Decolonization
It’s a new word for me but I think I have been doing it though my spiritual practice already.
When we are able to look at ourselves as white people and take 100% responsibility for our privilege as being white, this gives all other cultures the space to explore their cultures, their wounds, their experiences. It is when we try to control what other cultures should do, or how they should heal, or when the should heal is when we are in our colonialized minds. This isn’t a place of space, kindness, respect, this is a place of looking internally at ourselves and why we are doing this. What has been programmed in us to try to heal this or that in others? As part of our spiritual path, we are meant to look at the ways in which our thinking and beliefs affect our relationship with others….all others…all other sentient beings. That means why are we judging? Why are we giving an opinion about someone else’s experience? How can we possibly know what the other person is experiencing? And if we have a feeling or have an inkling are we in integrity with that feeling or inkling? Are we overstepping our boundaries? What are our values and experiences around how we interact with others.
It all comes from our upbringing. If we are opinionated or judgmental, then we have been programmed in being that way. Being opinionated and judgmental are ways of NOT looking at why we are judging others. There is a belief in there that says, they are not doing this right or should do it this way, or it’s good or it’s bad, it’s a way of thinking that is really black and white, when the subtleties are much more grey. It behoves us to look at ourselves and why we are judging and why we have such opinions. What is the reason? What is the belief? What is that trying to show us? Is that judgement we have of others the same judgment we have of ourselves? Then it is time to let it go. Time to change that belief and time to look at our own spiritual practice, mind practice, body practice and emotional practice and improve on ourselves. Because anything other than healing yourself isn’t going to help. You must set the example yourself for others to follow, emulate or want to be like. How many people want to be criminals? There are probably much more people that want to be more integral, kind, loving and boundaried than being mean and hurtful. The key is to doing your own work. Really knowing yourself and your relationship with Source.
As white people when we can decolonize ourselves and get back to the land and the preciousness of our souls then we can learn respect for ourselves. Not until we learn respect for ourselves can we begin to respect others. It all starts with self. If connecting with your soul isn’t taught from an early age, then in order to heal this world we must heal ourselves. We must look at what got us to where we are right now in this present moment. What situation in this life moment brought us here and what are we meant to learn from it. Every person is going to have a different experience and that’s okay. The key is to respect yourself and then you can respect other people and their experiences. Not in a better than or less than kind of way, more of an accepting way. I don’t need to change you kind of way, but I accept who you are and now I can choose to either learn again from this experience or go another way. It’s all learning. It is just a matter of turning inward to yourself and taking responsibility for how you are in this world, not right or wrong but just how you are as a Being. How you show up. How you present yourself. How you interact. It is your responsibility to be responsible for yourself. No one will ever do it for you and all the problems that are in the world right now is a lack of people being responsible for who they are and their actions in the world. Is it a lack of people healing themselves and not understanding and learning their boundaries. It is an example of what we are now forced to do because we haven’t been doing it. The Universe is pushing us to where we need to go because we haven’t been going there. Think about it. We are forced into boundary situations so that we can see that we have been overstepping our boundaries. We aren’t respecting one another and one another’s different needs and requirements. We are trying to follow the letter of the law which is no longer working. The Universe is breaking all these patterns and behaviours because we need to look at ourselves. We need that deep deep introspection of what it means to be colonialized. How did we get here generationally and what do we need to do to become unified?
I know it is just a lot more questions, but those questions lead to answers and healing and knowledge. It leads us to more peace within ourselves and peace with each other. It is all about the spiritual journey and the answers within yourself. Ask yourself, what is working in your life and what isn’t and why????? Start to ask yourself these questions and you will get the answers, you just need to listen. Your soul is wiser than you think.
With respect.
Jackie Gutknecht