As we look more closely at our roots, there is an opportunity to see how our past informs our future… where our roots become our wings. Within the past few days I attended a six-day retreat led by Angela Farmer who taught the workshops “Places of Power” and “Becoming Who You Are.” Both workshops involved an intensive body-mind inquiry at the base chakra, the perineum, where our base of power, the pelvic region’s figure eight center point, roots itself towards the earth. Participants were led in a gentle un-doing yoga and befriending the back-body and our wounded places within. Befriending the shadow areas was transformational for some. Exploring my roots within brought me to a deeper awareness of my wounds as teachers and light-bearers and helped me to better articulate the context and culture which have contained my growth. We were asked to draw or write our personal roots. For some, this was an illustration using colored pencils, for others it was simply words or phrases written down on paper. For me, it was both.
Try this practice in your quiet space: Using colored pencils, crayons, or pens, draw or write your roots down on paper. Try looking at a favorite tree as you imagine its roots. Try thinking about the seeds that have birthed who you are now (i.e. family, faith, education, work experience, towns/places lived or visited, innate talents/skills/gifts, significant life events, clubs/memberships). Consider creating this as a work-in-progress you can hang up as a working vision map for your holiday season (for Christians, your Advent season). Where are your roots beginning to grow wings?
Moving forward with a listening heart,
vision, inquiry, and action,
~ Mary