Episode 5: Taking Things Personally
How do you care for yourself while remaining connected and caring? Do you struggle with not taking things personally? Are you an empath? On this week’s episode we answer a question from a listener who struggles as an empath who also tries to live by the principle of not taking things personally, inspired by the Four Agreements. We also talk about astrology as a tool for social change, and the things giving us life this week: holiday rituals and music.
Things mentioned in the episode:
- Astrology As A Tool for Social Change: Virginia Rosenberg’s TEDx talk
- The Great Pyramid
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Crystals mentioned: rose quartz (heart space), black tourmaline, amethyst, and labradorite
- Richael’s music suggestions: Bjork’s new album, “Utopia;” Vivaldi The Four Seasons, Concerto 2 in G Minor “Summer;” Kamasi Washington’s new track and video, “Truth.”
Tonic is a healing advice podcast about all the ailments of modern life–emotional, spiritual, physical and more. With so many forces contributing to a societal sense of dis-ease, Tonic is a place for practical support with strong doses of clarity, and a humorous aftertaste.
Hosted by three healers of color–Richael Faithful, Karen L. Culpepper and Miriam Zoila Pérez–they each offer practitioner insights on everything from stress reduction and wellness to multigenerational trauma and plant medicine. While many of us feel at the edge of the world, we need each other–and our lineages of wisdom–to get through these times now more than ever.
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The Hosts:
Richael Faithful (they/them/theirs) is a DC-based multidisciplinary folk healer and spiritual activist from the Black diasporic healing tradition of the U.S. called conjure. Faithful is known for their spiritual support of activists of all backgrounds including leaders of The Movement for Black Lives. Their healing work has been nationally featured, including Everyday Feminism and Colorlines. They have also contributed to several anthologies, including Lambda Literary award nominee, Outside the XY: Queer, Black and Brown Masculinity, and the forthcoming Food First book, Land Justice: Re-Imagining Land, Food and the Commons. Faithful is former Shaman-in-Residence for Freed Bodyworks. Before their formal initiation, Faithful was an Equal Justice Works Fellow/Staff Attorney and community organizer. Website: www.richaelfaithful.com
Miriam Zoila Pérez (they/them/theirs) is a DC-based writer and activist whose work has circled around the themes of race, gender and health for over a decade. Pérez is trained in the healing modalities of doula and massage therapist, but has also spent many years engaged in the non-profit and activist arena with a focus on reproductive justice work. They bring a strong desire to politicize healing work and to bring a wholistic vision for healing to political spaces.Pérez has spent much of the last ten years writing about these topics for outlets like Colorlines, Fusion, Rewire and Talking Points Memo. They recently gave a TED talk about how racism impacts maternal health, and one incredible provider making strides to end these impacts. They also love bachata and Latin pop, and are the co-host of the Latinx music podcast Radio Menea. Website: www.miriamzperez.com
Karen L. Culpepper (she/her/hers) is a Chinese-DEAUS (Descendant of Enslaved Africans in the US) clinical herbalist and licensed massage therapist. She is founder of the MD-based clinical herbal practice, Embracing Rhythm, and apothecary, Sacred Legacy Herbal Apothecary. Karen’s unique herbalist contribution centers on the ways in which the energetics of plant medicine can support deep healing. Her particular focus areas are inter-generational trauma and its impact on physiology and womb restoration. Within the intersection of historical trauma of the African slave trade and womb healing, her study and knowledge of cotton root bark offers a powerful perspective on role of plant spirit healing in the context of political changes and reproductive resistance.
Recorded : Dec 5, 2017