Meeting springtime like a friend 🌱
Welcome to springtime!
We made it, beloved.
😅
For a moment there, I wasn't so sure I was going to be able to crawl out from the depths of the underworld...
Can you relate?
Today marks the first official day of spring, the Spring Equinox passing through yesterday to kiss us in a sacred pause between light and dark.
aequus = equal / nox = dark
This moment when we transition from dark to light is a powerful one to honor all the initiations we've passed through this winter season.
I see you, dear one.
You've walked through fire. You've breathed through uncertainty. You've risen into courage when fear wanted to take.you.down.
Bravo! 🌱 👏
Today, we're gifted many times over with...
🌱 the first fresh breath of spring
🌚 the new moon
♈️ the turning of the zodiac (first day of Aries season, hey).
On top of those boundless blessings, I write you from my beloved friend and teacher Carmen's home in Arcata CA. Carmen was my first true spiritual teacher. I met her when I was 19 years old, when we both performed in The Vagina Monologues at Humboldt State University. A native woman with Apache north American roots on one side and indigenous south American roots on the other, she taught me much about what it means to be a Spirit Warrior— indeed, that was her native name. Spirit Warrior. Not too subtle, and 100% on point.
Two years ago last month, Carmen walked on. Today I celebrate her birth, her life and her legacy in her beautiful home, surrounded by her wife Denise and close friends who have rallied around her for as long as I have.
To have a true teacher in this life is a gift.
She was also a dear friend who opened my eyes to the bridge between mysticism and everyday life. She was an activist and advocate for native women and girls, speaking twice at the UN. Not many humans walk with one foot in spirit and one foot in activism. She did so, righteously and wholeheartedly.
Here's what I believe about relationships:
🌳 A true friend IS ALSO a true teacher, and to walk this dual path together requires courage, vulnerability, transparency and willingness to lean in when dissonance arises (which it will).
🌳 All our relationships — family, lovers, friends, teachers — are here to help us grow.
🌳 Yes, we provide comfort, joy, belonging, pleasure and all the deliciousness that comes with authentic connection...
🌳 AND, our primary reason for being in relationship is to evolve, expand and arise into our highest potential.
🌳 Also: it feels cleaner and easier to have segregated, tidy relationships where we fulfill one key role and don't ask too much of one another. But to honor complexity in our relationships is closer to an indigenous, tribal way of being together and belonging. Where we step away because we want to keep things easy, we sacrifice the depth that comes with navigating complexity and emerging victorious, with our hearts wide open.
If we aren't honoring our relationships for the transformation incubators they are, we're missing out on some serious gems.
A GIFT FOR YOU TODAY:
In the spirit of friendship, thank you for your presence and attention in reading these words today.
Here is a recording of David Whyte reading his prose titled "Friendship", from his book Consolations. I listen to this somewhat regularly. Right now, it feels like soul food.
May it remind you of what's most important, and perhaps inspire you to reach out to a dear friend today and send them some love and encouragement.
Blessed springtime, beloved.
Blessed new moon in Aires.
Blessed Equinox,
and Blessed N O W.
Smile!
This moment is all we ever have to do our best and love more.
Loving you,
