Updates

I’ve been giving some more craniosacral sessions and somatic experiencing coaching recently and loving it, keep signing up ya’ll! I’m in North Carolina visiting my friend Maria who taught me how to tree climb. She’s an incredible person, and in charge of safety at her tree climbing company, so I always feel in good hands with her. We met at a 2042 gathering in 2012, a leadership retreat for young radicals preparing for when BIPOC are the majority in the U.S. It feels appropriate that we met there, and are meeting again on the precipice of the 2025 agenda. A few days ago we climbed some 100 year old oaks in her backyard. I’m loving being on vacation and I also feel the tug of “shouldn’t I be working?” in the back of my heart/mind. I’m thinking about Ella Baker this morning and her wisdom and talent for bringing different factions together. This newsletter feels a bit shorter than usual as I’m going to make waffles with some beloveds after writing this. Mmmmm.

Ella Baker, Inauguration Day, Black/African American Cemeteries

It’s MLK Day and Inauguration Day. I found myself walking through Greer Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Durham for African American/Black folks this morning. I have a good habit of getting movement everyday, and when I’m in a new place I love getting the lay of the land in the mornings. Today around 8:30a I found myself reading the stone marker above thinking about Ella Baker, time, death, and movement building. Ella Baker was known for her mentorship and ability to see clearly. Sounds like the medicine we need for today huh? She was instrumental for organizing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh, North Carolina, about a 30 minute drive from where I am now.

This cemetery I walked through this morning occupies about 4 acres, and contains the graves of over 1,500 African Americans, many born into slavery. It was the first cemetery for African Americans in Durham, and from 1876, when it opened, to 1924 it was the only one. I am sure I walked over, around, and beside many of those 1,500 folks this morning on that small 4 acre plot of land. I wonder what these folks and Ella Baker would tell us today? Will you think about this with me? Turn to your mentors today, whether they be in person, books, prayer/song, or by setting up a time to be with them in whatever form that takes for you. As the right brings their agenda to the forefront today, we also look deeply and build further into the future to build what we need.

Tree Climbing

I want to take people tree climbing for therapy time. I need to figure out liability things which I will work on this winter. If this is something you are interested in doing with me, let me know and I’ll keep you in mind for this when everything is ready. I’m also looking for a place to set up my trillium in the Twin Cities in a seasonal way. The trillium is a group hammock. I’d like to set it up in a semi permanent fashion, low to the ground, for the summer in someone’s backyard and bring small groups of people to rest and talk together here. If ya’ll know anyone with a bunch of old maples or oaks in their backyard who might be open to this, let me know. Wouldn’t this be beautiful?

Forest Euphoria: Pre-order Now

I ordered this book and am excited to read it! Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian. You can also watch the documentary she is in, Queer Planet which I LOVED. Patty is a self-described “doctor of fungus, a saprotrophic scorpio, and a tinder conk carrying an ember through the anthropocene.” I love a TINDER CONK CARRYING HUMAN both literally and metaphorically. Maybe this should also be on my gravestone. I feel seen by her writing. I’ve met her in person too and you can feel her wonderfulness from one body to another.

Big hug your way today. Thank you for reading. <3