What trumps power?
While the eyes of the world were focused on the US election this morning I turned my gaze inward and then I thought of you. Fellow survivors of cultic and religious abuse: how are you doing? What are you feeling? What do you need?
Are you seeing, as I am, the wreckage from widespread indoctrination, patriarchy and loss of personal autonomy that brings society to this moment?!?
We know first hand the psychological toll that abuse of power wields. And we know how to stare it down. We see it for what it is and know when to step away. We’ve traveled through shame, moral injury and complex reckoning in order to stand in the center of our own lives today. 🌟
This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. Toni Morrison
We survivors have already lived through feeling like our people and our world turned against us. We’ve already learned sexy narratives that control are NOT reality. We’ve turned mumbo-jumbo doctrines inside out and see the emperor is really a naked narcissistic abuser. We’ve swallowed our pride and acknowledged how we let our own minds and psyches be hijacked. This is our superpower.
Our capacity to sniff out exploitation helps orient us today. When we smell it, we know to look elsewhere. We can choose to focus our time, energy, and money in different and life affirming places.
We’ve dug deep and discovered inner values. We’ve cautiously built the capacity for self-trust that serves as an inner compass. 🧭 We’ve already learned - and will continue to learn again and again - that the agency that resides deep within IS the power that matters most - especially when bullies get their way. Is it possible that this is the antidote we need for our evolution into a wise and compassionate society?
We need each other in order to cope. And we need to sit in discomfort and listen for the words that will move us forward. Today, I turned off the radio and gave myself space to write to you. What will you do to trump the unethical use of power that hijacked society? Are you ready to write your way into alignment?
Please let me know how you’re doing.
Warmly,
Gerette
PS. If you are craving a quiet refuge for writing, you can apply for a Writing to Reckon retreat. Check out our cozy cabin here and dream...
PSS. We get to assert our autonomy in small ways and large. Tonight, my small way is using a word that soured for me 8 years ago. Today, I’m reclaiming it. I might choose to dump it again tomorrow...😉 I’d LOVE to hear how you are expressing your agency - in big ways and small!
PPSS: The brilliant Toni Morrison, whose bright light shines on. 💫
PPSSS: See below for dates and openings where YOU can write with the support and safety of fellow survivors cheering you on.
