What does it mean to BE who we are in this lifetime? In this conversation, Pat talks about the book, “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig. In this book, the protagonist, discovers a library where “every book provides a chance to try another life” (see citation). Per Pat’s synopsis, we learn that oftentimes the protagonist finds herself disappointed and at other times satisfied with the lives she has “jumped in and out of” when visiting the different “books” in the library. Pat states, “We all have parts of our lives that we can look at as being different lives … and as we grow and learn and move on to the next section of our life, it’s like having a new life.” Pat then creates a “throughline” to another artist/writer named Maria Popova, who has a website titled, “The Marginalian.” Pat describes Maria’s process of connecting certain artists’ literary works to others’ works. Like a “trail of breadcrumbs”, Maria connects us, as readers, to thematic understandings that draw us to making deeper conclusions about ourselves through art, poetry, writing, and other forms of expression. From Maria’s work, Pat extends the “throughline” to Corita Kent, an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. Like Popova, Kent connects ‘pieces’ together to create art assemblages, making meaning from seemingly unrelated materials or objects. Finally, the message is this: that we create who we are and become who we are from the amazing parts of our lives that shape and form our soul-driven identities.
Becoming (Beyond) Conversation on September 19, 2021
Who are we beyond our stories? And, what does this really mean? In this conversation, we explore who are are “at the brim of that which is beyond or known of our own lived stories.”
Who are we beyond our stories? And, what does this really mean? In this conversation, we explore who are are “at the brim of that which is beyond or known of our own lived stories.” We talk about “who we are between the cracks” invoking the practice of Kintsugi, a Japanese art form of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. We also bring in Leonard Cohen’s Anthem in connection to his lyrics around the ways our “cracks” allow the light to enter.
In Part 2, Pat talks about a couple of experiences that helped her to “see the light that holds us together… and reminds us of who we are.” She discusses a class she took with a Brazilian healer who works with healing energy. In this healing session as Pat was receiving healing, she felt a deep sense of knowing who she was in connection with everyone and everything around her. She explains, ‘We were all one Being, but different expressions of it.” The second experience centers on an experience she had leading a soul collage class using guided visualization where she asked individuals to “breathe into the heart and keep breathing into the heart” to feel expansion and connection with everything around then. In engaging with this process, she felt a deep resonance with the Earth, Cosmos, and beyond. She also had the profound realization that our true Selves lie somewhere beyond the roles we play. Please join us to hear Pat’s full story.
Image of the word connect against a bright yellow background with a brown vertical line intersecting.
This conversation occurred on Sunday, June 6, 2021. In this video Pat discusses the movie, “Rebel Hearts.” Here is a synopsis: https://www.rebelheartsfilm.com/
Rebel Hearts looks at Los Angeles’s Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, nuns who challenged the patriarchal conventions of the Catholic Church 50 years ago and are still taking a stand today.
Lynn read her poem “Remember.” This poem is a compilation of ideas and feelings generated from the previous session.
In the third part of this session, Cristina ties her experiences of meeting two young men from Jalisco, Mexico to St. Teresa’s understanding of “travelers” – that is, we are all on a journey as human beings traveling through this world in need of certain elements to keep us warm, fed, clothed, sheltered, and happy.
Becoming (Surrender) – Conversation on Sunday, August 8, 2021
“As we think of the word ‘surrender’ … there are many ways we can understand and feel that word as we hear it in our bodies … and think about what that word has meant to us in our life and how maybe it has changed and evolved. And as we go on our journey today and as we (contemplate) this word ‘surrender’ we open ourselves to the possibilities of how that word can shape knowings and understandings that uplift and also bring us a sense of complete peace within.” (part of the opening meditation)
This conversation is centered on a discussion that Lynn and Cristina initiate. Pat’s conversation is not recorded because it included other group members’ insights. On this channel, we are careful and intentional about not including other members’ stories so that their privacy is respected and honored.
Becoming (Remember) was recorded on April 18, 2021. Lynn began the session by reading her poem, “Becoming Reach” which encapsulated the ideas, feelings, and energies of the previous session.
“The Birds Who Flew Beyond Time” by Anne Baring and read by Pat Berberich. Here is a summary of the book found online:
A modern retelling of the Sufi parable, “The Conference of the Birds,” a poem written in the thirteenth century by Farid ud-Din Attar. In this retelling, the birds of the Earth, led by the Hoopoe, respond to Her call for help and set out on a journey to find the Great Being over the edge of time. In the course of this journey they encounter and overcome the power of the seven invisible monsters who are threatening the life of the planet.
In this part of the session, Cristina talks briefly about Dr. Cynthia Dillard’s latest work, “The Spirit of Our Work: Black Women Teachers Remember.” She also discusses her positionality in relation to her ancestry.
Further, here is an online description of The Spirit of Our Work: Dr. Cynthia Dillard centers the spiritual lives of Black women educators and their students, arguing that spirituality has guided Black people throughout the diaspora. She demonstrates how Black women teachers and teacher educators can heal, resist and (re)member their identities in ways that are empowering for them and their students. Dillard emphasizes that any discussion of Black teachers’ lives and work cannot be limited to truncated identities as enslaved persons in the Americas.
To set the tone for “Becoming (Reach)” we used a quote from Michelle Obama who states: “For me becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
Please enjoy the following materials that we used for dialogue during this session:
What is hope? Howard Thurman, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s mentors, writes, “Hope is the remembrance of radiance, the assurance that Light will be Light, even when walking in dark places.” Martin Luther King Jr. tell us that, “Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.” Today’s conversation #8 focuses on the theme of hope.
Who are we? And, who do we want to ‘be’ and ‘become’ in this new year, 2021?
Flower Blooming
Becoming with an ellipse in parenthesis (…) indicates that each of us are to fill in the word that we are striving to “become” this year. On this note, Pat, Lynn, and Cristina center January 2021’s discussion around stories of being on the hero’s journey – in light and dark – and sharing stories that illuminate our path. Becoming (…) for each of us is different and ever-evolving, but we found that it is within and through story that we hold space for one other within the darkness. Darkness here is leveled, meaning that it does not depict just evil or fear. It can be nurturing like a seed that is planted and then gestates within the womb of Mother Earth before it cracks open to extend both its roots into the earth and its branches upward toward the sky. Part 1 begins with Lynn’s poetry titled, “Becoming (Blessing): The Divine Algorithm” where she interweaves the stories told by those who joined us in December 2020 for the last meeting. Cristina then talks about story by introducing Dr. Bertrice Barry’s work and as connected to a story about Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey who unceremoniously helped workers to pick up debris left in the Capitol Building on the infamous Insurrection Day: Wednesday, January 6, 2021.
