WUNJO - The Rune of Joy
Years ago I bought The Book of Runes by Ralph H. Blum. It's a handbook for the Spiritual Warrior and the rune stones are an oracle providing a mirror and a little magic for knowing yourself deeply. I've consulted these runes many times over the years and value the way they consistently bring my focus directly to the heart of the matter. Wunjo (joy) is a rune that repeatedly appears for me - an inner urge to follow my joy always. It's a good way for me.
Writing is something that brings me peace, joy and exhilaration to share my inner world. Writing helps me make sense of myself and my world. I started writing for myself in high school. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way introduced me to Morning pages and they have been my friend for years.
Me & Optical Allyship
My internal dialogue when approaching or speaking to BIPOC is often, “Whatever you do, don’t fuck this up by saying the wrong thing! Act natural! Be cool!” That script is far from helpful and usually creates anxiety that makes me stick my foot in my mouth anyway. I thought that doing my work meant not…
Me & White Saviorism
#WhiteSaviorism Even though I am committed to this challenge and have been doing my work each day… Just yesterday a white friend and I spent several hours brainstorming a podcast that would “give voice” to stories of BIPOC. I read an article where a Native American woman said the best thing she could be offered…
Me & Tokenism
I’ve tried to create and maintain relationships with BIPOC to benefit from their perspectives and as a way to change the fact that most of the people I know are white. I am guilty of trying too hard to build these friendships too quickly and aggressively rather than allowing a natural progression so I can…
Me & White Centering
I’ve seen my white perspective as the most normal, comfortable and desirable. This is exactly how the patriarchy and white supremacy want white people to walk through the world, so many of our systems support this belief. I felt justified in upholding white-centered values without deeply considering how suffocating/harmful this must be for BIPOC. Despite…
Me & White Apathy
The biggest gut punch when it comes to me and white apathy is that I didn’t previously see any personal benefit to looking very closely at my own racism. To be brutally honest, I didn’t care enough to make it a priority. What motivated me to start caring was that I agreed to do a…
Me & White Supremacy: The Halfway Point
I’ve made it to Day 14 of 28 of the #meandwhitesupremacy challenge. This is the halfway point recap of what I’ve been learning about myself. I’ve taken a few days off because to really do justice to this work, I end up spending 3-5 hours a day writing, re-writing, reading, listening and educating myself. I…
Witnessing Whiteness
This is a commentary on what I’ve witnessed happening in the community of people involved with the #meandwhitesupremacy challenge on Instagram. If you don’t know what that is and want to know, follow the hashtag, it’s easy to learn about. You can also use google to get to know Layla Saad, there is much to…
Me & Seeing Color
I’ve heard white people proclaim, “I don’t see color!” and I think, “That’s ridiculous…of course you see color.” Today I wonder if I truly see BIPOC for all that they are and all that they have lived. Black & brown faces intrigue me so much. I love the uniqueness, the lines and different shapes and…
Me & White Supremacy
What I’ve learned so far about White Supremacy is that it applies to and includes me. That seems so obvious when I write it down, but it certainly was not obvious to me before so I needed to write it down and remember it. I am a product of white supremacy and a bigger part…
Me & White Exceptionalism
My White Exceptionalism is a seductive force tempting me back into ignorance every time I widen my lens and begin to grasp the magnitude of racism and the reach of white supremacy. Exceptionalism is behind every urge that I have to make a case for why my racist behaviors are a misunderstanding or somehow justified,…
Me & White Superiority
Yesterday I had a white fragility meltdown…the kind described by author Dr. Robin DiAngelo in her definition of white fragility. I’m still pretty unglued today staring my White Superiority in the face. I started, stopped and started over 6 different times in my attempt to dig deeper and be all the way honest about my…
Me & White Silence
One of my most dangerous mistakes regarding racism has been to view the word itself as vulgar and it’s meaning only as overt expressions of hatred, superiority over, or prejudice against of BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color.) With that definition, there was no way that it applied to me. Not questioning, reevaluating or expanding…