about

this collection of writings and resources is intended as companionship in the life-long quest of how we get free without losing or destroying ourselves in the process. the resources and reflections surround collective trauma and injustice, illness, societal myth, and turning towards collective care, pleasure and resistance in service of the liberation of all.

this is, more simply, observations and practices i've tried and tested and adapted during a simultaneous and interrelated process of healing from long-term illness, radicalisation and awakening.

none of this is a cure- or fix-all, and while at surface-value much of this work can be practiced individually, it is emphatically not only about individual transformation, bypassing or individual responsibility. it is about healing as a foundation, as a gateway to collective change. it recognizes the inter-relatedness of all oppression and struggles for freedom and justice. and it recognizes that the work of building will take lifetimes.

some other signposts:

1) western spirituality and wellness culture is largely appropriated wisdom from indigenous, or otherwise non-western practices. serving justice for centuries of white, western colonial extractivism (of which wellness/cultural appropriation is one part) means healing and care must be a revolutionary act engaged that is engaged with to liberate all present and future generations, as far beyond the self as we can see.

2) there are multitudes without the means to engage in healing practices; and more often than not those with the means have these means – whether it be time, money, comfort, safety, social support or otherwise – at the expense of those without.

3) suffering and harm and trauma are addressed. sometimes, engaging in practices where trauma is re-experienced without appropriate guidance can sometimes do more harm than good. please do not proceed through practices that re-traumatize. professional help is not always available, and moreover, medical practitioners or agents of state can also be places of pain and re-traumatization. despite this, some levels of suffering can not be addressed alone; engage trusted community support, friends, networks of care, where available. our suffering is never our’s alone to bear.

4) this is all received wisdom from (amongst many others unnamed or unknown to me)

adrienne maree brown

Thich Nhat Hahn ( & his continuations, Sister True Dedication, Brother Phap Huu, Brother Spirit)

Gabor Mate

Audre Lorde

Reverend angel Kyodo williams

David Graeber