We are alive at a time of great social, political and ecological upheaval. From wars to the collective climate and ecological crisis, the symptoms of imbalance of this “polycrisis" are widespread and, as we increasingly realise, interconnected. Our apparent disrespect of soil, water, the elements that give us life is set to bring about our own extinction and has already that of many other species. Yet some are starting to see through the illusions, the story we have been lost in… and imagine a different way. This is an opportunity to rediscover our true selves and place in this ecosystem and cocreate a new paradigm for humanity.
Questioning our current worldview
“If you keep doing the thing you always did, you’re always going to get what you always got” my Buddhist therapist used to say. How can we truly transform if we do not challenge the very assumptions, the framework of our understanding of life at its root? Namely, in (our) consciousness...
Uncovering (our) true power
I remember Brené Brown speaking about the different forms of power - power over, power to and power with - the ultimate being from within.. Through self awareness, knowing our self in all our layers we can unleash our true Power. Instead of solely seeking it in external (unreliable) symbols of achievement, domination and competition, accessing the infinite potential of our essence - our “divinity” as some call it. Yet we do not exist in isolation…
"The mythology of Separation: me separate from you, matter separate from spirit, human separate from nature. It holds us as discrete and separate selves in an objective universe of force and mass, atoms and void. Because we are (in this myth) separate from other people and from nature, we must dominate our competitors and master nature. Progress, therefore,
consists in increasing our capacity to control the Other."
- Charle
s Eisenstein
Unravelling the story of separation
Who we are in relation to “Nature”, the earth and the Universe? Our Western intellectual/ capitalist lens has disconnected us from the world around us - the earth, and mind from body. In the words of the wonderfully eloquent Dr Zach Bush, systems in isolation tend towards dystrophy, or chaos, as we see in these outward symptoms of war and destruction. Contrastingly, he talks about the magic and harmony of a different kind of world that is ancient in nature - one where things effectively "work together"- through the unspeakable miracle of childbirth he has experienced and the mystery of the the white lions in South Africa.
Scientifically, the benefits of grounding and embodiment practices have been proven but this goes beyond the intellect. To explore these realms requires letting go of our current worldview and opening up to a new way of seeing and experiencing the world.
Our words shape worlds, yet our knowing, our embodied sense, our energy transforms. We are at the dawn of a new myth or (embodied) understanding of “interbeing” as Thich Nhat Hanh calls it.
Grounding this wisdom
Where many meditation and spiritual traditions explore consciousness within us, these Andean and Amazonian teachings are rooted in Nature, the earth and cosmos: Pachamama. The land and all its inhabitants we rely on to survive. The original bible, before we placed labels upon it all. All of it is conscious, according to Andean cosmology, honouring the sun and earth as reference points and symbols of the masculine and feminine to restore balance and reclaim our direction and destiny.
Starting with Self (Initiation)
We cannot wait for or expect the world to change if we cannot transform ourselves. No one arrives untainted in this life, our conditioning not only from our own upbringing but carried down through the generations. It is not our fault but our responsibility - moreover the opportunity of a lifetime to releasing these expectations, healing these patterns to make space and change the trajectory of our own lives and that of humanity.
As something of a “seeker” for many years, exploring many different modalities and courses, as I will expand on in the next article - the initiation is a foundation, a system to understand life, that has helped everything to fall into place for me. The beginning of a fascinating, all encompassing and truly empowering journey. There’s no going back now!
If you're curious, have any questions or would like to join us, get in touch via our enquiry form, @school.of.empowerment or @isabelsafiya.