Andy Kim at the Capitol Building cleaning up trash after the riots on January 6, 2021.
In Part 2, Pat shares an accordion book she made that is inspired by the Lord of the Rings, specifically by the following quotation said by Sam Wise Gamgee to Frodo at a time of turbulence and peril:
Sam: It’s all wrong By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for. Subsequent conversations, not showed in this video, connects the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 to the battle of light and dark in connection to the hero’s journey.
The conversation, Becoming (Blessing) occurred on December 13, 2020. Becoming (Blessing) centers our conversation as we enter into the final month of 2020, a year that has been delineated as Pre-COVID and COVID. A year in which, as Pat mentioned, “we are beckoned to step into the unknown of our own becoming.” Enter, Explore, Return, Listen – words from Pat’s cards we have shared in communion. Occupying this virtual space we become a blessing to each other.
Woman holding a white flower
Cristina began the conversation by reading a prayer of blessing from the Diné. The poem is called Walk in Beauty.
Walking in Beauty: Closing Prayer from the Navajo Way Blessing Ceremony In beauty I walk With beauty before me I walk With beauty behind me I walk With beauty above me I walk With beauty around me I walk It has become beauty again Hózhóogo naasháa dooShitsijí’ hózhóogo naasháa dooShikéédéé hózhóogo naasháa dooShideigi hózhóogo naasháa dooT’áá altso shinaagóó hózhóogo naasháa dooHózhó náhásdlíí’Hózhó náhásdlíí’Hózhó náhásdlíí’Hózhó náhásdlíí’ Today I will walk out, today everything negative will leave me I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body. I will have a light body, I will be happy forever, nothing will hinder me. I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me. I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me. I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful. In beauty all day long may I walk. Through the returning seasons, may I walk. On the trail marked with pollen may I walk. With dew about my feet, may I walk. With beauty before me may I walk. With beauty behind me may I walk. With beauty below me may I walk. With beauty above me may I walk. With beauty all around me may I walk. In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk. In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk. My words will be beautiful…
Linguistic Note: The word “Hozho” in Dine’ (roughly translated) Concept of Balance and Beauty. Consideration of the nature of the universe, the world, and man, and the nature of time and space, creation, growth, motion, order, control, and the life cycle includes all these other Navajo concepts expressed in terms quite impossible to translate into English. Some Navajos might prefer the term: “Nizhoni” meaning ‘just beauty.”
Written by Robert S. Drake, for Tom Holm, PhD, University of Arizona American Indian Graduate Studies Program, Native American Religions and Spirituality.
During the conversation, Lynn shared a poem she wrote that interwove the stories and sharing from all those attending the previous month titled, “Nepantla” (which refers to the space where differing or divergent realities can merge and make sense of the world in mutually beneficial ways).
Pat focused her conversation about “Blessing” by sharing the story told in the movie “Collateral Beauty” and integrating her own insights into the discussion. We need to look around, particularly within the darkest, deepest periods of grief and observe the collateral beauty around us.
This year I have been engaged in many research projects and community-engaged scholarship that involve working with families of children with dis/abilities, particularly Latina/o/x immigrant families. Though some of this scholarship can be found under the ABOUT tab, under Cristina’s work, I would like to take a moment to highlight scholarship that is also affiliated with EduSpirit – either directly (as in book chapter below) or indirectly (with Dr. Lorri Many Rivers Johnson, who I interviewed for EduSpirit in 2017).
In the chapter titled, “How Do We Arm Ourselves With Love? Examining ‘Armed Love’ Through Educators’ Critical Conversations in an Online Platform, I describe EduSpirit.org as a vehicle for addressing how to mend a fractured educational system through critical conversations centered on education through the lens of love. This is an “armed love” (Freire, 2005, p. 74), a radical and fierce one, through which educators contend with and confront deep-seeded fears that threaten to paralyze action and continued movement forward (Fisher, 2017). This love is also a “force that enhances our overall effort to be self-actualizing … it can provide an epistemological grounding informing how we know what we know” (hooks, 1994, p. 195) of ourselves as both individuals and as educators. bell hook’s (1994) descriptive reflections on self-actualization provide meaningful context for educators who want to enact love, but who may not understand that one’s inner well-being is essential in assisting others in their own self-empowerment. These insights along with other authors’ interpretations of radical love are useful in situating five educators’ lived experiences in transgressing boundaries that impede their ability to “respect and care for the souls of our students” (p. 13). Through qualitative methods, I examine the ways in which these educators advocate for their students, combat systemic inequities, and transcend grief or illness for the purposes of creating spaces of well-being in personal and professional spaces. In other words, how do they embody and enact armed love? These educators’ stories unfold through dialogue captured in publicly accessible, video blogs.
United We Stand
The Role of Spirituality in Engaging and Healing Communities
Segments of society are drawing upon their faith and spirituality to develop strategies to mend social relationships and fragmented communities. The Contemporary Perspectives on Spirituality in Education book series will feature volumes geared towards understanding and exploring the role of spirituality in addressing challenge, conflict, and marginalization within education in the U.S. and internationally.
Other scholarship I have been engaged in collaboratively with Dr. Lorri Many Rivers Santamaría is our work on Co-Decolonizing Methodologies. Co-Decolonizing work is distinctive from Decolonizing work in that Lorri and I, as scholars of Color, acknowledge that our positionalities (Black Creole and Bi-racial Mexicana heritages, respectively) in relation to indigenous peoples locate us as co-conspirators in the dismantling of oppressive colonialist ideologies and practices. For example, when working with indigenous or other minoritized populations with whom we cannot claim membership or affiliation, we strive to enact co-decolonizing research. Here we work alongside and support those with whom we share common or similar goals. Neither of us profess engagement with decolonizing research methods or methodologies, particularly when working with indigenous populations, because we have not experienced what it is to have our land taken from us, to be dispossessed by unfair and insidious treaties, or to be displaced in direct and personal ways. That said, as mother-scholars of Color, we recognize other ways we – individually and as a larger collective – have been colonized – mind, body, and soul – by white hegemony and its continued destructiveness. In these ways, under very specific conditions, we affirm decolonizing methodologies as central to our work.
