The Season of Self: Reconnecting, Reclaiming, and Restoring
Healing Through Ancestral Wisdom, Liberation from Systems, and the Power of Choosing Yourself
As I lay here in bed, watching night slowly give way to day, I’m reminded of the beauty of slowness. The rain has been my constant companion for what feels like days, a steady rhythm against the window that mirrors the stillness in my own body. Chronic pain has tethered me to this space, turning motion into a distant memory and leaving promises—to myself and others—unfulfilled. The things I wanted to do no longer matter in the face of pain flares.
But as I listen to this rain, to what feels like a month of Sundays, I’m also listening to the earth. The rain drowns out the noise of the world. Branches give way to the weight of the water, breaking and shifting. Trees are uprooted, released from their connection to the earth. And in this unearthing, I’m reminded of the cleansing power of nature—its ability to purge, release, and renew.
This, I believe, is what it means to be in connection with nature. It’s a reminder that we too must release what no longer serves us, allowing space for growth and transformation. Supremacy culture severs us from this connection. It severs us from our lands, our languages, our practices, our foods, our clothes, our people—and, most importantly, it severs us from ourselves.
Decolonization is the journey home to self. It is the deepest healing we will ever encounter. It’s a process of undoing the severance, of reclaiming what was lost, of remembering who we are in the absence of oppressive systems. And so I’m asking—begging, even—for you to take this time, as the rain falls and the world slows, to come inside. Come inside to yourself. Begin the intense but deeply satisfying work of reconnecting with your essence, with the parts of you that have been buried or broken by the weight of supremacy culture.
The Practice of Reconnection
Reconnection can feel daunting, particularly for embodied people who feel a disconnect from their lineage. Many people resist reconnecting because they only see their last few generations—often ones marked by pain, harm, or in the case of white-bodied people, complicity in systems they reject. Black-bodied individuals may feel tethered to the "slave narrative" of defeat, and Indigenous peoples often struggle to reconcile their identity as stewards of stolen lands with the reality that Black people are stolen people on stolen land.
However, reconnecting with ourselves means reaching back to all of our ancestors, not just the ones we know. To be an ancestor is to have done the work and elevated to that space. These ancestors are absolutely here to aid you, to guide you as you reconnect with yourself. This practice not only heals you but also allows you to see how deeply interwoven our stories are with others. In rewriting your story, you create space to connect more authentically with the stories of others.
Reconnecting with yourself doesn’t have to be a grand act. It can be as simple as sitting in stillness, listening to the rain, and allowing your thoughts to surface without judgment. Here are some practices to guide you on this journey:
Reflection Through Journaling
Write about the things you’ve been carrying that no longer serve you. What feels heavy in your life right now? What are you ready to release?Cleansing Rituals
Just as the rain cleanses the earth, create a ritual to cleanse yourself. This could be a bath with intentional herbs or salts, a smudging/smoking practice (that is from your culture), or even standing outside in the rain if the moment calls for it.
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