What’s Rage Got to Do With It?
I have been raging. And also, not raging. And I am becoming acutely aware that when I have rage inside of me that does not have a safe place to be expressed, the trapped feelings eat away at my energy, my ability to focus, my willingness to hear others' perspectives, and even my desire to do loving things for myself.
The past few weeks have offered many opportunities to practice a new way of being with rage. Where I live, in the US, there have been plenty of reminders of how the systems purported to provide 'liberty for all' were actually designed to provide 'control of others for some'.
And I am discovering, perhaps most importantly for right now, that the voices that are continually suppressed out there are the same voices that continue to be suppressed inside of ourselves:
The woman's angry 'No!' as another man chooses what he believes is right for her body.
The black man's cries of 'I can't breathe' when a white man kneels on his neck.
The child's fierce screams of 'I am scared. I don't feel safe.' as they are taught how to hide better, while those whose job is to protect them do nothing to create meaningful change.
In Reclaim Your Space, I teach that we can work out there in our environment to create healing and change in our inner world, while we also work towards healing inside ourselves to create change out there.
So, in addition to taking meaningful steps to create change out there (i.e. donating to organizations that are mobilized to push for social justice and reform, signing petitions and reaching out to lawmakers to say enough is enough, and learning, listening, and engaging at a deeper level than I have before, to share just a few), I am looking inward to see where I can create change inside of me as well.
Here is one thing I have found: if I continue to train myself and others on how to suppress those voices of rage: to be polite, to say the right thing, to forgive without accountability, and to bypass the pain, the patterns of dysfunction only perpetuate.
I am currently deep in the process of reclaiming space in my own lineage: the deep love and deep dysfunction that I was born into. I am practicing speaking up and speaking out. I am having courageous conversations with my children and my siblings, my aunts and my grandmother and my father. We are saying things out loud that have not ever been said out loud before.
Some of those things are ugly and scary and painful. Some of those things are beautiful and loving and full of light. For too long, we have said only the beautiful things while leaving the ugly things unsaid. And we are learning now, collectively, that that just does not work.
Scientists are discovering that the trauma of even unspoken, secret experiences in our families, even those that we did not personally experience, are transmitted into our bodies 'silently' through molecules that interact with our DNA. Until this inherited trauma is addressed, it subconsciously affects how we act and react to every situation we encounter in our life. (Here's one book on the topic that I will diving into soon: Emotional Inheritance.)
As I listen and learn, I am coming to believe that the antidote to passing down harmful secrets is speaking truth. And so I am practicing speaking true things, with kindness and love, and also with conviction and ferocity as required.
I also believe that there are truths that we may not yet know how to speak and so I have also spent the past two years studying and practicing other ways of transmuting the energy of the secrets that are held in my body and in my DNA, so that they can be brought into the light and released.
One such tool that has carried and guided me through this most challenging time of transition in my life, is Cosmic Smashbooking(tm). And I am finally ready to share it with you all.
My CSB Teacher Certification book.
Cosmic Smashbooking is a healing, intentional art form that I use and teach to move and transmute energy, connect with Inner Wisdom, the subconscious part of the mind, and Spirit. It is easy & accessible with even basic supplies or random things you have around your home (and no prior experience in any form of art or creativity is required to be successful).
In ten days, I will be teaching my very first Cosmic Smashbooking workshop, simply named: Reclaim Your Space: A 3-Day Cosmic Smashbooking Adventure.
In three 90-minute live Zoom sessions over three days, I will guide you through an exploration of the three basic tenets of Reclaim Your Space, Awareness, Reclamation, and Expression, using a new medium that allows you to get beyond your preconceptions, see beneath the surface of your thoughts, and clear out the clutter of unintentionally held beliefs that you are ready to release.
Like I said, I am raging. And I am learning how rage can be one of the most powerful fuels for intentional action and positive change. If you are raging too, and would like to try out a new tool to channel your rage into action, come and smash with me on June 6, 7, and 8th. Here's the link to claim your spot: Reclaim Your Space: A 3-Day Cosmic Smashbooking Adventure.
I love you so.
Tam
xo
PS In Cosmic Smashbooking, we bring a challenge, a question, or a request for wisdom to our page and then let our innate creativity guide the process of making. When we complete a page, there is a message there for us: an answer that comes through, often unexpected, always mind-opening. I hope you will come give it a try. Sign up today: Reclaim Your Space: A 3-Day Cosmic Smashbooking Adventure.
