Raise Your Vibe Around Thanksgiving
Peace, Love & Aloha,
Reiki Healing Society is based in Trinidad, California, the traditional land of the Yoruk, Wiyot and Tolowa people.
I believe that what the world needs now is safe community spaces to heal and transform trauma through embodiment practices such as Reiki and Yoga.
In that spirit, I think it is important to acknowledge that the myth of Thanksgiving is built on lies and half truths. Here is the current day rhetoric of Thanksgiving from the History channel: "In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November."
So what does this story above exclude? The long and terrible history of both cultural and racial genocide against Native Americans. Perhaps you have read about the the grim reality of the holiday, about how settlers are mythologized as peace loving settlers but in reality, just a few years after the first Thanksgiving, those same settlers killed Native Americans for cash.
I don't know about you, but for me it doesn't seem right to celebrate Thanksgiving without acknowledging the ugly mess of the real story of colonization in the United States.
Here at the Reiki Healing Society, we recognize that community is a powerful tool for connection and healing. Yet, intentionally or unintentionally, community can also mirror oppressive systems within society such as patriarchy, colonialism, racism, and gender indoctrination which limit or bar inclusivity different kinds of people. Our approach to practicing and teaching Reiki & Yoga is built on trauma-informed practices and aim to provide safe space for all kinds of folks, sensitive to the struggles of racism, displacement, colonization and economic disenfranchisement.
Reiki is a profound tool to help us entangle from the trauma of the past so that we can envision a shared, equitable future.
Ok so major question, you might be asking, what the heck to do about Thanksgiving? How can you raise your vibe around Thanksgiving?
Yikes, that is a sticky subject! If you have explored the work decolonization you know that it is work, it can be deeply triggering. It's not love and light, at least at first. The inquiry requires you to hold a space of compassion, openness and resilience. It asks us to have meaningful discussions without shutting down. It asks us to hold complexity, messiness and ambiguities, aware that there is no single or one size fits all solution. The work reminds us of how powerful it is to seek to understand, apologize when we got it wrong, change and grow.
With this in mind, here are some ideas of how we can all work together to acknowledge, heal and transform the idealism of this holiday into a day that both honors the European settler's journey AND also works to undo the cultural and racial genocide of the First Nations people.
Work to undo your settler colonial mindset (if applicable):
Honor your unique ancestral journey to where you live today. If you are curious about indigenous history, please check out this interactive map which can help you learn more about the First Nations who lived on your land before you. Here also is a great resource if you would like to offer a land acknowledgment as a means to honor native land.
Take time this holiday to sit inside your journey and the journey of your ancestors to the land you live on. Give thanks to the land as your foundation. Be mindful that your presence where you live today could have come at the cost of displacement of someone else. Let's not deny the sytems of oppression that are set up to benefit some but not all.
Support present-day indigenous communities:
Many BIPOC communities mention that one of the aspects of harm that the colonial mindset perpetuates is this idea is that their plight occured sometime in the past. Unfortunately, the struggle of racism, displacement and economic disenfranchisment is still happening. Here are some ideas of how you can support present-day communities:
Ask the community how you can help
Ask yourself "how can I minimize harm"
Listen the voices of POCs and BIPOCs rather than deny
Seek opportunities for friendship, collaboration and solidarity
Envision a shared equitable future:
The pain and plight of the past is not something that anyone can change. We can learn, grow and heal from our past so that we can continue the work of social justice for ourselves, our children and the generations beyond us. Envision a world where we can protect the culutal history of our ancestors and offer soverienty.
In this season, we gather to share gratitude, let's seek new opportunities to learn about our collective history, in all its complexity.
Here are some resources to help you raise your vibe this Thanksgiving.
Practice Embodiment:
Embodiment practices can help heal trauma. Reiki, yoga and meditation can have a profound impact on how we cope and process trauma physically, mentally and emotionally. Embodiment practices offer pathways to work the trauma out of our physiological, emotional and mental systems, which leads to greater feelings of integration. Embodiment practices are considered an important aspect of trauma treatment.
The power of these practices can reach deep into our ancestral lineage. If you are carrying some emotional baggage or if this season brings you a lot of pain and misery…take time to think about how you can move, heal and transform that trauma through Reiki, Yoga and meditation.
Gratitude is still the medicine:
One of the precepts of Reiki is for today only…be filled with gratitude. Gratitude can feel like oil and water when we are depressed, stressed or living inside of triggered traumas. Yet, gratitude as a mindset can help us transform emotional pain. The practice of Reiki teaches us to empty our cup everyday, letting go of our anger and worry so that we can be open, empty to receive the spiritual blessings that fall like raindrops everyday.
Regardless of your feelings about Thanksgiving, give yourself time over the holiday to savor your gratitude…it will help you get back into a place where you can laugh, be joyful and receive the many blessings life gives us. Far from being a trival exercise, gratitude is a deep appreciation for someone (or something) that produces lasting positivity.
If you need a little guidance on crafting a gratitude practice, check out 1111 Bless a DIY Manifestation Ritual. Within this healing ritual is a gratitude practice.
Let's enjoy the medicine of gratitude this Thanksgiving!
I believe in manifestation that is kind, to our planet and to each other.
The word manifestation can carry some of the baggage too. I see a lot of taglines in the world of manifestation like "you can absolutely have it all!!!" and "anything holding you back is just a self-limiting belief." I gotta tell you that I feel like a lot of those kinds of statements come from a priviledged attitude that still believes that everything and everyone is theirs for the taking. Truth is, karma (the law of cause and effect) is always at work.
True spiritual manifestation not a selfish pursuit of pleasure, money, you can have it all attitude. The manifestation I uphold is being true to your way. It is kind. It lends it's way so that many can lead. It looks for the greater good and strives to uplift not just you, but others as well. Yes, we are living out a karma of the past, but with mindfulness we can create karma that sends positivity to our life and generations beyond us. The word I like to use in the world of manifestation is sovereign. You are sovereign of your life, your purpose, your path...and we all are interconnected.
If you are looking for a little boost on your journey of manifestation...check out 1111 Bless: A DIY Manifestation Ritual you can complete over the course of 3-11 days.
This year for Thanksgiving, I celebrate the resilience of the First Nations. I celebrate gratitude and to strive for the idealism that this holiday represents.
Thanks for reading more about how to raise your vibe around Thanksgiving! Let's keep envisioning a future built upon mutual understanding and respect for each other. I wish you a lovely holiday!
My best,
Carrie Varela
