Ampersand Gazette #22
Welcome to the Ampersand Gazette, a metaphysical take on the news of the day. If you know others like us, who want to create a world that includes and works for everyone, please feel free to share this newsletter. The sign-up is here. And now, on with the latest …
“Our evolutionary leap is from humankind to humankindness.”
Laurel Airica, Word Magician
from a podcast interview with Aubrey Marcus
September 7, 2022
Laurel Airica is a word genius, a poetess, a taster of words, a tester of words, a bester of words. She so impressed me with her word witchery on Aubrey Marcus’ podcast that I had to start with her notion that our evolutionary leap is from humankind to humankindness. Of course it is.
Honestly, having been called a word witch myself because I wrote God’s Dictionary, I should know. This woman is from another galaxy, she’s so good at it. Humankindness has been a word that has long caught my attention from the time I saw (and bought) a carving on Etsy.
Be both.
It’s a stupendous idea. Expressed so simply in this lovely piece of folk art. Except, it seems to me, that at this point in time, the state of our world really isn’t exactly poised to offer either option.
Beloved, we can’t get to Kind, until we learn to acknowledge our collective humanity. In fact, it’s what, in school, would be called a prerequisite.
Until I can admit that the person who doesn’t see the world the way I do is fully human, too, I can’t even approach the idea of kind.
Whoa. That’s a line in the sand, isn’t it?
But, truly, think about it. The artist’s recommendation is about states of being. Be human. Be kind. Be both.
I chose the image I did for this essay because of the elephant because as the old saw goes, “An elephant never forgets.” And, no offense meant to elephants at all, therein lies the problem in the way of getting to both states of being.
What exactly does the elephant remember? Everything. Just like your own energy system. If every time you greet your neighbor, you remember the argument you had with him about politics right before the 2016 presidential election, who’s in the way of his humanity?
Your memory of the past.
Yet we can’t behave as though that never happened when it did, can we?
Another word from Laurel Airica helped me with this. Look at this magical parsing:
TH ought
Wow. There’s a brand-new way to think about thoughts! And especially thoughts about memories of experience. Because isn’t the problem with your politically-disagreeing neighbor your notion that he ought to THink as you do? Or, at the very least, differently than he does? Of course it is.
And so, if you will return to your own human nature, and be that fully, you will likely become aware that the disagreeable shoes on your neighbor’s feet have sometimes been on your own, and that you expect others to forgive your missteps, don’t you? Of course, we all do.
Be Human. Now you can have access to Be Kind. Because you are willing to see your neighbor is as fallible as you are. Enter compassion. From compassion, kindness arises naturally, and then, you can, of course, Be Both.
Which—or should I say Witch?—turns you into the word that Laurel Airica said Aubrey Marcus wouldn’t know that best describes humankind. I took it as a challenge, just like Aubrey did. When omnificent fell trippingly off her tongue, I froze. And dissolved into tears. Of course. Of course we are.
Just think. We are allegedly made in the image and likeness of That Which is best known as The Omniscient, The Omnipotent, and The Omnipresent.
How could we be otherwise than The Omnificent? We can’t.
&
“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” Deepak Chopra
I read these words of Deepak Chopra in Melissa Stratton’s monthly astrology newsletter. They go along with the leaping elephant at the top of this missive.
Prisoner or Pioneer?
Really, it’s the same question as I asked before. Stuck in memory? You can make that choice, sure. But, Beloved, memory is about what’s already happened. Staying focused in it robs you of the moment. Are you sure you want that?
Whatever you’re remembering is not happening now. We seem to lose sight of this so very easily, especially with the “trigger” mentality that is so proximal that we bump into it without warning all the time.
I heard a spiritual teacher this week suggest we upgrade trigger to activate. I liked her idea. Sure, there are things that throw all of us into the past.
I once followed a complete stranger ten blocks down Fifth Avenue in New York City until I figured out that she was wearing the perfume my long-dead mother wore when I was a kid. Seriously. So I understand that triggers most often happen to us.
But what if we did upgrade them to activators instead? And what if they activate the Prisoner or Pioneer Question. It would look like this.
Trigger. Pause. Ask: Am I choosing to be a Prisoner this time or a Pioneer this time? Choice.
It doesn’t really matter which one you choose either because whatever the stimulus, it will keep coming up for healing until we heal it. This is absolute truth. That’s why some people create the same things over and over again. To activate whatever needs healing. We’re wired that way.
So that suggests we need to prioritize healing triggers rather than holding them close, and banging others over the head with ours. Triggers, my dear one, are like skeletons in your closet. Your triggers only hurt you. Just like, you’re only afraid of your own skeletons.
That’s why outside perspective (counseling, coaching, healing work) is so helpful. As a spiritual mentor, I’m not afraid of your skeletons. Not at all. I’m afraid of mine. This is why I can help you face yours.
As Our Lady of Whimsy, Mary Engelbreit, says, “If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, best take it out and teach it to dance!” Perfect for this day of All Hallow’s Eve.
We’re only talking about a slight pause and a quick three-word question to begin healing your triggers instead of being haunted by them. You in?
