Dear Readers:
I had the privilege of interviewing activist-sacred dancer-living legend Banafsheh Sayyad about the Iranian Revolution that has taken root since the tragic death of Mahsa Amini. Banafsheh shares some of her background story, the way that religion has disembodied and disempowered us, the courage that is taking root within Iran with respect to freedom of expression. And we talk about the kind of ReBraving and ReEmbodiment that must happen so that we can both see through abuse of power and effect real change. Not just in Iran, but everywhere that abuse of power roams the streets and infiltrates the corridors of power.
Here we are on Spotify:
Other locations (and Enrealment Hour podcasts) can be accessed here:
If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review wherever you are listening.
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Some recent quotes that came through me while reflecting on a variety of experiences:
When I wrote the following, I was thinking about my own challenges with seeing others clearly when my triggers were up. And even when my triggers weren’t activated. It strikes me as essential that we learn how to authentically relate to each other during these difficult moments. That is probably quite obvious, but in a world where virtually nobody was taught how to healthily relate, it can’t be said enough…
“There’s a significant difference between a heart-to-heart conversation, and a projection-to-projection conversation. When we speak to and from the heart, we stand a real chance of making relational progress. Our vulnerabilities are exposed and embraced, and our true feelings rise into view. When we speak from our projections- of self, of other- we are more likely to make things worse. Because projected dynamics are rooted in assumption and misinterpretation. And when we speak from that place, new projections are birthed. Projection begets projection. Vulnerability begets vulnerability. So, if you are planning to have a meaningful conversation with a significant other, spend some time beforehand doing all that you can to see through the veils to what is real. The real you, the real them, the real issues between you. And then connect from that place. Speak from your heart, hear with your heart, inquire from your heart. It may feel scary, but miracles happen when two souls meet on a bridge between their hearts.”
When I wrote this, I was feeling into the horrors of our current cultural zeitgeist, one where it is very difficult to find media that is truly objective with respect to their reporting. Whether it is because they have been politically co-opted, or simply because they are running out of money and unable to take any chances, we are in a strange moment with respect to investigative journalism. It seems quite obvious that most of the main urban newspapers in the west will be out of business within the next 3-5 years. What then? Where do we turn, and who can we rely on, to see through the veils and investigate abuses of power? Who will explore wrongdoing, and how can they remain politically neutral with respect to their offerings? What is the next model for solid, thorough, and objective investigative journalism? This is something that I am seriously considering…
“In my efforts to convert difficult life experiences into insight and offering, I have made it a habit to find a place to express my realizations. Usually, it has been in the form of a book that allows me to find closure with respect to my experiences. But I am now leaning in another direction, and interested in your thoughts. As a result of a whole series of life experiences, I have come to the clear conclusion that most of what ails and obstructs our species, relates to ‘abuse of power’. Not merely in the political and economic realms, but also in the spiritual, religious, and familial realms etc. And that until we truly wrestle this tendency to the ground, we cannot not fully actualize as individuals and as a collective. With that in mind, I am giving serious consideration to creating an Online news portal that is exclusively focused on the investigation of abuses of power. It would be funded by day-to-day-people and it would have a whistler-blower support section, so that those who have the courage to tell the truth are taken care of by all of us. And it would be politically neutral, entirely exempt from governmental or corporate influences and donations. Those who work for it would be committed to truthspeak, regardless of their personal or political orientation. Anywhere abuse of power lives, we go. What do you think of this idea?”
And, finally, I continue to receive a steady flow of emails related to the following passage from my book, Hearticulations. When I wrote this, I was remembering my dear cousin Gloria, someone who had an enormity of emotional challenges and was continuously met with judgements and assumptions about her capacity to heal. It is not for me to say that someone can’t heal, but I do believe that it is essential that we understand that not everyone can and that not everybody will. There surely are individuals who do not make it through in one piece (and one peace). Our inability to accept them as they are, says far more about us than it does about them. And it does little more than perpetuate the insensitivity at the heart of abuse:
“Not everyone will heal in this lifetime. It’s important that we accept and understand this. The perpetual emphasis on acknowledging and healing trauma is a beautiful thing, but it’s not for everyone. Because some of us don’t have the capacity to heal. Some can’t even get out of bed, because of the weight of their pain and the complexity of their trauma. Too much has happened, and there is no possibility of transformation. This is very hard to accept in our toxic positivity culture, one where trauma is the new buzz word, and where people forget that they are not walking in someone else’s shoes. Just because you were able to heal parts of your past, doesn’t mean everyone can heal parts of theirs. We have all lived in a trauma-inducing culture. Some of us didn’t make it through in one piece. That’s a fact. And if we can just accept this, and honor and comfort them as they are without any effort to ‘heal’ them, we actually stand a chance of co-creating the kind of trauma-sensitive world that avoids this level of suffering altogether. Because trauma is perpetuated by insensitivity. Our tendency to turn a blind eye to the truth of people’s suffering, to shame them for not healing, to blame it on their karma and their choices, is precisely the dissociative consciousness that perpetuates the trauma cycle. Better to accept people right where they are. Better to provide comfort to the fallen ones. That alone will heal the world.”
As always, I am open to your thoughts on any or all of the above!
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If you are someone who is ready to write from the depths of your being 😊, I invite you to check out my next online writing course at Soulshaping Institute. Writing Your Way Home: Answering the Soul’s Call is a 6-week on-line course that supports your calling to write, and to work through anything that prevents you from honoring it. Guidance, feedback and inspiration for anyone ready to express their soul’s voice. Affordable, with flexible payment terms, we begin April 11th, 2023:
https://www.soulshapinginstitute.com/events/writing-your-way-home-answering-the-souls-call-20/
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In Canada, we have entered a dark and strange time with respect to freedom of expression. Although there is a considerable amount of political chatter about the right to express, it is simultaneously being undermined by those in power. They seem to have forgotten that their job is not to muzzle dissent—it is to welcome it, in service of the collective good. In the Canada that I grew up in, "freedom of expression" was not merely a convenient political talking point and smokescreen for censorship, it was a way of being. One didn't fear that they would be stopped—through all manner of mischief—from expressing their rightful voice. One took that right for granted, sat back and let their creative juices flow. I remember those days with great fondness, largely because they are now in peril. And I do not simply speak from a theoretical perspective—I am speaking from recent, personal experience. We must protect the right to express ourselves freely with all our might. When it is lost, all is lost. This Liberal appointed Senator says it better than I can. I am grateful for his courage...
Wishing you an inspiring and expressive week to come! Jeff
thanks jeff. I will.
Jeff. I would love to be a part of your online writing about trauma. I have done most of your courses. They have shaped my writing and given me a guideline about what to write about.