notes on generative tension

I'm in the study of discerning the difference between tension that flattens our fields of practice, distracts us, isolates us, and narrows access to ecosystems of care versus tension that is generative and inspires ecological responses to its presence and all that it stirs within us collectively and individually.
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As a recovering people pleaser who previously vowed to diffuse tension at any cost in my youth, it never occurred to me that tension could be generative and might require a response or holding greater than my own as an individual. It never occurred to me that I could resource myself via webs of ecology to meet tension and all it stirred.
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Much of this study has required me to sloooooow down and work on lovingly interrupting my conditioned reactions to tension in general so that I can discern what flavor of tension is arising and respond accordingly.
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There is more to be shared, and I hope to do that soon.
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In the meantime, what tension is stirring in your life?
Where and how do you experience it?
Do you have a practice of discerning between different kinds of tension?
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Onward towards love & liberation.

[Quote on tan background with a warm neutral and pink watercolor curve in opposite corners reads Reminder- keep saying "yes" to generative tension. generative tension enables change and stirs the field of possibility. generative tension evokes ecological responses to change and communal visioning into new possibilities.]
#ase #learning #tension #ecology #ecologicalbeing #discernment #ancestralwisdom #ancestralconnection #community #visions #dreaming #kin #inspire #ecologicalresponse #resources #stirringthepot #growing #change #love #possibility

things i wish i knew when i began ancestral work

after almost a decade of ancestral work, including connection and veneration practices, here are a few tidbits I wish I had known when I started my journey:

🤎we are wrapped in layers of lineage (we are thick with lineage)
🤎hierarchy doesn’t have to shape our practices of connection (it can often flatten the fields of connection)
🤎it’s ok to start where there is positive resource/easeful connection (but don’t get stuck)
🤎we belong to more-than-human lineages (we are thick with belonging)
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in these times of deep collective grief, unraveling, and change, i hope these tidbits support anyone who feels the call to become more deeply resourced and connected with the ancestral ecosystems that sustain and affirm life. they are closer than you think; you are the portal of connection.
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we have long outgrown individual responses to our collective needs; we need ecological responses to hold and guide us. now is the time to invoke every layer of support.
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for those who wish to explore ancestral ecosystems in a field of practice, @sacredgriefshaunajanz and I will offer Elder Wisdom again on December 20th. as a reminder, all past participants are welcome to all 2hr Elder Wisdom offerings at no cost— look for that email soon! lets keep growing our practice field. register in bio!
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#ase #hope #connection #lineage #elderwisdom #love #liberation #thickwithbelonging #healing #ancestralwisdom #belonging #kin #kinship #ecology #selflove #stayopen #learning #growing #grief #community #ancestralconnection #practice #being #ancestralveneration #ease #change #ecologicalbeing #ecologicalresponse #curiosity

a spell for hope

hope is the practice of staying connected to ourselves and our ecosystems.

my work is to stay open to the hope that lives in me and all of my kin.

my work is to source hope from wells much deeper than my own.

on this day the cool waters of the atlantic ocean bathed my feet in hope.

how are your connecting to hope?

#ase #hope #connected #love #liberation #grief #rage #interdependence #kin #kinship #anectralwisdom #ecology #ecologicalbeing #stayopen #water

a spell for heartbreak

the very real work of these times is learning to sit with and presencing our personal and collective heartbreak.

our heartbreak will catalyze us into co-creating more generative and life-affirming ways of being.

we must learn to trust our heartbreak

we must feel our way through these times

a loving & liberatory praxis of being is blooming in and through us.

dear ancestors

May we listen to and trust our hearts.
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May we hold one another in our grief.
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May we always orient towards hope.
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[Quote on brown background with white words read: Help us to trust our hearts. Help us to meet the presence of our grief with tenderness. Help us to be mirrors of hope for one another. Let the tremblings of this world stirr us into embodied practices of love-action.Ase o! a small back and white photo of tamira is is in left corner]
#hope #love #prayer #spell #ancestors #egungun #ase #ancestralwisdom #truth #medicine #trust #grief #tenderness #loveaction #ancestralconnection #ecology #listen #help #humanity #kin #descendantbelovedkin #embodiedhealing #embodiedpractice #ase

a hymn for grief

the lights and internet have been disconnected in gaza as the empire carries out its deeds in darkness, but we know what is happening, and we don't need sight to feel the ripples of loss and violence surging through the web of life.

no matter who you are and or what you believe, i hope you take time to grieve and withness, not consume the Palestinian peoples' struggles of resistance.

may none of us believe that our physical distance from these events serves as any measure of safety or boundaries from the global reach of empire and oppression.

may we all remember that we are moving towards collective liberation for all.

may we abandon our composure, may we grieve, and may our hearts be broken wide open.

