between the fires and the floods

In hard times, it's easy to become hard on ourselves and with each other. But hard times require fierce softness.

On July 11, parts of Massachusetts and much of Vermont suffered massive flooding.

Rivers already swollen from nearly incessant rain jumped their banks, destroying homes and farms.

On July 16, we were under a tornado watch and a flood watch, at the same time.

Which meant our phones were telling us to simultaneously get to high ground to stay safe from the flooding, and go to low ground to stay safe from the tornado. An apt metaphor for the climate chaos we are living in.

On July 17th, the first day without rain, the air was thick with smoke from the Canada wildfires that have already claimed nearly 25 million acres of woodland.

If we aren’t looking nervously at the rushing rivers, we’re choking on the smoke. Climate chaos is here.

Meanwhile, the world is increasingly hotter, with record-breaking temperatures being registered nearly daily.

These are frightening times. Fear makes us hard on ourselves and each other.

Some basic neuroscience helps us understand why: when a threat is perceived, the body prepares to fight or flee. And when this happens, there is less ability to respond and react. (Never just take my word for it: here is a research article that describes some of the research that supports this statement.)

So here we are, living within constant chaos, with political circuses only increasing, and record-breaking temperatures and inflation. There are plenty of threats. Plenty of fear.

Which means we have to be soft with ourselves and each other, wherever we can.

There are no easy answers. We’re in something long and complex. But we can root into our own softness.

The body understands softness, even when times are hard.

In this Substack, I’ll be sharing ways that the body can guide us home to ourselves. The practices I share are guided by the cycle of the moon and western Astrology, because being made of stardust (the carbon, nitrogen, and calcium in our bodies come from the bellies of exploded stars) of course the movement in celestial bodies have an effect on us.

I don’t have a plan to add a paywall to my writing, but if you would like to contribute I’ll always be grateful. However, if you would like to go deeper into the work I offer here, I encourage you to join us in Anchor, an ongoing somatic learning community. You can join at any time, and the first week is always free.

I also make Tarot and Oracle decks, and give somatic-based oracle readings.

You can book a Somatic Tarot reading here, or buy my newest deck, The Body Oracle, here

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to growing with you.

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