By Michelle Cassandra Johnson
SHAMBHALA
SYNTHESIZING HER WORK as a social justice activist, anti-racism trainer, and yoga teacher, Michelle Cassandra Johnson’s latest book explicitly sets out to empower readers to prioritize grief in whatever form it may have taken in their lives—personal, global, or the “grief that is held within our collective DNA.”
We live in a culture that largely ignores grief. Not only are we not taught how to grieve, most institutions and employers allow no more than three to five days bereavement leave, so there’s hardly the time to figure it out.
Johnson is at her best when writing from her personal experiences as a person of color. Her descriptions of the trauma she experiences after being pulled over by a cop are visceral. Heartbreak lives in the body, impeding the progress of individuals and entire communities. What Johnson calls “dominant culture” conditions us in such a way that at times we aren’t even capable of recognizing grief, let alone moving through it.
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2021 de Spirituality & Health.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2021 de Spirituality & Health.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
ENTER THE SAUNA
Journalist Emily O’Kelly shares some uplifting research on the benefits of sweat bathing, a global healing practice not just limited to Northern climes.
LEAVING MESA VERDE
After 21 years of service at Mesa Verde National Park, RANGER DAVID FRANKS recently guided his last tour of the pueblos and cliff dwellings. He says he was fortunate to assist the archeologists with a variety of work and never lost his amazement with their ability to figure out how and when things happened. The question he still wrestles with is much deeper: Why they left?
MY SMILING NEIGHBOR CALLS ME A CHRIST KILLER...
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THE SPIRITUAL TRAVELER
FEATURED ARTIST - Paul Lewin
Lead digital editor Brenna Lilly spoke with artist Paul Lewin about ancestral inspiration, visions for the future, and the art of patience.
3 Poses for Awakening
The difference between yoga and many other forms of exercise is that while you are doing it, you are paying attention. You notice your breath, your rhythm, the specific ways the body feels in each posture. Yoga can be a form of moving meditation. This can be true for any pose, but these three advanced poses, which bring energy into the head, heart, and throat, are especially helpful for awakening.
THE SIMPLE THERMODYNAMICS OF ENLIGHTENMENT
When S+H was conceived, evolutionary neuroscientist PEGGY LA CERRA, PhD, awakened to a new understanding of the nature of the mind created by evolution. It’s not widely taught, but the science seems pretty obvious.
UPDATE FROM THE ASHLAND GODDESS TEMPLE
Thirteen years ago, a geodesic dome popped up like a giant mushroom beside a hot spring near Ashland, Oregon. Here, PRIESTESS GRAELL CORSINI led 19 priestesses in birthing a modern-day goddess temple. Priestess Graell now says her creation has taught her “to expand my unconditional love to a level that I had no idea I was capable of.” She wrote this update:
THE ZEN OF CROSSWORD PUZZLES
Refuge can be found in myriad ways. MYLES MELLOR creates one of the more curious and remarkably lasting places of refuge: the crossword puzzle.
OVER THE BORDER HEALING
Spa aficionado MARY BEMIS checks out the new alternative health retreat in Baja
MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WANTS TO TRANSITION ΤΟ A BOY
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THE SPIRITUAL TRAVELER