#ase #grief #hymn #freepalestine #liberation #collectiveliberation #wheredoesithurt #gaza #loss #healing #together #solidarity #grieve #composure #heartbreak

grief medicine

dreaming of communal grieving that is held in the integrity and vast resource of deep ecology.
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holding visions of all of us being braided into deep webs of resource, presence, and community as we grieve.
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join @nora.dennis.md and I for a communal grief & hope ritual at Jubilee Healing Farm.
we will invite in the vast resource and presence of ecologies rooted in love and liberation to guide our ritual and withness our grief and hope offerings.
📅oct 29
⏲️1-230 pm
🔗 www.tamiracousett.com/gatherings
[quote reads:
grief medicine moves us deeper into ecology.
its presence invites an ecological response of holding & withness.
how is our grieving impacted when systems
of domination work overtime to push us out of ecology and back into economy & productivity amid our grieving?
brown background with dark candle lit.]
#meditation #grief #griefmedicine #ancestralwisdom #ritual #gather #healing #community #ecologicalbeing #ecology #reflection #inquiry #vision #dreaming #hope #ase #love #ecologicalresponse #kin #presence #resource #integrity

postures of protection

a self reflection
a prayer
a meditation
on the practice of embodying love

[Quote reads-how does it feel to embody & experience love beyond postures of protection?
.:.
what becomes possible
when i move beyond posture
and rest into states of being? ]

#practice #love #selfinquiry #selfreflection #protection #being #human #relationshipgoals #experience #embodiment
#meditation #prayer #dream #rest #lifelong #student #classisinsession

a reminder

we are not at the beginning or the end of the collapse; we are in the thick of it— co-creating it in real-time.

let go of the timelines- linear time is irrelevant amid the grief and death that intersects with the impulse to live.

time here is measured in thickness

it demands a thickness of presence

a thickness of being.

we are engaging collapse with every fiber of our being.

it is being archived in our tissues and cells, stretching across our bones.

there is no possibility inaction, we are tethered to one another by intra-actions because, beloved, we are ecological beings.

doing nothing is doing something; it is still an act of participation.

every action, thought, prayer, ritual, way of being, and breath is participation.

may love and collective liberation be the center of our beings and all we strive to build.

may love and liberation accompany us as we mid-wife these systems through their collapse in bodies and our worlds.

may we remember that when love and liberation rest at the center of our beings, all generations will be fed by our lives, and all beings move closer to embodying love and liberation.

field notes on protecting love

love does not need my protection...
love does not need my protection...
love does not need my protection...
love is inviting me to embody it...
love is inviting me to embody it...
love is inviting me to embody it...
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as a black woman living in the states, i have been socialized into upholding models of protection that systems of harm and oppression actively shape
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when i’ve felt into my embodied experiences of protection, i’ve often noticed myself assuming postures of hyper-vigilance, defense, hyper-surveillance of myself and others, gatekeeping, fatigue, and being ready to go to war
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in many ways, the residues of these systems live in the models of protection they inform, and thus, as i’ve practiced these models of protection, i’ve found myself further enabling cycles of harm and oppression
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as i deepen into love, this path is not asking me to assume postures of protection but to redirect that energy into embodying love and responding from that space in times of great challenge/unrest and grief.
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i’m asking myself how i can embody love in my solidarity and mutual aid practices with the people of Palestine and all beings impacted globally by genocide and oppression.
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I am asking myself if I am meeting my grief and our collective grief from a space of love.