On September 15, 2020 we had the honor and privilege to present at the AERA Virtual Research Learning Series. We co-presented with Mixteca/Indígena co-researchers as well as with Dr. Darold Joseph, Dr. Jenny Lee-Morgan, and Latosha Rowley (Ph.D. candidate at IUPUI).
Through this presentation, many artifacts were produced including an interactional workbook (please check out this eBook!), PowerPoints, and conceptual framings around unlearning colonizing research methods to ensure conscious and deliberate practice of decolonizing and co-decolonizing methodologies. Below is a helix model that I created to demonstrate the movement from these colonizing methodological practices to ones that are participatory, humanizing, and co-decolonizing. Please use this citation for the image below:
In this month’s conversation centered on listening, we draw from Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen’s scholarship and storytelling. Dr. Remen is a professor at the Osher Center of Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. She is also the author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings. For Dr. Remen listening is vital to the healing process: “The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is out attention… A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.”
Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen
LISTEN
Becoming Listen, Part 1
Becoming Listen, Part 2
Through her poetry, Lynn summarized the previous sessions’ conversations. Here is her poem and the image associated with her words:
“Once Upon A Return” is the series of images for this conversation. Becoming (Joy, Enter, Explore) is about story – our stories. Today Pat, our storyteller, will take us on a journey. Enjoy. We look forward to your responses. Listening attentively allows the other a space to share her story and gives our heart the space in which to expand.
Once Upon a Return – Part 1
Once Upon a Return – Part 2
Here is the presentation with Pat’s artwork and story:
Welcome to Conversation 3, “Becoming (Enter).” This conversation will be occurring on September 20, 2020. It is inspired by Pat Berberich’s card, “Explore” and a quotation by Martin Buber: “We should stake our whole existence on our willingness to explore and experience.”
Pat Berberich’s card, “Explore.”
Lynn reflected upon what it means to EXPLORE after hearing her sister Pat say, “What you explore, explores you.” Lynn writes: Pat’s words reminded me of an article by Parker Palmer, “Life on the Mobius Strip.” Parker, an educator and author wrote: “The first time I saw a Mobius strip, I thought, ‘Amazing! That’s exactly how life works!’ Whatever is inside of us continually flows outward … Bit by bit, we are our world are endlessly re-made to this eternal inner-outer exchange. How can I make more life-giving choices about what to put into the world and how to deal with what the world sends back … choices that might bring new life to me, to others, and to the world we share?” Let’s explore together as we continue our third Becoming (Explore) conversation this Sunday, September 20, 2020.
EXPLORE – PART 1
EXPLORE – PART 2
Stone Bird Morning
Stone Bird Dusk
Stone Bird Night
Explore the shadow side on the path to understanding our Light.
Welcome to our second conversation, “Becoming (Enter)” that occurred on August 30, 2020. The flow of our first, “Becoming (Joy)” on August 9th found us entering into the themes of mystery, gentleness, challenge, presence, healing and story.
This conversation was recorded on Sunday, August 30, 2020. We discuss our different interpretations of “Enter” and the ways that we approach entering into the unknown, entering into intentional space together, and entering as a mindful teaching practice. This is the beginning conversation where Pat speaks explicitly about a piece of art that captures the essence of “entering” into the unknown and feeling inside as if beckoned to take that first step.
Becoming (Enter) Part 1
In the second part of “Becoming (Enter),” Pat, Lynn, and Cristina discuss what it means to take the step or leap into the unknown as we move forward into uncertain times. Lynn brings in images and her own poetry to depict the experience of ‘being’ in conversation and unity with all those participating in this platform. Cristina discusses the importance of setting the tone for how we enter into spaces such as classrooms. She discusses leaving unnecessary emotional “baggage” at the door to be fully present with others when we choose to enter specific spaces.
As we continue our journey together we featured Pat’s “Enter” art card and another of Pat’s art pieces with her words: “We are beckoned to step into the unknown of our own becoming. The portal and threshold await us.” Let’s see where our next conversation takes us! Next conversation: September 20, 2020 – Theme: Becoming (Explore).
This is the Patanjali card that Lynn picked for the group during our conversation on “Enter.”
Lynn’s poem inspired by the last conversation on “Enter.”
If you are interested in finding out more about this group, please contact Pat, Lynn, or Cristina at: joybecoming@gmail.com
Pat Berberich’s artistic interpretation of “Become”
Welcome to the first Conversation where Pat Berberich, Lynn Santamaría and Cristina Santamaría Graff discuss what it means to be “Becoming” as we talk about our life purpose as well as the way in which we attempt to align mind, body, and spirit. The PowerPoint provides a layout of our conversation as well as the structure of the discussion. The videos capture our introduction to Becoming (Joy), our group name (and YouTube Channel), and our beginning conversation about what it means to “Become” who we are. Not recorded is the follow-up conversation where we invite individuals to participate in deeper discussion about specific topics.
For those interested in learning more about this group, please contact us at: joybecoming@gmail.com
In this video, I use Dr. Masaru Emoto’s inspired Water Crystal Oracle deck for an intuitive reading. What I explain in the beginning of the video is the way in which LANGUAGE and the frequency behind it impact how we make ourselves and others feel. I weave Dr. Emoto’s work on studying the impact of human consciousness on the molecular structure of water with language, specifically the framing and intent of the words we use.
Though some say that Dr. Emoto’s work exists primarily in the realm of pseudo science, I believe that, in fact, his work is merely ahead of its time and, therefore, highly misunderstood. When we begin to understand the power of our consciousness in forming the reality around us then we will awaken to the impact our thoughts and words have in co-creating what we want and desire. Dr. Emoto’s work will become a pillar of understanding of the way that we can build and rebuild that which we envision around us. It begins with our intentions, thoughts, and words.
Please enjoy the following video!
Cristina holding up a water oracle card inspired by Dr. Masaru Emoto.
What does it mean to make a promise? What promises have you made to yourself or to others? Are you good at keeping your promises? What happens if you break a promise? How does it feel?
This week I have been thinking about what it means to make and keep promises to myself. I made a commitment that I would be creating, implementing, and posting lesson plans on a weekly basis. Experiencing illness the way I have been, has made me rethink this promise. I’ve actually had to ‘break’ my promise for the purpose of taking care of and healing myself.
