discovered a more expansive experiencing of safety and connection in relationship that became the touchstones of my homecoming back to myself, a foundation for my meditation practice, and a deeper knowing that my people would find me. It was through cultivating relationship with ancestor energy, with culture and traditions, with nature, with time, and with my body that I developed a more secure sense of self in the world. So let's unpack these. I invite you to connect to the ancientness of ancestor energy, of those who have come before, bloodline ancestors, teachers and their teachers, and the lineage of teachings that have endured the passage of time. Professional ancestors, activist ancestors, spiritual and religious ancestors, survivors, pioneers, mentors and guides, guardians, caretakers and nurturers. Claim your place amongst these lineages, letting go of any guilt, burdens, or expectations. Choosing your inheritance. Who you are is more than enough. Breath here for you are the dream of your collective ancestors, and they are all cheering you on. I invite you to reflect upon the expansiveness of culture and traditions, rituals and customs, routines and habits that have survived many generations, making their way somehow to you. Foods and smells, songs and stories, myths and legends, gatherings to celebrate and to mourn that have become touchstones for the passage of time within a community, ways of knowing and relating to oneself and to others, human and non-human, to the Earth and to time that has been passed on to you. The steadfast insurance of your cultural traditions while letting go of that which no longer serves you. The depth of the richness that you have inherited, releasing feelings that may burden you. Breath here with your inheritance, a treasure trove of heirlooms, some in better shape than others. I invite you to connect to the majesty and the mystery of nature, landscapes of mountains and forests, rivers and mangroves, farms and rice patties, oceans and deserts, and outer space....