#ase #ancestors #ancestralwisdom #ancestralconnections #fieldnotes #life #love #learning #growing #embodylove #grief #human #solidarity #protection #decolonizing #curiosity #ancestralecosystems #ecology #peace #mutualaid #kin #relationshipgoals #selfcare #selflove #collectivecare #takecareofyourself

a reminder

A reminder
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Bring your whole self to your ancestral connection practices.
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Our ancestral ecosystems are not in some far-off place watching from afar. They are with us always, witnessing.
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Presencing what is, while rooting in ecology is how we affirm our interconnectedness.
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Our broken hearts are potent pathways of connection.
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[image shows the profile silhouette of a black woman with braids facing the sky. quote reads: Bring your grief, rage, confusion & heartbreak to your ancestral connection practices; this is an invitation to be withnessed. Bring your whole self into your practices of connection and trust the ancestral ecosystems to embrace the layered complexities of your human experiences.] #ancestors #ancestralwisdom #healing #peace #egungun #support #prayer #spell #ritual #community #love #liberation #courage #spell #meditation #ancestralconnection #grief #rage #trust #ecology #interdependence #interconnected #collective #human #life #brokenheart #heart #connection

a prayer...a spell... a meditation for love and liberation

a spell for dismantling systems of harm and oppression.
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Quote reads: beloved ancestors of love and liberation
as we dismantle systems of oppression in the world
please help us to dismantle these systems
as manifest within us, our lineages, our rituals,
and our communities.

🕊️
[ image of black woman in a white dress standing in a field with her hand on the forehead of a black man kneeling before her. Both have simple symbols painted on their face with white paint. Quote reads: beloved ancestors of love and liberation
as we dismantle systems of oppression in the world
please help us to dismantle these systems
as manifest within us, our lineages, our rituals,
and our communities.]
#ancestors #ancestralwisdom #healing #peace #egungun #support #prayer #spell #ritual #community #love #liberation #courage #spell #meditation

remember

You are woven into something much greater than your current conditions.

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You belong to something much more vast, loving and generative than the managed realities of empire.

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Move accordingly.

🪞

[image of dark skinned black man with corn rows. He has pink and red flowers tucked behind his ear. His eyes are closed and he has flowers painted on his forehead and chest in bright colors. quote reads: your ancestor work began long before you answered the call of incarnation in brown font.]

#ase #egungun #ancestors #ancestralwisdom #ancestorwork #ancestralconnection #ecology #ancestralecosystems #elderwisdomfield #remember #move #live #love #truth #medicine #belonging #being #reality #life

celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day 365

This anthology is everything ❤️

a spell for the living

let us be in the practice of gathering with the hopes of being gathered.
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A field of practice opens tomorrow:
Elder Wisdom
🗓️Oct. 9th
⏳7-9pm EST
🪞via Zoom
🔗In bio// recording available
[ tan background and semi circle watermark. Quote reads: let us gather our dead, beloved
to re-weave pathways of belonging and accountability
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let us gather our dead, beloved
to practice locating ourselves in ancestral ecosystems of love
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let us gather our dead, beloved
to release the mythologies that dispossess us of these connections
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let us gather our dead, beloved
to celebrate our interdependence
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let us gather our dead, beloved
because we, too, are in deep need of gathering
🪞
in the spirit of reciprocity,
let us gather our dead, beloved]

#ase #egungun #connection #ancestors #practice #ancestralwisdom #ancestralconnection #learning #growing #trust #heart #medicines #love #ancestralassignment #ancestorswisdom
#trustyourheart #ancestralecosystems #ElderWisdom #embodylove #embodyliberation #ritual #gathering #fieldofpractice #descendantofradicalimagination #descendantbelovedkin #kin #reciprocity #interdependence #spell #poem

