Finding Your Purpose in the Revolution: A Personal Guide
Before diving in, I just way to note that.........things feel very.......strange right now.
Like we are suspended in the air or missing a puzzle piece or waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It's a bit.......eerie.
If you feel this, just know you are not alone. I feel it and many people I talk to also feel it so I just wanted to name it.
Anyways, continuing on to this week's writing.
If you read last week’s newsletter then you saw where we started to look at the question: What is my role in the revolution?
Even with this feeling of uncertainty, this question feels just as pertinent as ever before.
In my personal perspective, this question has two parts- with last week’s focus being on part 1: what is my role in tending to myself? Which we looked at it through the lens of Regulation, Reflection and Releasing.
This week is focused on part 2: what is my role in contributing beyond myself? What is my personal purpose in the revolution?
It’s officially Sagittarius season so I am just going to go ahead and say the thing…….
Post election, in the limited time I have been spending on social media or even observing certain conversations beyond social media, one of the things I would see was this sentiment of “first we grieve, then we fight.”
Now, I have absolutely no problem with honoring our grief journey because the election brought up different things for everyone and processing grief (and/or any other emotion showing up) is actually deeply necessary.
What made me pause more was that “then we fight” part.
I love and believe in the sentiment of it but where it gets a little tricky for me is the vagueness of it all……. because from what I have observed is that, for many of us, there is no specificity in the fight.
And when we are not specific is when we can fall into apathy, confusion, overwhelm, avoidance, complaining and blaming.
And I say this not from judgement, but from deep personal experience.
Like my acting teacher would always say when our performances didn’t land, “So, what exactly were you *doing* with that?”
What he meant was, what was your intention?
When we are specific with where we want to focus our fight, we can have much more clarity, energy and impact around it.
When we are vague, we can get trapped in the toxic thinking cycle of “I can’t make a difference”, “there’s nothing I can do about it”, “what’s the point?”.
We may also find ourselves more reactive or judgmental to what others are doing instead of just focusing on what are are doing.
When we are focused, the news, social media or others’ actions or reactions may have the capacity to inform us but we don’t get hooked or lost in them to the point where we are now distracted, dysregulated and off the path.
When we are specific, we can not only be clear about our role in this revolution but the ways in which we fulfill on it naturally, easily and dare I say, even with some joy.
Being a contribution or playing an active role in bringing forth a more just, caring world does not always have to be painful, exhausting and a drain on your life force - some aspects may be - but having joy doesn’t make your role less important or impactful.
Here are a few ways and resources that I have found to be helpful in staying grounded, specific and focused:
1.) Finding Your Revolutionary Niche: Focusing Your Attention
I mentioned the social change ecosystem map in part 1 but it feels necessary to mention again because it’s so important.
Part of where I used to get hooked and distracted, especially during times of crisis, was looking at what everyone else was doing and let’s be honest, the people who often get a lot of attention are usually the loudest in the room / on social media feed.
I believed for a long time that I was meant to be out on the front lines, in the marches and in the trenches.
What I came to realize over time was that while being out on the front lines was critical for dismantling systems of oppression, it was not necessarily my zone of genius.
It felt like an important *moment* but if I was honest, it didn’t feel sustainable for me.
When I started to study and reflect more on the social change ecosystem map, I started to ask myself questions like:
What do I immediately feel resonant with?
What feels like a “yes” in my body?
What am I maybe already doing that is making a positive impact?
What feels most accessible to me and within my reach right now?
For a long time, I was clear I was a Visionary and a Healer and in later years I have added Artist.
It’s not to say that I don’t connect with other roles but in this chapter of my life, those are the ones that click, feel accessible and also feel fulfilling to me.
It was when I got focused and stayed in my lane as much as I could (as well as asking the daily question of “what is my role in the revolution?”) that the ways in which I could make an impact and the clarity of *how* that impact could manifest, became tangible.
Showing people the tools to regulate their nervous system, self-heal and unlock their creativity (so they can dream up a new world) along with sharing my own artistry is my lane -at least for now - and the direct ways in which I can and want to make an impact.
