I’ve mentioned my mom and I are writing a book, right?
It’s a vibrant collection of personal essays that explore the strange state of things from our perspectives as mother and daughter, theologian and philosopher.
It’s a political, spiritual, and deeply personal offering that we’re calling: This May Be Helpful.
Today’s post is an excerpt!
We’re sending out our proposal at the end of the month. If you think of any agents or publishers of interest, please send along the details!
They say that I live in a time between worlds, a liminal space, a cosmic paradigm shift, a shoe about to drop, a final contraction before the big push.
I don’t know about all that. But I do know that I have trouble getting out of the house. My toddler wants to put her socks on herself and, frankly, she’s bad at it. “There’s no rush, sweetheart” I say in a loving tone, while my eyes dart with panic at the baby getting hot in his snowsuit. The dog manages to always be underfoot, moaning in anticipation of our separation. My feet are angled towards the door, nearly tapping with irritation. My calm façade is fragile and cracking.
Once outside I run back in for various necessities—snacks, water, wallet, a stuffed animal. The children strapped into the bicycle hear me say, “Almost! Just need one more thing. Nearly there.” My daughter eventually cries, “Mommy!” If the neighbours are watching, they see me curse under my breath.
This is a metaphor of the times we’re in, isn’t it? We’re trying to get out of the house of industrial capitalism, of patriarchy, of colonialism and modernity— as the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures team so excellently outlines here.
But our clear plans and calculated strategies splinter under pressure. Panic bubbles near the surface and threatens to burst through. We run back to grab things we think we need. Our children are swept up in our bustling, pleading us to take a deep breath and gather ourselves.
The chaotic swirl of me getting out of the house isn’t just a metaphor for the times we’re in. It’s also example. I’m thinking again of magical fractals, which are a natural phenomenon where patterns repeat across scales. A tree is a great example— if you look, you’ll notice that the y-shaped pattern of branches breaking from the trunk is repeated by the smaller branches and even the veins in the leaves.
We humans are full of fractals. When trying to understand the big problems of today—climate change, political polarization, the loneliness epidemic, to name a few— much of what you need to know is found in the mundane day-to-day. I’m talking the real normal stuff, like how people wake up in the morning, chew their food, and get out of the house. Just look to my tense shoulders and desire to be on schedule for all the answers you need.
But, you know? I think global change is afoot. I think so because I’m changing. This morning I moved slowly without panic. When my shoulders rose up, I soothed them down with deep breaths. I read the same book three times in a row with my girl curled on my lap. I didn’t rush her when she put her boots on and, miraculously, they ended up on the right feet. Her baby brother didn’t cry.
Can the world’s problems be changed just by my breath?
I don’t know about all that. But I do know that I got out of the house this morning and my children were smiling.*
*Oh dear. I wrote that line another day. How was this morning of publishing, the one of February 8th 2024? Well, twas a humbling reminder that transformation takes time.
On these calmer mornings what I’m experiencing is closer to
’s concept of bodyfulness. She so cleverly uses this term instead of the more common “mindfulness” to point to the full body experience of enchanted living. I’m new to Sharon’s work, but ready to dive in.I learned about Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures’ “house of modernity” metaphor when Vanessa Andreotti and Azul Caroline Duque spoke at the Kinship course, curated by
.Hannah has a beautifully written substack called
(check out this reframing of islands as relational) and an upcoming Advaya course on “Contemporary Spirituality: Meaning and Mysticism in the Modern Age”. I’m on a strict no-courses-until-book-and-PhD-are-done regime, but maybe you should sign up? If Hannah is in charge, the course will surely be thoughtful and generous.This LinkedIn post by
really struck me. Climate change discourse is rife with militaristic language (eg. we’re told to “fight” and “battle” climate change), but since we’re the causes of drastic change, we’d really have to fighting ourselves. Instead of turning militaristic tendencies inwards, Dan suggests: “Less fighting, more caring for the Earth and all its beings, including ourselves and each other.”That’s all for now. Blessings to you from rainy Delft.
"Can the world's problems be changed just by my breath?" Great question. And for me the answer is yes and no. Because everything is connected -this is well established in every field of study - then yes, how we move through the day effects everything around us. But of course, this is only our contribution. It will take a tipping point of people understanding this concept to work with the evolutionary shift in consciousness that has begun to shift, and hopefully will complete its course. But this is the first evolutionary shift in humanities' existence that actually requires our co operation to be completed. So, we shall see, we shall see.......
Delighted to be writing a book with Madelaine. And also love the notes that Madelaine puts forth. I am a bit fan of Hannah's as well. Her courses are always wonderful. I am considering joining this next one.
I love that you’re writing a book together!