&
“6. Skepticism, Not Cynicism I have fought my whole life to not be cynical, but to be skeptical. You could have many minutes of arguments between me and Bill Maher over why cynicism is bad and skepticism is good. Cynicism is attributing the worst motives to people. Skepticism is looking for the truth.”
From an interview with comedian Penn Jillette
“Penn Jillette Lives on Hot Baths and Cold Watermelon” in The New York Times
October 9. 2022
“Cynicism is attributing the worst motives to people.” Oh, wow. Ow. Truer words. I think the rampant cynicism in our culture right now is what’s the hardest part of these times. You never know when it’s going to raise its ugly head and entrap you, and is it ever a downer.
“Skepticism is looking for the truth.” I can get behind that—even if it is a little left-brained for the creative likes of me.
Why don’t we take the first two words out of each of Penn’s sentences? Try these on to see which one is you.
Attributing the worst motives to people or Looking for the truth?
This goes back to truly being, embodying our humanness, doesn’t it? You know, don’t you, that when you attribute the worst motives to people all you are doing is projecting your own worst motives on them? You equally know, don’t you, that when you are looking for the truth all you are doing is inviting your earthly compatriots to join you in curiosity?
Worst motives or Curiosity? Which do you pick?
P.S. They say, of course, that curiosity killed the cat, but really? Not so fast. Cats have nine lives every time they incarnate after all. We could do worse than nine.
For my money, give me curiosity any day. Did you know it’s one of the few emotionally neutral stances you can take so as to approach anything without judgment? It’s true. I say it to clients all the time, “Get curious.”
Curiosity can take you out of triggering, out of reaction, out of memory in half a heartbeat. Try it. You’ll see that it’s true.
Besides, when you invite others to learn about something with you, you create bonds that are invaluable.
&
“Grind culture has normalized pushing our bodies to the brink of destruction,” [Tricia Hersey, the Nap Bishop,] writes in the book. ‘We proudly proclaim showing up to work or an event despite an injury, sickness, or mental break. We are praised and rewarded for ignoring our body’s need for rest, care, and repair.’
“The Nap Ministry is not a religious movement, she said, but a spiritual antidote to the very earthly problems that are plaguing communities: exhaustion, chronic diseases and mental health crises, issues she sees as arising from systems of capitalism and white supremacism.”
From “The Nap Bishop Is Spreading the Good Word: Rest”
in The New York Times
October 13, 2022
Rest. Oh, yes. FWIW, I agree with Bishop Hersey, we are in desperate need of rest, relaxation, quiet, stillness, alone time, contemplation. Desperate. Seriously.
It took me a long, long time to admit to myself that I am a better, more productive person when I sleep for nine hours each night rather than the RDA of eight. Yup. And, if I can swing it, I usually nap for a little over an hour as well. And this was long before I encountered the Nap Bishop!
Here’s why: I was ashamed. I thought it made me lazy, selfish, or less than productive, but none of those things are true. It makes me more productive, way more creative, and one hundred and fifty percent nicer.
I rest as a public service. I used to wear my distance glasses (when I needed them) to drive; I also considered that a public service.
Bishop Hersey is correct in her assessment of how deeply our habitual sleep and rest deprivation affect our world. The sad thing is, it’s up to each one of us to take care of that for ourselves, and most of us, often mothers, don’t see how we can.
Here’s a few ideas:
Declare a pajama day—everyone stays home from everything, order in, play games, watch movies, and NAP.
Declare a mental health day for yourself—not because you need one but because you want one, and NAP.
Declare a family NAP time on a weekend day—so all of you get some quiet.
Declare a family quiet time daily—pray, meditate, journal, listen to one another, NAP if you need.
And, remember that your rest quotient is up to you. If you need rest, take it. For real. The whole world will be a better place for it, and isn’t that what Ampersand living is all about?
&
And in publishing news …
A reminder that Jezebel Rising is live on Amazon.com as of my birthday a couple weeks ago. The first in an historical fiction series of four outré sisters at the turn of the 20th century.
Another reminder that book nine of The Mex Mysteries, Rent Rx, is also live on Amazon—after almost two years of chasing the lyric reprint rights.
And book ten, Christmas Presence, is up for preorder now, and will go live on Amazon on 11.11.22—I thought they were magical numbers!
&
I’m still working like a fiend on The Chakra Correspondence Compendium which represents forty years of my research into the human energy system as viewed through a prism to reveal the chakras. It’s exciting and it’s daunting and it’s amazing to see it all come together. As a result of doing this Compendium, I am offering:
A One-Year Chakra Healing Training Course Beginning January 1, 2023
This will consist of five hours per month for eight months, one for each chakra, of learning each chakra, and four months of practical, hands-on with the chakra system so you may comfortably and effectively work on others to help them heal. The spaces are limited.
If your interest is piqued, send me your curiosity here, and we’ll talk.
&
I remind you once again of the new site for readers called Shepherd.com. Their love of books and authors leaps off the page, I promise. Here is my list for The Chakra-Curious.
&
Anyone we know?
Until next time, Beloved, Be Ampersand,
S.