I’ve learned a lot about the ability to recognize if the promises I am keeping are actually serving a larger purpose. These past few weeks, in having to let go of my vision for weekly content on EduSpirit, I have felt mixed emotions. On one hand, I have felt like I am breaking my promise to all of you who are following these lessons and are interested in trying them out at home. On the other hand, I have realized that I have to prioritize my commitments. My commitment to health and wellness is more important right now than video recording lessons and contributing to this website using the schedule I had been following. That said, my promise to follow through with my initial commitment of 40 vBlogs still holds, even if their production takes much longer than originally anticipated.
I hope that you and your family enjoy these lessons that my family and I have been co-creating and sharing together. Thank you for your continued encouragement and support. – Cristina
LESSON PLAN – PROMISE
Please remember to cite the lesson plan if you use it for a more public venue by attributing the material to: Cristina Santamaría Graff, eduspirit.org. Thank you!
Listen to the TedTalk by Alex Sheen, “Because I said I would” on making and committing to PROMISES:
Alex Sheen: “Because I said I would”
Alex talks about creating PROMISE CARDS or “Because I said I would” cards. Use the template provided. The template reads, “Because I said I would.” Write down a promise on the card that you want to make to yourself or to another person. Maybe it’s been something you’ve been putting off. Then give it to someone (for safe keeping). Once you fulfill the promise (it can take a day, a week, a year…) you will ask that person for the card back and let them know you have fulfilled the promise on the card. As Alex says, “You need to earn the card back.” One you fulfill the promise, the card you receive back will remind you that you are a person of your WORD. You are someone who keeps their promise.
For this lesson you are building off of last week’s lesson, PATH. You will be using the same game board you created as a family in Lesson 3, “Path to Wellness.” You are now going to create PROMISE cards that will be added to the other cards. These cards will be questions to prompt each player to talk about specific times in their lives where they have made commitments to themselves or to others. They will also include questions about future promises, commitments, or goals that each person is thinking about making and how to achieve them.
Please email Cristina at eduspirit.community@gmail.com if you would like to receive more examples of board game questions.
Here are some examples of PROMISE questions/prompts:
TAKE ACTION
You will create an autobiographical “topical” map by gathering the following materials (or ones you can substitute for these):
Poster Board or Cardboard
Clay, Playdoh, or other type of molding product
Cotton balls
Toothpicks and/or popsicle sticks
Glue
Markers and/or crayons
Felt or fabric
Scissors
The map will demonstrate in a visual, 3-D manner, the landscape of your life. You may focus on your entire life or on a specific timeframe. Within this map, you must add at least 3 representations/depictions of major “landmarks” (or promises/commitments you have made to yourself or another that you have achieved).
Here are examples of 2D representations from online.
In this video, we, as a family are engaged in a lesson plan in which my girls are writing their own story by creating an autobiographical map. An autobiographical map is a way to map out one’s life by choosing a “landscape” of important events that have impacted and shaped one’s trajectory. This video is a part of a series in which our family, during safe-sheltering in COVID-19 times, is working together on projects and lessons that are meaningful to us. The girls, who by the end of each week, are exhausted and frustrated by e-Learning, have demonstrated an appreciation for family-centered lesson in which we are all participating in some manner. Here, in this video, I, Cristina, am sitting at the dining room table with my daughters and am assisting them with thinking about significant events in their lives.
This week did not begin as “planned.” But, in these times, is there such thing as a typical plan?
We have come to rely on routines and stability. Some of us, even myself at times, lean so heavily on the routine that we forget we can unhook -if even for a moment – from the constant stream of myopic busyness. In these times, we find ourselves with more time to look around, re/assess, and re/evaluate our lives. What truly is important? What are the priorities?
This week, my “plan” was to create and implement lesson plans centered around the theme “PATH.” Path, to me, for the purpose of these lessons, is a consciously chosen trajectory of how we want to live our lives. I was envisioning family sit-downs of taking an inhale to assess where we’re at in week 4 and to decide collectively in which direction we want to go. Since we are “technically” in Spring Break (also Easter Week for those whose faith is centered in Christianity), my intention was to ask the girls and my husband what PATH do we want to pursue this day forward. Knowing that the girls will not be returning to school this academic year and not having a clear timetable regarding whether or not the self-quarantine will, indeed, be lifted before the end of the summer, I felt it was important to check in with my family in a meaningful manner.
In some ways, we are still engaging in these reflections. However, my PATH took a different turn this week as I have found myself needing to scale back and take care of my physical health.
In the following videos I discuss my PATH TO WELLNESS. It is an intentional path to which I am consciously attending to in relation to physical, emotional, psychological, mental and spiritual health. As someone who was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast Cancer in 2012, I have learned many healing modalities and practices that have contributed to my overall wellness. I share these along with my knowledge of Five Element Theory (Chinese Medicine) and engaging Qi (life force) for the purpose of clearing and nurturing the energetic meridians that flow through our bodies. I am currently focusing on the LUNG meridian as I have been having some difficulty breathing.
Though my symptoms are mild and may be attributed to a cold or allergies, I am taking all precautionary and proactive measures to ensure my health remains strong.
LESSON PLAN – PATH
Please remember to cite the lesson plan if you use it for a more public venue by attributing the material to: Cristina Santamaría Graff, eduspirit.org. Thanks!
Please remember to cite the lesson plan if you use it for a more public venue by attributing the material to: Cristina Santamaría Graff, eduspirit.org. Thanks!
LINKS USED WITHIN THE LESSON PLAN
BE INTENTIONAL
Eight Dimensions of Wellness
Video on Eight Dimensions of Wellness
BE THOUGHTFUL AND COMPASSIONATE
Board Game Examples – Please email Cristina at eduspirit.community@gmail.com if you would like to receive more examples of board game questions.
“Path to Wellness” Board GameSome examples of questions to use during the Board Game.
Path to Wellness Board Game
TAKE ACTION
Lesson on Flight Path and Forces of Flight
ASSESSMENT
Assessment – PowerPoint Presentations
FORCES OF FLIGHT – DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR LESSON
We decided to begin the pre-lesson with a FIRE Ceremony for the purpose of bringing healing to our Earth and all her inhabitants during this time. This is a very intimate snapshot of how we, as a family, gather together in sacred, intentional ceremony. We ask that you enter this space with respect, an open mind and heart, and with healing intention. Thank you.
PLEASE ALLOW VIDEO TO UPLOAD… IT MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES. It’s an embedded video, so if you are accessing it from your phone, make sure you wait a minute or two. It should come up after a couple of tries.
