Authors note: Updated 7/1/20, the summer of solidarity and uprising.

Every time the 4th of July rolls around, my mind begins to wander toward the state of the world (both inner and outer) and how aligned or misaligned I feel in relationship to what is present. I ask, “What is my relationship between independence and interdependence…freedom and responsibility?” and often sit - perplexed, confused, and entangled - by colonial conditioning that Adrienne Maree Brown describes as "so pervasive and invasive that it can grow within each of us without invitation."

The truth is, I rarely get anywhere when I attempt to think my way through things. When I try to understand or fix or resolve with my mind alone. Most of the time this creates more tension. More restlessness. More separation.

But conscious dance has helped me (re)member that I am far more effective when I am anchored IN my body. When I trust my intuition. When I stay with what is presenting just long enough (and sometimes longer!) to access its wisdom. Regardless of the obstacle…or the question…I welcome it into my dance, where psyche and soma align and unfold into greater understanding, and over time, freedom. Again and again, it is the practice that opens a doorway to the somatic experience where I am able to explore the edges of independence and interdependence…the textures of freedom and responsibility…and the qualities of movement that each illicit within my body and the collective body we call America.

I welcome my sense of imbalance, frustration and grief. I feel the blatant inequality, broken social structures, and corruption of the system. I turn to the disparity and discrimination held within and without, the places in my own body where separation and borders exist. I invite the flavors and qualities of superiority and oppression. Listen to the sensations and stories that arise. Trust these messengers as inherently wise while remaining curious about the preferences and patterns held in my repetitions. Every step of my dance is an act of (re)membering. An opportunity to call parts home. To welcome them into the conversation. Into the question. Into the integrity and possibility of INTERDEPENDENCE!

The fundamental underlying principle of EVERY living organism in the natural world is interdependence. Interrelatedness. Connection, not separation. Every part of the web of life informs and influences the other - nothing, NO thing is cut off or separate.

And yet, collectively, we continue to uphold power structures that divide and oppress. We forget that we, as human organisms, are inherently and intrinsically part of this web, and to thrive we need diversity over superiority…equality over hierarchy…interdependence over independence. Regardless of country, border, race or religion...personal identity, belief, or value.

What will it take for us to know this more and more deeply…in our bodies, not just the mind? To feel it in our bones. To breathe it into every cell. To expand our hearts and minds toward that which is life serving in the context of the world we’re living in.

We live in a world that encourages disembodiment. That supports distraction over of engagement with the complexities of life. That values white comfort over the freedom and equality of BIPOC. That relies on our losing touch with our bodies, and therefore the earth. The trouble is, when we disconnect from our humanity, we disconnect from one another. When we forget our languages, stories and cultures, we lose sight of the ground which shapes us. When we objectify and separate from nature we forget our shared life with all things on this beautiful earth.

Movement is crucial to embodied awakening! It is essential to our well being and effectiveness as change makers. If I choose to advocate for freedom, love, and equality I must place myself there first! I must (re)member the wholeness of my being within every cell, dismantling the ways I oppress, separate and fragment both within and without. I must move my way toward hope, encouragement, and engagement with the broader community, humbly taking my place within the interconnected, interrelated, interdependent web of all living things. Step by step. Dance by dance. Will you join me?

Love, Teresa