The Last One Out-the-Door Sweeps Up: A Pilgrimage
Early morning, on March 11, I flew east to begin a pilgrimage of transgenerational, transcultural, and trans-species healing and reparation. In many ways, this is a journey that I have been preparing-for for decades. It is an offering in service of transformation – for myself and all of us who have received and been a source of harm to human and more-than-human beings.
Homeplace (My Maternal Grandparents’ Farm)
The name of this pilgrimage is sourced in the fact that, as far as I know, I’m the last one standing in the genetic line of my birth family. When my sister, Sue Ellen, died in July 2023, I made a decision to grieve not only for my personal loss, but to process the unhealed grief of my immediate family (there was quite a bit). Since that time, through study, deep listening and conversations, I have become aware of the vast harm that unprocessed generational, individual, and collective grief and trauma has caused … for hundreds of years (or until it is tended).
With the current state of global collapse and transformation, it seems to me like a really good time to engage in whatever clearing-out, healing, and tending that I can do. My sense is that what's good for my garage is probably good in the larger field – a good clearing and cleaning can let-in some fresh air and make space for some different energy.
This pilgrimage, basically, unfolded itself right before my eyes. The active sweeping-up started on the morning of March 10 with picking-up trash on the trail where I sit-with Ms. Pacific every day. Here’s how the journey emerged …
A couple months ago, I had planned and ticketed my annual trip to West Point, Georgia to spend a couple days with Momma Doris, the woman who helped raise me and the person who taught me unconditional love. A couple weeks ago, Cliff Berrien told me he was going to Montgomery, AL (about 90 minutes from West Point) to participate in the Healing Race Portal led by Rev. angel kyodo williams and Resmaa Menakem at the Legacy Museum and Sites. Both Rev. angel and Resmaa are teachers with whom I have studied and for whom I have great respect. Within 24 hours, I had completely rearranged my trip to be with beloved Doris through the weekend and joined this extraordinary gathering (which is a "test run" of a global racial healing project that they are planning).
But wait, there's more: I have been studying and taking courses over the past few years about healing and making reparations with black and indigenous people. As it happens, I finished, on March 9, a healing ancestral trauma course. When the Race Healing Portal gathering ends on Friday, I will be heading further south to Garland, the location of Homeplace, my grandparent's farm (which was a sanctuary for me when I was growing-up) and the location of the Ray family plots at the local country-church cemetery. There, I will offer ceremony for ancestral healing and as reparations for our family's complicity in harm done to indigenous and black people. Then, I'll head to West Point.
On Saturday morning, Doris, a good friend of hers, and I will drive back to the Legacy Museum (which Doris said she has always wanted to go to), meet with my cousin Randy (who is a genealogist and history buff, whom Doris also loves) and his wife, and experience the Legacy sites individually and together. I feel very, very blessed to be sharing this experience with Doris. She and I have touched-into race conversations, but not very deeply. I'm imagining that this experience will open that door of connecting and shared-healing a bit wider.
Sunday, with Doris' permission, I will go with her to her church. It is a small church that has played an big role in the local black community for a long time.
Monday, she and I will spend some unscheduled time together ... probably just sitting in rocking chairs on her porch, talking, and being together. If there's time, I'll also visit the house where I grew up and then offer healing ceremony there and reparative ritual on indigenous and black sites in the area.
Tuesday, I'll head-back to CA and, if the travel schedule works as planned, begin participation in Cliff's online course "Everyday Mystic, Everyday Healing: The Luminous and Liberatory Teachings of Barbara Holmes" (check it out to see if you feel called to it ... It's highly likely to be quite extraordinary).
I invite you to join me in this journey … contemplating how you might heal, tend, and/or sweep-up some spaces in your internal, interpersonal, transgenerational, transcultural world. If you feel so-inclined, please share what emerges in the form of contemplation, inspired action, tender kindness, or whatever you feel inspired to offer in service of what is needed in the world right now.
As you will see, there is quite a variety of opportunities for mutual learning, exploring, practicing, connecting in the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing and being with you soon.
With warmth,
Marianne