I can’t emphasize how expansive this can look and be.
For example, I was just having a conversation with my hairdresser yesterday about this topic and she was clear that her hair cuts, the conversations and the healing space she offers her clients during their appointment, is a big part of her contribution (and I couldn't agree more - shout out to Janaye at Capella Salon!).
It doesn’t have to look any specific way - it’s just your way.
2.) Revolutionary Education: Learning from History's Blueprints
One of the things that has kept me grounded during this time is that this is not the first time America has been in political crisis lol.
TBH we’re pretty much always in political crisis because we live in a capitalist 2 party system……but I digress.
Not to lessen the potential or impact of what we might be dealing with in the future, but we have been in dire situations many, many times before and with equally if not worse consequences.
Change is slow and very much non-linear.
This can be seen as either tragic or comforting…….or (usually) both.
But it does mean that people have left blueprints and road maps of their wisdom, their experiences, what they’ve learned and what we need to do.
So, while we grieve and sort ourselves out, learning from the past *and* the present can help inform how we act now and in the future.
There are so many resources and revolutionaries to learn from (particularly the black feminist ones).
Toi Marie’s The Deepening is a year long political education with excerpts and articles that get emailed to you each week.
I have found it to be extraordinarily helpful to grounding our current moment within a larger context and framework.
3.) Keep it Local: Connecting to Your Community & Personal Ecosystem
I mean this quite literally - what are ways in your local community or personal ecosystem that you can or want to show up?
I think part of the overwhelm that happens is that we focus so much on politics with a Big P and action with a Big A.
Mutual aid, local community, your personal ecosystem and taking small action IS big.
Pluto just went into Aquarius on November 19th - this marks a massive shift in our relationship to the collective, our communities and these crazy a** systems (as well as technology and creativity).
Last week in part 1, I mentioned Alexis Pauline Gumbs phenomenal video on the first 100 days on Instagram but in case you didn’t get a chance to watch the whole thing, here are the questions that she offered for reflection and guidance:
Who do I need to forgive, who do I need to pardon, in order to lean more into liberation in the first 100 days?
What are the practices that I want to commit to recommit to in order to lean more into liberation in the first 100 days?
What are the community institutions, organizing spaces, and organizations that I want to join up with or renew my commitment to in order to lean more into liberation in the first 100 days?
What are the laws that I need to change in my relationship with myself and in my relationship with others in order to lean more into liberation in the first 100 days?
4.) Revolutionary Relationships: Energy Management & Energetic Hygiene
I understand that life is life-ing and we don’t always have the capacity to reflect and/or take action we want or need to.
I firmly believe that: we do what we can, with what we’ve got, where we are.
And I am going to be honest with you, not everyone is going to want to reflect or take action in this way.
Not everyone is going to want to think about or answer the question: “What is my role in the revolution?”
And those likely aren’t the people you want to walk this path with.
For me, I’ve had to learn that:
Their resistance is none of my business.
It might not even be a part of their blueprint in this lifetime to walk that path. Who am I to decide or try to force that?
Instead of yelling or trying to convince, I would rather spend my time and energy with the people who are already on that path or would like to be.
Having challenging conversations is one thing, trying to force people to be somewhere they aren’t or don’t want to be is entirely different.
Having energetic hygiene and discernment frees you up to connect with the right people and cutting those energetic cords (doesn't mean you have to literally cut the person off......or it can be) with misaligned folks frees you up to use that energy in more productive, fulfilling and impactful ways.
TLDR:
Focus on aligned relationships and partnerships
Release resistance to others' paths
Connect with like-minded change-makers
Maintain healthy energetic boundaries
Here are a few tapping videos that might help with this:
Alright folks, that’s it for me right now.
If you need me I’ll be resting, reading, playing and working on launching a few new offers:
Morning and evening EFT routines for creative folks
The Everyday Artist Creative Community
EFT Meditation Video Library
Collective collaging event
Stay tuned!