Where Body, Spirit, Healing & Social Justice Meet

In this monthly blog, I will share what is important to me: a yearning to deepen connection between our bodies and Earth and Spirit, and a commitment to find and offer accessible, practical tools to heal our personal and collective traumas and support our collective spiritual awakening. Quadruple Virgo that I am, I value finding and sharing WHAT WORKS. What truly transforms oppression and trauma, where it counts—in our bodies, in our hearts, in our actions, in our communities, in our institutions.

My intention is to express the insights that the earth births through me as cleanly as possible. However, I have my biases, blindspots and a vantage point based on my social identities as white, lower-middle class, immigrant (Canadian), neurodivergent, lesbian, college-educated, English-speaking, Christian-raised, convert-Buddhist, intermittently disabled, peri-menopausal, cis female. Each of these social identity categories carry social meanings that bestow or withhold social power and privilege.

My perspective has also been profoundly shaped by my 35+ years as a social justice activist and educator, peer counselor and energy healer.

My insights into trauma-healing and the spiritual journey also arise from my direct experience of healing from nine years of child sexual abuse, and coming to terms with an 11 year spiritual emergence process that began in my twenties.

The influences that currently shape my perspective the most include: my close relationships with birds, restorative yoga, generative somatics, intuitive reading and Nyingma Tibetan Buddhism, especially the teachings of JoAnn Lyons, Denise Benson, Phyllis Pay and Anam Thubten, autistic women bloggers, and the Advisory Birds.

That’s where I come from. What follows are reflections on individual and collective healing and transformation. I invite you to read, chew on whatever tastes good or interesting to you, and spit out what does not.

Your responses and feedback are welcome, as long as they are respectful to you, me, and all beings.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy.

Dr. Vanissar Zondra Tarakali, PhD