This photo is of mycelium (the "body" of mushrooms) growing on a tree, courtesy of Danny Newman via ‘Colossal’. I love the beautiful audio collage of imaginings and musings in this episode of the Future Ecologies podcast. It reminds me of the labor of earthworms and mycelium to compost the nutrients in the soil, transform one thing into another. That’s really what destruction is—it’s a transformation.

April 2023

The Tenderness of Release

Happy spring.

 

It's been longer than planned since my last note. Such is the way of life. I'm glad to be reaching out to you again.

 

These days as I go for walks, I find myself beaming when signs of spring greet my senses; my eyes brighten at cherry blossoms, my body sighs in pleasure when smelling daphne, my ears perk up with delight from hearing birds singing. One day, a brown, crusty leaf still hanging on a branch after all the winter storms finally lost its grip and floated to the ground in front of my face. I cringed at the sight, as it brought me back several months to the coming of winter. I admit, I have a bias toward beginnings, renewal, and new growth. But don’t we all? Many cultures celebrate births and new stages of life with abundant joy and hope—and rightly so. These moments are like seeds—the densest form of aliveness and possibility.

 

As much as birth and rebirth is worthy of our attention, death too calls to us as a vital part of our world. All things living—beings, relationships, ecosystems, and beyond—have cycles that involve destruction, which allows elements to be released, composted, and transformed into fertile ground to birth the new. I appreciate how in Hinduism’s TrimĆ«rti (trinity of supreme deities), Shiva, the god of destruction, sits alongside Brahma, the god of creation, and Vishnu, the god of preservation—three equally essential roles. In my own family’s cultural practice, I remember with deep gratitude how the rituals in my grandmother’s Catholic funeral process carried me through the grieving process, helping me say goodbye to her material self while still feeling her spirit alongside me.

 

In somatics, the process of embodied transformation involves practicing and embodying new ways of being, but importantly it also requires releasing old patterns that no longer serve us in order to make space—to create fertile soil—for the new to take root. Like the cycles of nature, one cannot occur without the other. Yet sometimes these old patterns have been with us for good reason—they kept us safe, gave us a sense of belonging, and preserved our dignity—so they aren’t going to leave us easily. That process takes a lot of tenderness, compassion, and love. It might be aided by ritual, spiritual practice, art, dance, music, and other practices.

 

Entering into this new season, I feel questions percolating: How might we cultivate more skillfulness around honoring destruction and death in cycles of life? How might that change our relationship with patterns, relationships, and systems that no longer serve us? What would be possible if we all found ways to be doulas to the parts of us and our society that yearn to be transformed?

 

I welcome with gratitude your reflections, questions, and thoughts.

 

Warmly,

 

Em Wright

 

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this note, please share it with others who might enjoy it too! I am grateful for every share. If you received this from someone and you want to sign up, you can do that here.

Climate x Embodiment Circle

 

I'm compiling a list of folx interested in joining a somatic coaching circle focused exploring our relationship to the climate crisis and the environment through embodiment practice. If you'd like to be added to the list, please e-mail me at helloemwright@gmail.com.

10-Session Series

 

As a new coach, I'm continuing to learn and grow. To that end, I'm inviting new virtual somatic coaching clients to have a series of 10 sessions at a pay-what-you-can rate. Please reach out if you’re interested and pass the word along to friends. Somatic coaching is an affirming and emergent process in partnership with clients for them to embody and fulfill their commitments to emotional, social, and spiritual transformation.

Learn More

Read Previous Notes

Living Our Futures, January 2023

What Goes Unsaid, December 2022

Pace as Possibility, November 2022

Toward Intentional Liminality, October 2022

This note was sent from the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. Learn more at their website.

helloemwright@gmail.com
(971) 361-8133

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