Family Fire Ceremony
Here, as a family, we engage in a fire ceremony that we share with all of you so that you can see how elegantly and beautifully simple it can be. Healing occurs with intention. When there is a gathering of individuals intent upon the healing of the Earth and its people, a powerful synergy occurs. I intentionally only name Fire as the element of warmth, comfort and healing as a way to create an openness for all to witness and to feel invited. This is a sacred space that we share with you for the purpose of assisting you during these times. By actively engaging in the practice of healing, we are, in essence, doing something. Many times, it is by action that we feel we are contributing to the overall good. This is something we (you) can do. It is purposeful action with the goal of bringing healing to ourselves and to every human being who is in need of warmth, comfort and healing. We hope this brings you a sense of connectedness and purpose.
Please remember to cite the lesson plan if you use it for a more public venue by attributing the material to: Cristina Santamaría Graff, eduspirit.org. Thanks!
Excerpt from Indigenous Fire Stewardship by Frank K. Lake and Amy Cardinal Christianson (2019):
“Indigenous peoples believe they have a responsibility passed down from their Creator to be stewards of the land. In relation to wildland fire – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are tied to the health of the Earth. Many Indigenous cultures cannot be resilient without a healthy landscape to exercise cultural fire-related practices on” (p. 3).
In the video below, we are implementing a lesson to learn about indigenous fire practices. This lesson can be found in the section called, “Be Critically/Constructively Compassionate” of Lesson Plan 2, “FIRE” (above). Here we document how we implemented the lesson on indigenous fire practices and land stewardship. Discussions center on a youtube video about cultural burning in Australia. The differences between cultural burning and hazard reduction are explained. What does it mean to be a caregiver, nurturer and steward of the land?
Cristina and the girls sitting talking about indigenous fire practices.
TAKE ACTION
Fire Safety Plan – template for home floor plan drawing
We are in Week 3 of having to stay at home. The girls wanted to “do” something so we looked at the section of the lesson plan that focuses on TAKING ACTION. Paloma wanted to create the fire safety plan using the template provided above. The girls created a map of the home by drawing floor plans of the house. Then, they found all the smoke alarms and discussed an escape plan in the event there was a fire. The girls had a lot of fun doing this. I’d recommend it for kinesthetic learners who like to move and explore. Please watch video below on “Take Action.”
Candles Burning
Other Videos Associated with Lesson 2
Cristina sitting in front of her table with the FIRE card beside her.
OTHER VIDEOS ARE FORTHCOMING… PLEASE CHECK IN HERE AT THIS PAGE or, if you prefer videos only, go to my YouTube Channel: Edu Spirit
Román and I were “interviewed” by HOPE at HOME – Dr. Joy K. Howard and Travis Howard, Educators, about home-teaching.
We continued the conversation in Part II. Here we discuss children’s emotions during this time of COVID-19.
Week 3 of Home-teaching: We found out today that all schools in our state are closing for the rest of the year. We also found out today that Ellis Marsalis Jr. passed away yesterday. So many transitions and changes… In this video, we show our girls’ initial responses.
I learned quite a lot today. The lesson was revelatory and has caused me to rethink the rigorous schedule I have created for myself. In the video you will hear my daughter, Paloma, share her needs and concerns regarding the new routine we are experiencing. She has asked for more time with me and I am listening.
REFLECTION ON OVERALL LESSON
This means I need to restructure the schedule. Instead of creating 5 lessons/week I am going to create, implement, film, edit, and write about 2 per week. Now that I’ve edited over 40 minutes of footage today, I know now that to do this everyday would burn me out. I am learning so much about myself in this process. I am learning that I need to recognize and admit when I have bit off too much to chew. So, I am admitting this now – to all of you. I have created a schedule that is unsustainable for me and for my family.
That said, I am still committed to 40 vBlogs during this time. I won’t be able to get them completed in 40 consecutive days/nights, but I will get them done over the next few months. During these times of Corona, I will be committing to putting out 2 videos/week (unless circumstances change). This new schedule will allow me to spend more time with my girls during the day.
The other thing that I need to say now and will say again is that the video represents ONE family’s experience implementing this lesson plan. We are not exemplars nor are we modeling how these activities should or have to look. We are just one family interacting together while learning together.
This lesson plan may not work in the same way for your family as it does ours. For example, if you are in a household of 4 children under the age of six you are going to have a COMPLETELY different experience. That is why you can take bits and pieces here and there. Maybe your “lesson” for the day is jamming out to Johnny Nash’s, “I can see clearly now…” And, maybe, for you and your children, this is a HUGE success – just listening and singing to music together as a family. Remember one family’s experience is ONE family’s experience. No judgment … no “right” way … just be YOU and let your family members be who they are, too.
I also discovered today that these lesson plans can be broken up into several smaller activities. You DO NOT have to follow the lesson in a linear fashion. Rather, you can jump down and jump around anywhere you need to go at a given moment. Further, some of the materials may not resonate with certain families or family members. No worries! It doesn’t mean that you are not a “good” teacher, it just means that this lesson and its content may not be what you need at the moment.
These lessons are meant to be adapted, changed, added to, and revised where needed. So please do so as you figure out what is best for your family.
If you use these lessons more publicly, outside the scope of teaching in your home, please make sure to cite this work. I appreciate it.
Thank you for diving into this experiment I call immediate mandatory collective home-teaching! 😉
With gratitude,
MORE VIDEOS ABOUT LESSON 1
THESE VIDEOS ARE MEANT TO BRING YOU DEEPER INSIGHT INTO EACH SECTION OF THE LESSON PLAN.
PRELIMINARY STEPS – GUIDANCE
Cristina is sitting in front of her computer. On the screen it reads, “Loving Critique.”
In this video I discuss “entry points” into the lesson to assist parents/family members in ways to acknowledge and validate their child’s learning. Learning, oftentimes, needs to be flexible and adaptable. I talk about ways listen and, in the moment, be present with your child’s learning. I offer suggestions to demonstrate to your child that their engagement is important to you. This is one video in a series of videos that go into depth about Lesson Plan 1.
Section 2: BE INTENTIONAL
Cristina is sitting and the words on the screen read, “Be intentional.”
In this video, I discuss what it means to “be intentional” within the context of adopting a positive frame of mind. This positivity can assist children in talking about their emotions in a space that has been deliberately created. Children can express their emotions in many ways including through art, music, poetry, performance, and dance. Being intentional in creating a space for children to express affectively (emotionally) what they need, are afraid of, are upset or angry about, or are happy and joyful about is a crucial element in being present, as a family member, for a child.
