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“A brave and startling truth.
And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists of hostility
And allow the pure air to cool our palms…
When we come to it.”
Maya Angelou
StoryCorps replayed a beautiful segment this week featuring nine-year-old Aidan Sykes asking his father Albert, "So Dad, what are your dreams for me?"
Mr. Sykes responds, "My dream is for you to live out your dreams. There’s a old proverb that talks about when children are born, children come out with their fists closed because that’s where they keep all their gifts. And as you grow, your hands learn to unfold, because you’re learning to release your gifts to the world. And so, for the rest of your life, I wanna see you live with your hands unfolded."
I was reminded of the story and the proverb when I read Brian Raphael Nabors, our friend and board member's words of hope for us which included a brave and startling truth from Maya Angelou: open palms are a privilege and a practice. If you live in fear, the fingers and the fists are the tell, either prepared for the fight or the numbing.
We will also lean into the wisdom of Reverend angel Kyodo williams again this weekend (and whenever possible) for one of her virtual sits. Last month, she suggested that when we are hell bent on fixing, we contract, we narrow. We tighten our fists. The generative practice is to be whole in the presence of our wounds. Mine and yours. To understand that liberation is a choice and that "love and justice are not two."
May you find cool air on your palms, may you discover your gifts, may you choose liberation. Again and again and again.
In health, harmony, and humility,
Stacy Sims
Founder
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ArtsWave Summer Edition of Mindful Music Playlist
We are delighted to share 12 new weeks of daily content with a special Summer Edition of Mindful Music playlist. Our ArtsWave Summer Playlist represents our commitment to creating art-fueled rituals of comfort from diverse voices in music. Now more than ever, we need to take care of ourselves in order to be of service to each other.
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Slow Down with Poetry
Join us June 24th, 3pm to slow down and celebrate of the power of poetry with a Mindful Poetry Virtual Gathering.
In collaboration with On Being, we are also publishing a small book of the very moving poems created during this April's Mindful Poetry gatherings, it is now available for pre-order and will ship mid-July.
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Our first City Silence gathering was in 2015 at Washington Park in Cincinnati. We still sit here every Monday-Friday morning, summers.
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Hold Space for Collective Change
Now more than ever there is an importance for holding space for inner change, as well as nourishing, emboldening and accompanying one another on the path toward collective change. Consider hosting your own City Silence Gathering to support and nourish your community in this moment of change.
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True Body Leadership Training
We are launching a 6-month virtual True Body leadership training to empower others to lead True Body classes and workshops and/or support your embodied leadership journey. The curriculum is heavily weighted in somatic experiencing, empathy, mindfulness, attunement and space holding with writing, art-making, play and other techniques shared as part of the curriculum.
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Brian Raphael Nabors with students at Whitaker Elementary as part of Mindful Music Moments.
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On Current Times
Hope abounds.a
Do you have a story and a practice to share with us? Let us know!
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In this time of crisis we have been able to provide soothing resources to individuals all around the world. Help support our efforts to continue nurturing the well within each of us by providing low or no-cost, barrier-free mindful moments to all. Even with a small donation you are helping us to keep keep our poetry, music and meaning-making content available in the most equitable way possible.
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