Hello Beautiful People,
Sending you heaps of love.
I had the lucky privilege of spending some time with family in North Carolina to re-meet my sweet baby niece and hang out with her very tired parents (my brother and sister-in-law). Before getting on the plane, I packed a few newly acquired half-priced books in my usual chaotic fashion several hours before my early morning departure. Admittedly, I bought these books for their interesting titles, beautiful cover art, and low price (with almost no knowledge of their content — I was in a rush). One of them is called One Hundred Saturdays by Michael Frank where he details his many Saturday afternoon chats with Stella Levi and retells her account of her 99-years of life (most significantly including her survival of the Holocaust).
I didn’t intend to read a book about the Holocaust (especially given the last two weeks of unsuccessfully avoiding feeling worried) but somehow this little book snuck into my suitcase and became my travel companion during my full day of travel. I learned that Stella lived in Rhodes (an island off of Greece) and was one of 1,650 human beings taken from her homeland to Auschwitz in July 1944 (just over a year before WWII ended). There’s a lot to take from her story, but what struck me deeply was her reflection on the day she was taken from her city. Only a handful of German SS Officers herded her community to board ships — only a handful of officers. One stinging question that Stella voices decades later, “Why didn’t we rebel? There were hundreds of us and only a few of them. Why didn’t we, why didn’t I, think of taking some kind of action?” They spent eight days on the water. The English were in the waters too and they had blockages around Rhodes. “Why didn’t they do anything,” Stella asks Michael Frank and herself.
Oddly, when reading this — I thought of the scene in the Pixar movie, A Bug’s Life, when the main character says, “Ants don’t need grasshoppers. It’s you who need us. And you know that, don’t you.” I thought of this scene again earlier this week as I watched a message from US Representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) breakdown what’s been happening and how its designed to serve the top 1%, but any action taken by the remaining 99% can slow them down. The slower they move, the less damage they can do. She urges folks to not “concede in advance” and reminds folks it’s within their rights not to comply to illegal executive orders.
I’ve been really grateful for all the folks who are breaking down key concepts about the way our local and federal government operates that I’ve long forgotten since High School civics. I’m grateful for all the civil servants relentlessly blocking illegal executive orders with lawsuits. I recently listened to Smartless podcast (recorded in the Before times) with Governor Tim Walz and was also heartened at the reminder that there are thousands of elected officials dedicated to serve their constituents with integrity. I’m so proud of the Chicago Public School system that denied ICE access to their elementary schoolers. Even more, I’m inspired by the “tricker energy” of the younger generation. ICE hotlines were turned off this week due to the high volume of false/prank calls. Again, my mind goes to a movie … thinking of Professor Umbridge and her Educational Decrees and the Weasley Twins making life miserable for her with their antics — resisting in a way that’s energizing for them. Resisting, not complying, and/or not conceding in advance can look a million different ways and it can be done in a way that’s oddly energizing, not draining. What a revolutionary idea!
Okay, this is just a very long note to say things have been weird and I love you. I hope you’re processing, participating, and protecting your peace in a way that serves you. I’ll carry on talking about astrology, energy work, and yoga-nerd stuff. But, it felt necessary to mention this big, orange elephant that’s been sitting on us for a few weeks.
Capacity Building
As trivial as it may seem to some (myself included, sometimes too), I’m still going to be writing about astrology, energy work, and yoga-nerd stuff — because a person operating with more prana is a person operating with more power. A person with a regulated nervous system is less likely to be tricked and manipulated. It’s what I have to offer that’s meaningful. Despite what’s going on (or in light of it), these practices undeniably build physical and emotional resilience. We don’t have to do all the jobs, we just have to do our jobs — and maybe that’s loving the heck out of your kids, maintaining a culture of inclusion in your classroom, caring for your patience with respect and vigilance, etc. There’s power in caring for, protecting, loving your little the community in your corner of the world. 99% is more than 1%, but let's also make sure our batteries are fully charged.
FEBRUARY SCHEDULE - online and in Milwaukee Area, Wisconsin
Yoga+
NEW! Kids & Family Yoga (In-Person) - Tosa PT & Wellness - Mondays, 9-9:45am
Mama Meditation Circle - Tosa PT & Wellness - Thursdays, 7:30-8:30pm
Online Kundalini Yoga via Zoom - every Fridays, 9-10:30am cst
1:1 Kundalini/Prenatal Yoga - via Zoom - select Tuesdays & Fridays
Personal Numerology Readings via Zoom - select Fridays & Sundays until April 1st
Special Event: Kundalini Workshop - Love Cafe (Shorewood) - Feb 19th, 4-6pm
Reiki Offerings
1:1 Distance Reiki via Zoom - check availability
1:1 Reiki (In-Person) - Tosa PT & Wellness - select Wednesdays, check availability
Certifications: Reiki Level 2 Training — Sunday, Feb 23 10-6pm
I’ll keep updating details about upcoming events on my website’s home page. Reach out if you’re interested in a group reiki/yoga experience with your friends, family, or colleagues.
REIKI LEVEL ONE — Becoming More Sensitive (in a good way)
Several Sundays ago, I facilitated the Reiki Level 1 training, and it’s always such a joy to witness others discover or experience in a newly amplified way that “intuitive pull” feeling. One of the aspects of training is breaking down the three pillars of Reiki —connect, ask, and trust the “intuitive pull.” During the training, I was reminded how much I love teaching — not just a singular class, but teacher trainings of all kinds. You witness others make big connections, and you make deeper connections just by revisiting the content as the facilitator. It reminded me of my time as a High School English teacher. By the end of the day, the same text would be analyzed by three different groups of students and each class would uncover new little discoveries within the same words. Principles used to discuss one thing can become relevant in other areas of life.
During Reiki training, I’ve noticed everyone experiences the “intuitive pull” slightly differently. Some folks feel it like a magnet, some folks are very aware of temperature, and others are guided by colors they see in a meditative state. A large part of the training is partner practice and articulating what the energy feels like during group reflection in order to build a bank of sensory data, to flex the muscle of noticing what you notice, and more deeply trust what you feel. One of my favorite things to hear is when students articulate what they did to reconnect after they momentarily lose the “intuitive pull” feeling. Everyone loses the thread of that “intuitive pull” feeling — and everyone is able to get it back. Always.
However that might apply to you. It’s okay to feel untethered and recognize when you’ve lost that “intuitive pull” feeling, but you can always reconnect. The way you reconnect may be different, but everyone can always reconnect to that “guided feeling.” Always.
Love you, little ants. Remember — you outnumber the grasshoppers.
Sending you heaps of love,
EB