Ritual, July

These monthly write ups are micro versions of topics explored in 1:1 mentoring and group courses.

• "Writing to Heal" is a 6 week workshop, starting August 11. For the introductory group, I am offering an over 35% discount! Register here and share with anyone who is ready to take their healing to a new level.

• Register here for a free 30 minute Wellness Consult with me.

After a week of sitting with the beautiful words of Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Kindness”, I have been stuck on a line: “You must speak to [sorrow] till your voice / catches the thread of all sorrows / and you see the size of the cloth.” What is haunting for me is that before we unite in kindness, we must first unite in sorrow. Which is like a Zen Koan, a simple truth meant to provoke thought. What do humans certainly share? Death, the greatest sorrow. In “This is Water”, a provocative speech by David Foster Wallace, he claims “The most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.” After over a decade of teaching, I know this to be deeply true.

What lines have stuck with you this week? A second for me is “Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore.” The reality is that we have to hold sorrow and kindness simultaneously all of our lives: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes,” Walt Whitman. Over the last week, were you able to identify where in your life you currently knew sorrow AND (not or) kindness? I found that I knew sorrow in my own health—living with chronic health conditions is what brought me to become the Wounded Healer which Jung spoke of. But I know kindness in my gardening, the fruit and vegetables which the earth is providing for me in the comfort of my own home.

"A Part of" Ritual

In a new series on @literarygastronomy Instagram, "Liminal Wednesdays", I am breaking down complex theories like liminality and non-binary thinking into concrete and applicable ways. This ritual, "A Part of", is a great support to freeing yourself from "either or" or "should/need" thinking. Often, when complex emotions like fear, anger, sadness, or disgust arise, we can over-identify with them. Last month, I mentioned that research shows us that our emotions only last 90 seconds, a minute and half. This means anything beyond that is ruminating and re-triggering the emotion through our thoughts. A cornerstone of emotional intelligence is being able to identify an emotion and process/alchemize it. Many times, when we over-identify with a negative emotion, we trap ourselves in a loop that will lead to a cycle of anxious or depressed thoughts. Have you had a day recently when a complex emotion colored the entire day?

Feelings Wheel

• When you begin to feel a complex emotion this week, use the Feelings Wheel to name it with specifity and say aloud:

  • "A part of me is ____ (annoyed, humiliated, insecure, jealous, etc.)"

• Next, using diaphragmatic breathwork to engage that parasympathetic nervous system, get curious about what else is there…

  • Ask yourself aloud, “And what else is there?”

  • Chances are you, may also feel peaceful, optimistic, excited…

  • Now say, "A part of me is ____, AND a part of me is ____"

Remind yourself, feelings are temporary and there are other feelings within us (like the poem notes, sorrow AND kindness). Don’t deny any emotion, but also don’t give it too much power to take over your time and mind. Sitting with complex emotions, breathing through them, allows you to process (like mothering the Heart Chakra). Using the “a part of” exercise, helps you to become curious about the multitudes within you. Tell me how this works for you during the week?

Antioxidants

One way to be kind to your body is through giving it more antioxidants. Antioxidants are abundant in summer harvests, vegetables infused with the power of the sun--with power to help you activate your Solar Plexus Chakra. Antioxidants are compounds found in our body and foods which help to fight against free-radicals: unstable atoms that damage cells, which causes illness and accelerates aging/decline. Accumulation of these unstable atoms leads to oxidative stress, which when chronic can increase your risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

You are probably familiar with antioxidants like vitamin C in citrus and beta-carotene in carrots. This week, I want you to try to include one of the following antioxidant rich foods in one meal a day. Just see how this kind action benefits you after one week!

• Berries: blueberry, strawberry, rasberries, Goji berries

  • among many benefits, these berries are found to be effective at raising blood antioxident levels and reduce the risk of heart disease

• Kale, Spinach

  • full of chlorophyl, these greens are rich with vitamins and minerals our bodies needs

• Beets, Red cabbage

  • Red veggies get their color from lycopene and anthocyanin, which not only protect the heart but also help the body fight off infections

What recipies made including these powerhouse plants easy?

Have an incredible week, full of conscious kindness.

Be good,
Amanda