“The serpent is thus venomous and medicinal. It kills and it heals. On its belly, it crawls on the surface of the earth engaged in the survival necessary for all animals with cunning and wisdom. Put on a pole and lifted up, it becomes a medicine, as in the staff of Asclepius. This is a common religious practice that shows up in all kinds of traditions: the figure who causes suffering turned into the protector against, and healer of, that suffering. Who better”
Running toward and away from connection.
When I think of belonging, it is like two dogs tied together wanting to run in opposite directions. One dog wants so desperately to belong…
An Inventory of Dead and Living Language
“Lately I have been taking inventory of my beliefs, my ideals, and my guiding philosophies. One focus of reflection is language that once felt vital and inspiring but now feels dead, or at least murky. Words like “health,” “liberation,” and “manifestation,” once felt so vibrant. After years of repetition, mission creep, and marketing campaigns, I no longer know what they mean to me.
All of these leaves grow from a living tree, and my hope is to find the vitality at the source of the tree. At times I doubt there is a tree at all. At other times, I feel the tree with such vitality and urgency that it sends me back out into the world fighting and laughing. But I can confuse the leaves with the tree, which becomes problematic when the leaves grow dry. Are they shriveled dry leaves ready to be shed, or are they simply needing more light and water to be renewed?”
Molting Old Shells to Grow – New Moon in Cancer 2023
The Three Centers: The Head Center
Over the past several years, my spiritual and personal practice has become more organized around the energetic structure of the three centers in the body—belly,…
The Three Centers: The Heart Center
Over the past several years, my spiritual and personal practice has become more organized around the energetic structure of the three centers in the body—belly,…
The Smartest Guy in the Room
“There’s a wisdom in contrarianism. Contrarians are good tests of tolerance and safety in a group. Often contrarians grew up in places where dissent was punished or harmful certitudes put forward without question. When they experience a space where they feel there is too much harmony and agreement, it’s almost instinctive. They have to test it. “You can’t really be as enlightened as you pretend to be.” “There’s always a flaw in the argument.”
The Three Centers: The Belly Center
The Trials of the Magician
“When you’re being the Magician, it’s easy to see everyone around you as a dupe you need to keep entertained. But in this gesture, there is a way out: to show those who admire you their own power. To renounce the need to be special and indestructible and instead take your place in the community of animals. To share all the burdens and responsibilities you are carrying, and to lay some down if you cannot tend them all.”
How Am I Supposed to Feel About That?
As a part of recommitting to my social media promotion, I will do one short video each month. This will be an evolving process as…