SECTION 3: BE CRITICALLY/CONSTRUCTIVELY COMPASSIONATE
Cristina is sitting and the words on the screen read, “What they say matters.”
In this video, I describe what I mean by being critically and constructively compassionate within the context of family-centered and family-implemented lesson plans. This conversation focuses on Lesson Plan 1, “BEGIN” and explains what is meant by the following questions that are embedded in this section of the lesson: How are we, as a family, working together well? In what areas are we, as a family, struggling or having challenges?
SECTION 4: TAKE ACTION
Cristina is sitting in front of a table getting ready to speak about taking action.
In this video, I talk about what it means to “take action” – it’s the “doing,” the “follow through,” the “accountability” to one another. From an academic lens, it is enacting PRAXIS since we are combining “critical reflection” with “action.” The critical/constructive reflection process is detailed in previous instructional videos on Lesson 1, “BEGIN.”
SECTION 5: AT THE END…ASK (ASSESSMENT)
Cristina is sitting in front of a table getting ready to speak about assessment of the lesson.
Here, your family should go over the original purpose of the lesson plan titled, “Begin.” You will be asking yourselves the following questions to assess whether or not you met the goals of the lesson: 1. Did each family member express at least 2 ways current circumstances have changed or impacted a) the daily routine, b) social activities, and/or c) the family’s interactions/communication? What did this “expression” entail (speaking, writing, drawing)? 2. What are the ways you are going to ensure that the Family Manifesto is followed? What will this look like (daily or weekly check ins)?
Cristina is sitting at her mediation table. The words fore-fronted read, “Happy Equinox.”
Now that I have five days under my belt, I am going to begin structuring the videos more so that they center on teaching at home. I am going to integrate mindful practices with academic content and provide mini-lesson plan templates. All of “this” will begin on Monday, March 23rd.
Please see EduSpirit.org – the home page – for an anticipated schedule. I will be explaining more about the schedule, particularly the “topics” on Monday.
Since my family and I are celebrating the Spring Equinox today, we decided to provide you will a peek into one way we give gratitude to Mother Earth. Here is a bit of information about the ceremony you see:
In our own way, we are celebrating and giving gratitude to Mother Earth by practicing a Four Directions Ceremony. We have adapted this ceremony to align and resonate with our belief system. At the same time, I hope you can feel my intent of honoring an indigenous practice by intentionally NOT adding the audio. I do provide a voice over of a summary of the ceremony, but I feel strongly that, though we are sharing our own family practice rooted in a Four Directions Ceremony, it is not for me (a biracial Mexicana) to offer up this ceremony to you as an “authentic” indigenous practice. I offer it as an important model of (re)membering that we, as a human race, are connected to Mother Earth. And, it is time to be intentional in Her healing by recognizing our part in the healing/recovery process.
The Four Directions Ceremony is a gift to all of us as a way to be centered and intentional. I give gratitude to our indigenous ancestors for sharing (orally, written, and online) examples of ways to give homage to our Mother.
If you are interested in this ceremony, I ask that you research sites that are written by indigenous elders or community members. I am not going to share specific websites because this is a personal journey for you and your family. It is in the journey that we find the path we are on.
Feel into what resonates with your heart and you will know it is the correct ceremonial path.
Here is a place to begin, an elder of the Ojibwe/Powawatomi (Anishinabe), Lillian Pitawanakwat provides information about the Four Directions and the significance of honoring them.
Cristina is sitting in front of her meditation table.
Welcome to Day 3.
For some reason it feels like Day 33. The day is now winding down. Here in Indiana it was a rainy day, too chilly to venture outdoors. We stayed inside and worked together and alone on different projects. The girls completed their e-Learning by lunchtime and then were able to work with my husband on finishing up the birdhouses. I’m actually amazed at how well they turned out.
Further, during this time of being completely sequestered in our homes has made me realize how creative we can be when we don’t have the same pressures as before. For example, my husband can build birdhouses right now. He is in-between teaching classes so, in the meantime, he is enjoying hours of doing things he’s been wanting to do like baking cookies, making corn tortillas on the placa from scratch, and, of course, building birdhouses.
And, in my case, I have had more time to learn about filming, editing, and putting material up on social media. I didn’t realize how incredible intense this process of rendering material online could be, especially since I’ve created self-imposed deadlines (e.g., 1 video per day documenting this time of home-teaching and Corona-imposed, social isolation). However, instead of feeling somewhat irresponsible about diving into something I’ve always wanted to do (e.g., learning how to edit digital material) because I “know I should be doing work-related stuff,” I actually feel sort of liberated. I feel like I have time … it’s not an either/or (either editing or working) but rather an and/and (I can both do what I am excited to do AND do work). This said, it’s not that I do not enjoy my “work,” but rather, I am free to “do work” on my own time and on my own terms – to a greater degree, at least.
In this video, I discuss what my family and I did on Day 3. I also talk about creating a work space that is relatively easy to set up.
For those of you who enjoyed the Caroline Myss quotation:
Managing the power of choice,
with all its creative and spiritual implications,
is the essence of human experience.
All spiritual teachings are directed toward inspiring us
to recognize that the power to make choices
is the dynamic that converts our spirits into matter.
our words into flesh.
Choice is the process of creation itself.
Each choice is a creative act of spiritual power
for which we are held responsible.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. We are all in this together.
Today my family and I had a bit more down time. There were e-Learning structured activities in the early morning, but by late morning we were talking a nice (needed) walk in nature. My husband and the girls also had a great time together (in the sun!) constructing bird houses. I mean…THAT never would have happened during this time of year before-Corona. Unprecedented.
We are finding our stride…our rhythm together.
That said, I am realizing that, though I am feeling centered in some ways, I am also having a difficult time focusing on my work. I am going to need to find my equilibrium to harmonize all that which is important to me during these times. I am getting ready to have dinner and to spend the evening watching Toy Story 4 with my family.
For those of you who enjoyed the quotation today:
“The entire Universe is condensed in the body,
and the entire body in the Heart.
Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole Universe.
Transforming yourself is a means
of giving light to the whole world.”
