art i’m fucking with rn: podcasts, books, docuseries

it’s been a lovely sunday of laying around and consuming beautiful, revolutionary ideas. in place of sharing my own ideas, i’d like to others’ i’ve been sitting with recently.

[note: i have not necessarily consumed all of these works to completion. some i’ve finished, some i’ve simply dabbled in; i’ll clarify accordingly below.]

• “Polyamory and Spiritual Growth: The Heart of the Matter” – this blog post begins with the bold line, “Polyamory helps God evolve.” i personally needed to hear that while in the midst of internal strife around the struggles of practicing poly. it gave me purpose and made me feel centered in a time when i really needed it.
• Pagan Polyamory by Raven Kaldera- the link provides an 89 page preview (which is all that i’ve read thus far). this captivated me because it combines two categories i’ve been curious about: connecting with an earth-based spirituality and finding a spiritual approach to polyamory (which is still a new practice for me).
• Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind by Fariha Roisin – the link provides a 26 page preview, which is all i’ve read thus far.
  • i then listened to a podcast episode of Broccoli Talk featuring the author. i appreciate the way she interweaves poetry, justice, and her personal healing journey.
• Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change by Sherri Mitchell – link provides an 18 page preview. i’m currently in Part 2, Chapter 8: Decolonizing:
  • Sherri explains, “the most effective way to decolonize is to embrace the wisdom of our own cultural traditions and to familiarize ourselves with the cultural values that guide them.”
  • this quote reminds me that we all come from indigenous roots, even if some of us (*cough* white people *cough*) are more estranged from them.
• “Reclaiming our Indigenous European roots” by Lyla June – essay/offering by author and activist of Diné and European heritage. she talks about learning how to connect with her indigenous European ancestry.
  • i then listened to Lyla June on the Medicine Stories podcast. a couple of standout quotes from this interview:
    • she speaks on restorative justice instead of punitive justice: “How do we heal people who have hurt people? We give them space to feel how they were hurt themselves.”
    • in relation to pain she said, “feeling creates healing.” we must first feel the depths of the ancestral pain (with support) in order to begin to heal
    • wherever you go, honor the original/indigenous peoples there — they hold the knowledge of the land. what are the words/language they use to speak of the land?
• Pulling the Thread (podcast) with Riane Eisler – (i got 2/3 of the way through this episode and then got distracted.) Riane Eisler is 91 years old and a social systems scientist; she also refers to herself as an “agent for cultural transformation.” she speaks on the way humans are actually wired for partnership (as opposed to domination), to “share and care” for each other.
  • she speaks to a time when pleasure was sacred, when we had reverence for the body and creative ability
  • she also talks about the way children and women have been consistently left out of historical cultural narratives
• Principles of Pleasure, docuseries on Netflix – as a self-identified woman with sexual trauma, i’ve often avoided conversations and considerations of my pleasure. considering i’m grappling with feeling betrayed by my body, paired with growing up with Christian shame around sex, the idea of pleasure can make me quite queasy and uncomfortable.
  • this docuseries presents a diverse, inclusive group of femmes from experts to everyday people to talk about sex, pleasure, and bodies (so far – i’ve only watched 1 of 3 eps of the docuseries)
  • a couple of figures i recognized from previous studies:
    • Ericka Hart – racial justice and sex educator
    • Come As You Are author Emily Nagoski

alright, that’s it for now, y’all. let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.

i hope we can continue to learn, expand, and grow together.

much love ❤ ❤ ❤ Becki