Embodiment Hour @ The Stoa Tomorrow at 12p EST ~ Guns and Outrage
Tomorrow we will work with a piece of media that arose out of the pain of recent episodes of gun violence.
Dear Friends,
Tomorrow we gather again at Noon EST to feel into a piece of culture together. The topic is gun violence. I was feeling this after the Buffalo Tops Shooting and wasn’t sure how or what to bring in. I was saddened and stunned again yesterday with the news that 19 children and a teacher had been killed in Uvalde, Texas, while at school. And then this video came my way…(thank you, Ari)
The piece I want to offer for processing is this impassioned call to action by Steve Kerr, coach of the NBA team, the Golden State Warriors. At a press conference before their game today he refused to speak about sports and instead used his platform to rail against lawmakers who have refused to pass legislation that could help prevent easy access to guns by people not fit to use them. I state it this way because this is the issue on the table, background checks. That’s it.
You can watch the clip here or wait to watch it with us tomorrow.
"In the last 10 days, we've had elderly Black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we've had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California, now we have children murdered at school…When are we going to do something? I'm tired. I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there ... I'm tired of the moments of silence. Enough.”
One of the things we work with in cultural embodiment is numbness and the dissociation that can happen in the face of tragedy…especially the seemingly relentless stream of terrible news the media feeds us. It can make it hard to bear witness, to show up fully, to attend to what needs attending. Steve says later in this video, “How would you feel if this happened to you today? We can’t get numb here!”
I know this tendency in myself and while I don’t like it, I have to allow that sometimes it’s necessary. If this is where you’re at, don’t feel ashamed. You’re not alone. Sometimes it’s too much for me to bear and I need to take a break or resource myself before taking in the weight of the situation. Community and the support of other present, compassionate individuals is one thing I know resources me and helps me process. That’s what I need to be with the painful reality of where we are at as a culture and a country—connection, stories, and embodied relating. If you do, too, join me tomorrow.
Cultural embodiment can be an act of service even as we learn to recognize and move with the wisdom of our bodies and emotions on a profound level. Our presence and precision are love at work.
If you are looking for more actions, the organization March for Our Lives also announced today that June 11, 2022 there will be a march to end gun violence in Washington, DC and in communities across the country.
EMBODIMENT AND FLOW ~ NEW Rebel Wisdom Course Starts June 9
Another piece of news I want to share, especially to this Embodiment Hour community, is that I will be a featured teacher in the new Rebel Wisdom Course, Embodiment and Flow. I will be sharing a 2-hour cultural embodiment experience and would love to have you join if the content of the course appeals. I am a fan of John Vervaeke’s work and look forward to hearing what he has to say about embodiment. The other instructors I don’t yet know, but feel curious to hear from them. I will attend as many sessions as I can.
Here is a film introducing the topics and teachers:
You can find out more about the course and register here. They’ve offered a 10% discount code for anyone in my community. The code is Schuyler_10 (case sensitive) which can be applied at check out.
Shamanic Interlude
I went for a walk tonight while processing my sadness, horror, and outrage at the gun violence in Texas and New York. As I walked I reflected on the words and energy of Steve Kerr’s message. I was focused on Mitch McConnell, from my home state of Kentucky, and the Senate republicans who have blocked the H.R. 8 bill for background checks. I felt into their energy and wondered “Why? Why?”…really trying to understand something about their position (not their political position, but their energetic position).
As I did, I suddenly felt nauseated, sick to my stomach. Then the sensation became more acute. It was actual disgust at something lodged in my lower left abdomen. I recognized that it needed to be removed and as I reached for it I knew it was a phallus. There was an energetic phallus, hard as a rock, stuck into the feminine side of my body and I knew it was a representation of these men and their energy. It was a vestige of the patriarchy.
As I pulled it out the words “rigor mortis” entered my mind and I realized this phallus was not just hard, it was dead. Over. In that moment I looked down and found a phallus-like rock, quite smooth and hard. I picked it up, knowing I needed to take a symbolic action to transmute this energy of stagnation and stubborn immobility. I held it and began smashing smaller rocks, using it as a weapon. That didn’t feel right, so I kept walking and waiting for answers.
As I walked I realized it needed to be memorialized, like a tombstone or a statue commemorating some aspect of the past. Like a statue of a fallen war hero. Yes, this is the past. And while it has caused much harm, it also needs to be honored. As I softened around this idea, I began to carry the stone more lovingly. I looked for a place to erect it (pun intended) as a monument to the dying patriarchy and found also some perfectly yellow wild roses.
Suddenly I realized I wasn’t making it into a tombstone or a memorial, but a lingam. The lingam is the symbol of the Hindu deity, Shiva. It is the male’s erect member, but also a symbol along with the yoni in which it typically sits, of the union of the masculine and feminine and the eternal dance of creation, destruction, and creation again. I placed the stone carefully, surrounded it with the roses, and poured water from the nearby stream over the top to purify the energies and soften them into more fluidity. I made this offering through the body and with the help of Mother Nature to try and move some of this energy. I pray it travels where it is needed most and swiftly.