-Ramana Maharshi
Much love to you all. I send my support and solidarity,
Today begins Day 1 of e-Learning/homeschooling. So far, there have been some bumps, but, overall, we are figuring this out. This is one story amongst millions/billions of others around the world right now. As an educator of over 25 years who has taught multiple grade levels over the years, teaching my girls at home poses many interesting challenges (and opportunities). I am posting this vBlog as part of my EduSpirit journey and also as a way to provide support and solidarity with all my fellow educators (teachers, students, parents, caregivers, and all others navigating these strange times). Please feel free to comment about your experiences at home and what you are doing to support the children/students in your life.
End of day reflections:
Here are some resources you may want to check out for supporting learning at home. This is just a beginning list. I will keep posting as I come across more.
So, it’s time to get real…be real. As I sit here on a Sunday morning – sequestered in my home (as we all are being encouraged to do during these times of “self-quarantine”) – some pretty deep realizations are setting in. One of these realizations is that reality as we know it is changing rapidly. These changes can be uncertain and scary, particularly when we may feel a lack of confidence in our leaders and the steps (or lack of steps) they are taking toward assuring that the collective well-being is the highest priority.
I am trying to view the changes occurring in my life as positively as possible. There have been specific events I was looking forward to with great anticipation that have been canceled. I have felt disappointment, frustration, and even some sadness. There was one particular trip I was planning to take in late March that I was very excited about. At the end of the trip I was going to visit my parents in California. That reality is no longer. I realize, though, that this is just one story amongst billions of stories. I also am understanding that my personal emotions are connected to and unified with our collective emotions. In this manner, I recognize we are interconnected. I am not alone. We are not alone.
In this video, I get real about EduSpirit and the reasons why I am creating content, specifically vBlogs. During these times of “quarantine” there’s a lot to think about. In many ways I feel it’s a reset of sorts. Making sense of this reset as an opportunity where we can inhale and go inward centers this conversation. I talk about the fire and wood elements (Five Element Theory) and their interaction as a way to focus inwardly to release that which is no longer needed and to (re)imagine that which we truly want and desire for ourselves and for the world around us.
I offer you all this moment of introspection and honesty. I send you my love, encouragement and support.
During these times of uncertainty, it is important to ground oneself and to shift out of fear and into a sense of stability. Internal stability is key as we navigate and try to make sense of the information we are receiving – much of which has been confusing, changing or even conflicting. Being out in nature and observing the trees, plants, and animals is extremely helpful in grounding oneself. In this EduSpirit video, I offer my perspective of this grounding process.
Today, in the early morning hours, my first born, Goya, celebrated her eleventh year on this planet. I emphasize “on this planet” because Goya has never felt 100% grounded, never fully impacted by gravity. Invoking my husband’s words, “She is like a fairy flittering around with angel wings, never touching the ground.” Goya is a creative, innovative, right-brained individual who does not conform to most of societal norms. She is someone who needs to be reminded to eat, drink water, and trim her nails. Where her younger sister, Paloma, is acutely aware of her physicality and is interested in everything tangible and material, Goya generates a narrative – a storyline – to make the mundane palpable. If asked to do chores, Goya cannot simply make her bed or sweep the bathroom floor, she needs to transform into a character who she associates with the work. Recently, I found her wearing an apron while sweeping and cleaning. She was donning a faux French accent while fluttering around with a feather duster. Catching a few words here and there, I surmised that she was a maid in a large mansion fulfilling her duties for the wealthy owners. In this case, the owners were somewhat nasty and had forced her to clean the girls’ toilet as well as the rest of the bathroom. She was very vocal in her protests while, at the same time, made sure that everything was shiny, clean, and tidy.
As a mother, it has not always been easy to nurture her imagination and fantasies while trying, at the same time, to assist her in grounding her energies. There have been difficult, heart-breaking moments where I have had to temporarily ‘bind her wings’ – so to speak – so that she can attend to the everyday world. In a world that traditionally has valued the practical over the fanciful, living with and learning from Goya has and continues to be a lesson of questioning, resistance, and balance. Because of my love for her and her enormous capacity to dream, I have realized more and more the preposterous nature of schooling. As an educator for over twenty-five years, I have always questioned our educational system and the ways that it sorts and segregates children by categorizing them against a dominant norm. This is the work to which I have always been committed – to fight for children and families who are detrimentally impacted by this system and the ways that it privileges specific norms that only a certain few can attain.
Though Goya is privileged in many ways, including that she has two parents who are educators, her unique approach to being and living in this world makes her (and her father and I by default) question every single educational decision and practice her teachers are implementing. This past year Goya has been attending a new school that, overall, ascribes to a strict behavioral model that rewards very specific behaviors. From day one, Goya has resisted conforming to these expected behaviors because she does not feel that they are aligned with who she is and what she believes in. She questions the reasoning behind giving homework that is not meaningful to her everyday purpose which, essentially, is to be alive to assist the Earth, the animals, and nature in healing (Yes, this is her mantra). She is earnest in her passions and convincing in her arguments. Though she is driven and focused on her goal of helping Gaia, she is inconsistent with the daily ‘expected’ schooling responsibilities of staying focused, specifically in math, and turning in her assignments on time. These behaviors rooted in normalized schooling routines are judged and assessed. Consequently, it is not a far stretch her grades sometimes fluctuate.
Her father and I, being the educators we are, assist and work with her on math, science, and on her executive functioning skills. She is improving and doing better in school. This improvement, on one level, of course, is important. We commend Goya for her efforts and continue to guide her. However, on another level, I have to ask myself if schooling is changing our dreamer. Here I distinguish schooling from education. Goya loves education and loves to learn. What she struggles with are the norms that schooling places, like parameters, around the ways she is expected to learn. Along these lines, when Goya comes home from a long day at school and then is confronted by 2 hours of math homework, she questions why she can’t have more time to focus on what makes her happy.
It’s a challenge because on one hand her father and I know she needs to learn math to succeed in this world, but, on the other hand, we believe that homework should enhance learning, not drain the student of their excitement for learning. For example, giving Goya two hours of homework on long-division problems that are decontextualized from the purpose or the WHY behind long-division is not beneficial for her, a person who is driven by idealistic, humanitarian goals. If she could be given an understanding of the importance of long-division as a necessary skill for an endeavor in which she may be engaged in the future (i.e., running a business to help abandoned animals) then, perhaps, her evenings doing math wouldn’t be so often marked by tears, frustration, and exhaustion.
I am hardly the first parent to question the purpose of schooling. In fact, I know and have worked with hundreds of families who face similar, if not the same, dilemmas. I am honored to know many families whose children, like Goya, think differently and find it nearly impossible to conform to traditional schooling expectations.
