Rooting Down vs. Burying Our Heads

The both/and of pausing (on the micro level) while visioning (on the macro level)

I was up before dawn this morning. (Important side note: My often-sloth-like-upon-waking self never has never been much a morning person. When I’ve had a choice, I’ve preferred the snooze button over the whole “early bird” concept. But nevertheless, since my first child was born almost 13 years ago, I’ve learned the special, sweet gift of quiet that comes when I rise before the rest of my family. I just needed to offer that caveat for other night owls or folks with strong Taurus placements in their astrology chart. We certainly don’t need even more things to feel shame or guilt about these days when living on this planet at these times can be weird and stressful enough.)

Where was I? Oh, yes. I was up before dawn this morning. The sun crept up over the mountains to the east of us, casting a pink-ish glow in our little Southern “holler.” I breathed in the crisp spring air as the trees loomed large, quiet, and wise all around me. I drank in each sweet little bird melody, a reminder from my feathered kin that we each have our own individual voice to add to the chorus every day.

Although this is not a view from my front porch (I wish!), these are the stunning Appalachian Mountains (on Cherokee / Anigaduwagi land) I’m grateful to live on. This view is from the Blue Ridge Parkway, not too far from my home.

There’s so much in this life and in this world that feels scary, chaotic, enraging, violent, heavy, sad, and mind-bogglingly disturbing. It’s legitimate. It’s real. And if I’d like my soul well-pummeled before breakfast, all I need to do is read the headlines, tune into the collective pain that is rampant (especially for marginalized folks in our country and for far too many of the global majority whose lives are threatened daily by the U.S. American imperial war machine), and maybe hop onto the noise-filled “Energetic Portal of Doom and Distraction” that often is Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and so on.

I’m definitely not encouraging ignorance, denial, or hiding in our respective layers of privilege. But I am inviting us to be the most focused and rooted we can be in these transformative times. We each have a collective role to play. We don’t center our nervous systems to center ourselves. We ground into the earth in order to remember how deeply intertwined we truly are. And the flip side of that is that we are one part of a massive web, so to try to do it all, know it all, be it all, means our energy is constantly fragmented, distracted, and overwhelmed. So we stay frozen, shut down, incapacitated by the belief that we are powerless.

But we are anything but powerless, dear ones. So much power comes from shining our own inimitable light with deep focus on where we are most passionate (individually and collectively) in our little corner of this interwoven web of life. Because when all those little glimmers and glitters on those strands light up with everyone’s sacred spark, the whole web glows like the sun.

So in the spirit of love and liberation for all and in the spirit of continuing to learn how to mother myself, I am re-committing to the absolute necessity in these wild times to starting each day leaning into the ritual and rhythm of Mama Earth (before ever picking up my phone or reading a headline). Before I get swept away by everyone else’s energy and forget my own unique signal, I will marinate in the wise, ancient melodies of the winged messengers who flutter about gracefully and warble unapologetically near my home, letting them remind me I have my own brave song I was born to sing. I will root down like the mighty oak, feeling my trunk strengthen as I deepen into my connection with the land, the dirt, the underground mycelial network that connects us all. I will spread my own branches and wings, lifted by the steady winds and the prayers from grandmothers and grandfathers long ago, beaming my radiance for not just my own good but for the greater good of my kin and my community—locally and globally. I will feel my place in all things, honor the land-based wisdom of my ancestors and Indigenous kin, letting the human-centric and colonized views of my more-than-human kin dissolve and compost more and more each precious passing day. I invite you to join me on this journey of rooting down (in your own unique way) in these times.

*****If you have a moment to comment, I’m curious what you’re doing to tend to your nervous system and soul in these wild times of polycrisis. Or if you’re having a hard time with the concept or practical application of centering your energy, I’d love to hear from you, too. As a musician, psychotherapist, ancestrally-curious mystic, mama of two tween kiddos, and human-on-this-beautiful-and-brutal planet who is new to Substack, I’m learning how best to use this platform as a place to share nourishing stories, songs, and inspiration (while being as honest and heartfelt as I can be). My first few posts have been longer, but I’m wondering if it’s more helpful to offer shorter pieces like this one (since time is precious and seemingly scarce for all these days).*****