Week 4

Reading about education and psychology is fun. Contemplating how best to learn, and how best to relate can be a real investment in future growth and happiness. Looking for ways to maximize learning potential in my own education and that of my children can only serve us in our self-realization. Relating with intent helps me to navigate the practice of Life.

And I do need practice! Living and learning in the crucible of a homeschooling college family creates ample opportunity to rub up against each others rough edges. Keeping a goal of 'growing together' in mind helps me navigate the intense emotions that all humans are prone to.

Week 3 Wrap-up

This week has been a flurry of activity ending in a somatic collapse. I have been learning incredible amounts of information about Real Estate, finance, local land and microclimates. I have yet to find a home to live, but I have learned much about myself and my bioregion. I have also learned much about the process of becoming 'landed' and feel empowered by this knowledge.

I have been enjoying Choice Theory by William Glasser, and doing my best at keeping his ideas in my hear when I relate to my family and my community. When I remember these tools, life flows more easily.

I have also been working very hard to set up my business, a fundamental ingredient in my own financial sustainability. Creating my own livelihood in relation with my community feels far more stable than relying on some corporate of government infrastructure. Although, to be fair, as a credentialed health care provider, I am still relying on this infrastructure in many ways. I do, however, think it is essential to remove as many layers of hierarchy from the healing relationship as possible, and as a sole proprietor, I will be in a better position to do this.

attention

Attention is the food of the gods. What are you doing with yours?

Week 2 Wrap-up

I have been listening to the audiobook versions of Michael Pollan' Second Nature and Bruce Lipton's Spontaneous Evolution. Lipton tackles what he calles the '4 Myths of the Basal Paradigm,'

1: Only Matter Matters

2: Reductionist thinking (if we break it into small enough bits, we will understand it better)

3: The Law of the Jungle (which ignores the role cooperation has played in evolution)

4: We are victims of our Genes (which modern epigenetic studies are shedding new light upon)

Lipton does a wonderful job of pointing out the fallacies in the above ideas. Unfortunately, these ideas are much of the foundation of our modern way of life, and inform everything from economics to healthcare. Lipton suggests a new way of perceiving, supported by science, that empowers us to take a more active role in the evolution of our selves and our communities. Science no longer needs to be at odds with Spirit, and we can all gain much from this shift.

This epigenetic and self-evolutionary paradigm shift melds nicely with Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, of which I have read the first part, and which argues convincingly that the only way out of oppression is through the work of one's own self-education.

I am reminded of a Weepies lyric, "And in the end the only steps that matter are the ones you take all by yourself."

It took re-reading Zinn for me to accept that certain things in my life were due to power differentials that I willingly, if unknowingly, submit to. Recognition that my uneasy relationship with the economic world is a symptom and result fo the forces of large power hungry organizations has inspired me to take a more active role in my relationship with money, economics, and my own future. My previous thinking had often perceived 'houses' and 'money' as part of the realm of 'what other people have.' This doesn't have to be the case, but it is up to me to make the shift.

In this regard, shopping for a home is my own praxis of economic and community stabilization and investment. I am embarking on a big, legal, paperworkish sort of endeavor, like what corporations do. Through owning the process and making it mine, I am learning how to level the playing field somewhat, and empowering myself to move more effectively into a sustainable future.

New Directions in Mindfulness

Spring is here, and with it comes an upwelling of new ideas, energy, and inspiration. This blog started off as a record of my journey in my Fall program, Movement and Mindfulness. Mindfulness is always a useful tool in our growth and healing, and I am excited to bring the lessons of my last program forward into my new explorations in education.

In the program Ceremony: Relating Hospitably to the Land, it is my intention to bring the power of presence and attention to the study of education, wellness, and right livelihood. Creating a sustainable life is the foundation of empowerment; through our conscious attention we can learn to craft the life we wish for, and create a strong foundation for doing good work in the world. There are many aspects to this journey, and it often seems to me that indeed, everything relates to this work.

In this first week, I am reading ‘A Young People’s History of the United States’ by Howard Zinn. I have read the adult version before, and am reading this one as both a review for myself and a preview for my 11yo son. My husband is reading the original, as well. We are already having family seminar time about the material, and I am excited to finish it up and let my son have a turn with it.

Already, there is much to think about. This country we live in has so many faces, and so many stories. Many of them are quite harsh. I am often uncomfortable with this sort of material, as a descendant of both the conquered and the conquerors. It brings up many feelings, and helps me understand some of the things I am seeking in life

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A Young People's History of the United States (Enhanced Omnibus Edition)