On this auspicious birthday, 02-02-2020 (a palindrome), where Goya is beginning the first year of the second decade of her life, I feel it is important to acknowledge her beautifully audacious and inspirational spirit. She is nowhere NEAR the norm nor do I want her to conform. I speak to all the parents and families out there now who feel the same about their children. Maybe to find balance means to NOT give into belief systems that structure success in narrow, limiting ways. Maybe, because of our amazing children, we need to resist certain practices that feel oppressive and stifle our children’s zest for life and living. Maybe it’s time to question this daily grind and to imagine, in the way our children do, the unimaginable happiness that can arrive with purposeful and meaningful learning.
Beginning a new year and a new decade not only means looking forward to what is to come, but also taking a moment to reflect upon 2019 and the past 10 years. One way to take stock of our life’s journey is by creating annual vision boards. As explained in a video I made two years ago, vision boards demonstrate intent and bring form to these intentions. Creating consciously what we desire through active participation (e.g., writing down goals, finding images that represent our visions) sparks momentum, fuels thoughts, and grounds abstract ideas or hopes by making them more concrete.
In the following video, I discuss what it means to be thinking about vision boards as DECADE BOARDS through which to imagine and (re)imagine our life’s trajectory in patterns. What are the main themes of our lives and how do we go about manifesting the themes that we would like to experience more of? I also talk about 2019 as a year in which many of my goals did not come to fruition. How can we rethink or realign our visions so that they resonate with our highest Self? How do we handle our disappointment when our visions seem to fall flat? How do we recalibrate the way we think and feel about envisioning our present and future? These are some of the questions I answer, particularly in light of my role as an educator and a mother.
May you all have a happy and abundant new year. Much love,
Taken from: Beinfield, H, & Korngold, E. (1991). Between heaven and earth: A guide to Chinese Medicine. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
Taking a moment today to reflect on Autumn’s energies…
I’m looking forward to applying these understandings to how we teach, set up classrooms, and are intentional in our daily interactions. More vLogs to come.
After not having made a video in almost 2 years, I decided to explore video-blogging again. It’s a challenge to ‘put yourself out there’ in front of a camera knowing that once an image or video is made public there really is no turning back.
I have my students to thank. They have motivated me to get back online to share some of my experiences and expertise with integrating healing and energy modalities into pedagogy. I have decided to make a series of videos that detail the ways in which I have conceptualized using these modalities to create curriculum, set up classroom environments, work with children/students, and set the intention for peace, centeredness, and tranquility in educational spaces.
The first video is a brief introduction to the ways in which I am conceptualizing this series. I hope that this sharing will elicit reflective thought on the ways we can engage students in their education more holistically.
El Paso, Texas.
Dayton, Ohio. Two cities now forever interconnected in time to horrific acts of
violence originating in fear, perpetrated through hate, and executed with cold intent
to signal, exalt, and glorify a frightening narrative of dominance and dehumanization.
Every eyeful is a litany of blood, grief, and rage. I blink away headlines. Grocery
shopping is now a death wish. Venturing out with friends at night, an act of
genocide.
If I allow it, fear
will swallow me. I have family in El Paso and Ohio. My parents, my brother’s
family, my husband’s family, and so many of our friends live in California.
Some live within a couple of hours of Gilroy. On my dad’s side of the family,
we are Mexican. We are light-, medium-brown-, and dark-skinned. We are born
here and are immigrants. We are walking targets for using our mother tongue,
for wearing Frida shirts… hell, just for breathing. Spaces we frequent become
traps. We might make a left instead of a right and catch a bullet in the
temple. When the narrative is death, there is no discrimination. The AK-47
becomes adrenaline. Every ‘head up’ is a game piece. It’s better just to lie
down, even if blanketed in your neighbor’s blood.
This fear is real and
is being stoked. If we allow ourselves, we will fall victims to the pervasive language
of fear that aims to further divide us, scare us into giving away our rights
and sovereignty, and prevent us from confronting the miasma of toxicity that
chokes our heart and leaves us hating ourselves, our lives, and those around
us. We need, so desperately, to crack our minds and hearts open like an egg and
wake up. We need to understand that our collective misery has been covertly constructed
to keep us from healing ourselves and finding love for others.
These words have
been incubating. I have been compelled to respond to what I consider to be a
collective manifestation of mass dehumanization. For me, one main way the
dehumanization is perpetuated is through our politician’s empty rhetoric. There
are no genuine feelings of empathy when policy and practice continue to dictate
that human life figures less than weapons’ profit margins. But gun control is
not the focus here nor the intended story. Rather it is what Toni Morrison
refers to as the “systematic looting of language” or when language is used to
dehumanize and to disallow creativity and innovation for the purpose of limiting
our capabilities to co-create knowledge and “encourage the mutual exchange of ideas.”
She writes, “Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is
violence.” I further contend that oppressive language is not only violence but is
a weapon skillfully used to annihilate our empathetic capabilities to feel for
one another as human beings. When sharpened over time, it is like a scalpel that
scrapes away or cuts out that which is determined to be ‘diseased.’ To harness
language against a group of people for the purpose of claiming power
over them is to deliberately strip them of their humanity. In doing so,
they become objects. Objects are easily removed, displaced, or thrown away. And,
if the soul is deeply clouded, no guilt is attached to this dispossession and
removal.
In waking up to the
news that Toni Morrison had died yesterday, my first thought was that she was
deliberately providing some balance to the scales. It felt as if her death was
a direct response to the mass shootings that were rooted in racial hatred.
Her death, to me, is a counternarrative against violence inflicted upon those who have been historically oppressed because of gender, color of skin, ability, religious-affiliation, and other markers of difference that contribute to the overarching prism of humanity. The timing of her passing feels like an exclamation point in reaction to the disingenuous platitudes of commiseration exercised in front of cameras and read off of teleprompters. Her death is a call for authentic discourse that recognizes that silence between open hearts speaks more loudly than hasty, fleshless words. Her counter urges resistance and the fight against “rousing language to keep citizens armed and arming; slaughtered and slaughtering.” Her death reminds us to stay steady through these violent times, to not yield to fear, and to love each other courageously – gripping hands together as we lead each other through the darkness.
With love,
Quotations by Toni Morrison were taken from her Nobel Lecture on December 7, 1993.
EduSpirit 
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