Activism is my right--and I do it from my heart...

I started my path as an activist when I was 8 years old, as I walked with my auntie down the street, holding onto a jar with a candle in it. We were doing that because 4 little girls had been killed that September Sunday morning in the bombing of their church. It was the end of my innocence about a "good world" and that day is forever in my heart as the day I learned to care about what goes on in the world around me.

My belief system is one that says that I chose this skin, and this life as a learning experience. I have worked since I was 8 years old to understand how to defeat the disease of racism, as well as the internalized oppression that was a disease to me, and people of my culture.

My spiritual beliefs come out of a simple understanding that Mother Earth is my first mother--the one who loves, cares and endlessly provides for all of us. It is my duty as Her priestess to connect with Her daily, to tend to Her needs in whatever ways I can, and to listen to and attend to Her children, and bring whatever aid I can to those who may be in need.

I have had occasion in the last week to see and listen to young activists called the "Bee Hive Collective", as well as to gain a greater understanding of all the many ways in which Mother Earth is being raped. I was impressed with the massive amount of information my brain was filled with during this meeting, and grateful for the understanding it brought me of Fracking,strip mining and other diseases being pressed upon our Mother.

I once taught Multicultural classes at Naropa University, and was let go because I chose not to teach about understanding other cultural groups from only a research oriented/intellectual perspective. It was and remains my belief that we can learn things intellectually of course--but we cannot truly understand until we "get it" in our hearts--first.

My activism comes from my heart. I will not endure criticism because I don't know all the right words and politically correct phrases and ways that things must be said and done, who I'm supposed to listen to and how I am supposed to believe regarding political figures, and activist gurus etc. in order to be activist-ly correct. I do my work from my heart and will continue to. This is the way that I know.

I currently wish to simply take whatever things I can gather from my community to the Reservation in Pine Ridge--to the Lakota--my spiritual sisters and brothers. I do this as a way of showing and bringing love to those in need--as has been my way as a therapist, Reiki practitioner, priestess, mother, friend, and sister.

If you have some need to put me straight about my phrasing or terminology, or to change my thinking about how to best be an activist--kindly keep your thoughts to yourself. If you have something in your heart that you want to share with me that we could share together--by all means, open your heart, as will I, and we can start connecting from there...