A dear friend sent this song to me the other day and, given all that we are holding in this week of mourning, remembrance and appreciation, it feels like timely medicine.
May it help ground, center and fortify you
in the face of any static you may encounter.
Join Sangha for “Post-Holiday” Refuge + Relief,
this Sunday, 11 AM – 1 PM, at Heartdance Studio.
Glorious. This is not a word I encounter often. It’s alluring — in tone and sensation. So I was more than curious to watch Laura Mvula’s video after my dear friend described it in this way when sharing it with me recently.
Stunningly glorious! And absolutely resonate with the spirit of #MarchMindfulness:
To overcome the madness with mindfulness.
To tend to ourselves with deep care and clear understanding so that we can share our gifts and transform our unskillfulness.
To amplify the good as we face the realities of suffering.
To recognize that fueling ourselves with compassion and fostering deep listening to expand our understanding and cultivate authentic connection helps us to disrupt the normalization of hate, apathy, greed, and oppression in the world.
Abide in energy of mindfulness — expand your capacity to soak in the power of hope and renewal.
Hold on to the aspiration to experience all that is glorious in this world.
Remember, no action is too small! Shine Bright.
‘Overcome’ Lyrics
When your heart is broken down
And your head don’t reach the sky
Take your broken wings and fly
When your head is heavy, low
And the tears they keep falling
Take your broken feet and run
With the world upon your shoulders
Nowhere left to hide
Keep your head up carry on
It ain’t no time to die
Even though we suffer
Come together we pray
Round the mountain all God’s children run
Round the mountain all God’s children run
Round the mountain all God’s children run
Round the mountain all God’s children God’s children run run round the mountain run
Round the mountain all God’s children God’s children run run round the mountain run
Round the mountain all God’s children run
May We Love Ourselves Whole,
Embracing Sacred Shadow + Blessed Light.
May We Learn to See the Holy in the Darkness.
May We Feel Free to Shine Bright.
I have vivid memories of the kids in my South Lansing neighborhood emulating our favorite West Coast rappers — we even dubbed ourselves “the Cooper Street Posse” in homage. Years later, at high school, their music was a contagion. Whether in the girls’ dorms or the academic hall of the prestigious suburban-Detroit boarding school I attended, we would readily burst into full chant Glee-meets-NWA style upon hearing someone muttering lyrics of whichever track had been ear-wormed itself into consciousness. (It must be noted that the “jock table” was the choice hangout spot for the black students and was situated directly across from the administrative office…call it a small measure of rebellion).
My musical leanings have changed, but those beats are encoded in my dna from every choreographed move (and misstep) of our 7th-grade dance routine for Something 2 Dance 2. So I’m repping my #LoveLansing roots with this Zen twist!
…for magic + mindfulness + movement + meditation
AND, most especially, to honor mercury retrograde‘s final day of madness!
this has become a beloved + enduring mantra for me on any occasion
but especially when life feels off-kilter…
tscottmiller 