What I Have Learned So Far
Be ignited, or be gone.
There are no words adequate to address the times we are now living in.
There are no adequate words to address the times we are now living in.
There are no words to adequately address the times we are now living in.
Which is perhaps what people have thought for all of human history. And this is why song, dance, poetry, art, sculpture, craft, theater, story, persists, even amidst the bleakest seasons. These are our avenues to express, when we have no other way to say what must be said.
Facing the Sun came to me in fits and starts over the course of a year or so, but it was written and compiled in the flurry of a few short months. It is the result of something I didn’t otherwise know how to say. It reflects my own path to better understanding all that lives inside of me—and beyond me—but it is not memoir. It is more like a roadmap to finding your way back to your own essential, childlike self. A return to the creative, imaginative, willful spirit that lives inside all of us, just waiting to re-emerge. Or perhaps awaiting an invitation to arise for the first time, ever.
This spirit is the Divine; the transcendent, visionary light that lives in every one of us. Yes, every one. It is the light of God, Creator, Source, Heaven—Sun. When we turn our face to this ever-loving orb, we discover that we have access to a ceaseless all-creative energy, thrumming inside of us.
But there are so many shadows aiming to shield us from this gentle, all-powerful sun. Shadows inside of us; shadows surrounding us. Shadows are the baseline; the norm that we have all grown accustomed to being absorbed by.
Justin Vernon sings: There are things behind things behind things…which is what we find when we are willing to examine what’s beneath the surface. We discover shadowy layers upon layers upon layers that are asking to be peeled back on ourselves, on our own intimate histories. Most of us simply choose not to because it can be so very painful, and ugly. Maybe sad. Maybe life-altering.
Regrettably, this searing shedding is the only way towards true healing—towards being made whole. We become whole when our inner world aligns with our outer world. The person we are on the inside is the same person that exists in the physical, tangible universe, and vice versa.
This means we live with integrity. We live truthfully. We live honestly. We live humbly. We live joyfully. Our words mean something. Our actions mean more.
We live knowing ourselves—we finally see ourselves in the clear light of day. We no longer feel we need to hide ourselves from ourselves, or from anyone else. Thank God this Sun is a merciful one.
We live knowing that the only real way to live is with hands open, understanding that all of life is gift I have not earned, and cannot earn. Not one of us is more deserving than another. Not one.
And so, I am sharing this meditation towards movement with you here. Or rather, I am sharing a placeholder for that meditation as I prepare for it to exist in a slightly different form than before (as you may know, I offered it recently as a more hands-on 6-week workshop).
In remarkable times (i.e. always) we must remember that we are all capable of something. We are each responsible to what we allow to live in our hearts. We are each responsible to the level of willingness we have towards change.
I hope Facing the Sun may find you if and when and where and however you may need it to live in your own life. It is filled with words, questions, images, prompts, ideas, and wisdom gleaned from other thinkers and dreamers.
I’m offering this pre-sale purchase at a discount (25% off) for a limited time, but for my Substack readers—YOU—I’m offering a slight additional discount of 30% with code SUBSTACK. All pre-orders will also receive a small bonus of six playful, art-making exercises to be practiced along the way however you find useful.
You can find Facing the Sun here.
With love and thanks for your presence,
Julie