ancestral connections 101

I have gathered many gems along my path of rooting in ancestral connections. Today, I want to share just a few that I always find myself returning to:
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1) Allow your practices to be authentic to who you are. If your practices don’t resonate, you’ll be less likely to engage them. I habitually ask myself what practices reflect where I am right now. Sometimes, that connection practice looks like savoring a walk after school drop-off and meditation. Other days, it looks like making school lunches with a full heart and tired hands.
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2) Simple offerings and rituals are the most potent. We don’t have to partake in grand rituals and make elaborate offerings. There is a time and a place for everything; simplicity is key. Our ancestral ecosystems delight in being woven into the magical and the mundane aspects of our lives. What do you have access to today that can serve as a love offering of beauty to these ecosystems? Is it your laughter, a leaf, or libations? The possibilities are endless.
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3) Allow your practices to evolve. We are always growing and changing, and so should our connection practices. Today, I have more skills and resources to engage in ways that didn’t seem possible years ago. Our connection pathways evolve as we become students of our own hearts and begin to trust our medicines. The question is, are you willing to trust your heart and your medicines?
[video image 1 reads ancestral connection 101. Image 2 reads make your practices of connection authentic to you. features an image of black woman with braids, wrapped in a gray blanket and sitting cross legged outside in nature. Image 3 reads the simplest rituals and offerings are the most potent. Features an image of black man soaking in a tub w/oranges slices floating in the water. His eyes are closed and he had gold eye masks beneath his eyes. Image 4 reads allow your practices to evolve with you. Features video of white buds.
#ase #egungun #connection #ancestors #practice #ancestralwisdom #ancestralconnection #learning #growing #trust #heart #medicines #love #ancestralassignment #ancestorswisdom
#trustyourself #trustyourheart #ancestralecosystems #ElderWisdom #embodylove #embodyliberation #ritual

remember.....

When life is full on life-ing, I come back to this.
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I am so grateful for the many fields of practice life continues to offer in all of its weirdness, beauty, complexity, and divine chaos.
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May our fields of practice be invitations into presence. May life move us towards deeper connections and love amongst ourselves and the ecologies that affirm liberation.
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May we embody love & connection. May love & connection be our foundations of home & kinship here on Earth.
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If you feel moved to join our field of practice, the Elder Wisdom portal of practice opens on October 9th 7-9pm EST.
🔗register in bio
[quote on brown background with cream outlined double circled reads :
This life is an invitation to practice embodying love & connection with the vast ecologies we are woven into. The second image reads: Practice makes perfect (crossed out). Beneath that reads: Practice invites presence.]
#ase #egungun #connection #ancestors #practice #ancestralwisdom #ancestralconnection #learning #growing #trust #heart #medicines #love #ancestralassignment #ancestorswisdom
#trustyourself #trustyourheart #ancestralecosystems #ElderWisdom #embodylove #embodyliberation #ritual #liberation #embodyliberation #human #kin #presence #life #gratitude #thankyou

fall magic is afoot

Fall magic is unfolding:
🔸Crisp mornings at @carrborofarmersmarket
🔸Floral wonders-photos1-2 (not shown)
🔸beautiful kale greens-photo 3 (not shown)
🔸taters for soup-photo 4
🔸our haul included paw paws-photo 5
🔸rainbow chard is my love language - photos 6-8(not shown)
🔸new adventures with okra water- photos 9-10
#fall #lovelanguages #love #local #farmersmarket #carrborofarmersmarket #flowers #veggies #herbs #rest #innerspiral #life #seasons

remembering our ancestral ecosystems

Remember you belong to entire ancestral ecosystems of love.
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Join us in our field of practice and remembering.
🔹Elder Wisdom
🗓️October 9
⏰4-6pm PST// 7-9pm EST
🪙$65 sliding scale
🎥Recording available for 2 weeks
👣Returning participants may re-enroll at no cost.
🫶🏽
[image of underwater sand colored sea anemone with purple tips swaying in the currents. Text reads “Remember when we accept the invitations to embody love and sustain ancestral connections, we practice being and becoming, living and breathing, while rooting in the integrity and vast resources of entire ancestral ecosystems.]

field notes on knowing your role

field notes on role and destiny.
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I’m chewing on a few questions:
❓If I know my role(s) how might the socialized aspects of my being try to talk me out of accepting them? How might those parts of me tell me that i’m not qualified or that the work is impossible?
❓what have i been socialized to believe about the importance of knowing my role(s) ?
❓How deeply invested am I in those beliefs? How do they shape how i love and know myself?
💡
Have you reflected on these questions before? What came up for you?
Happy digging as the journey continues.
#ase #ancestralwisdom #learning #growing #fieldnotes #destiny #role #questions #relationshipgoals #love #reflection #curiosity #ancestralecosystems #unlearning #life