dominance vs reverence

Featured today on the Shamanic Wisdom Summit of the Shift Network are father-daughter tandem Steven Newcomb and Shawna Bluestar Newcomb. 

Activist and author Steven Newcomb offers insights into historical truths gone unrecognized for centuries. He shares how the knowledge and wisdom systems of Original Nations and Peoples teach us how to harmonize ourselves with the insight that Life-is-Energy, and Love-of-Life (Aholtewakan in Lenape), is the true purpose of our existence. He shares his life's work, decoding the doctrine of dominance perpetuated by European and Christian colonizers.

Shawna Bluestar Newcomb shares how the Gift of Remembering allows us to connect with ourselves and among each other, to walk gracefully through the many lessons of our times, and to know the gift that our ancestors dreamed for us all. As we walk through a time of Great Reckoning, recent times of challenge, and events, we are given the opportunity to see what's been hidden in plain sight for too long. When we learn to sit with the uncomfortable with compassion, new awareness, a deep healing can occur.

summer sunshine

Happy July! and happy birthday to me!

Summer is really upon us now. Here in the Northeast it’s been a crazy, chaotic, polarized circus. Drought and flooding. Heat waves and blinding curtains of rain. Magnificent thunder crashes and electrifying lightning storms.

July 2020 masked Gang of Four & July 2021 unmasked Gang of Four

Sun and rain, hot days followed by cool nights, lots of sparkly days to balance hazy ones. Washing off all the grit and heat. People are happy, gardens are lush - it sure feels good to be alive!

patriotism vs nationalism

With the recent death of a former decent president back in the Philippines and recent Fourth of July celebrations in the USA, issues regarding beliefs that drive and affect us have come up once more. 

Patriotism is love for or devotion to one's country. The feeling of pride, devotion, and attachment to a homeland, as well as a feeling of attachment to other patriotic citizens. The feelings of attachment may be further bound up in factors like race or ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs, or history.

Nationalism is loyalty and devotion to a nation. Feelings of nationalism are based on a belief that one’s country is superior to all others. It also carries a connotation of distrust or disapproval of other countries, leading to the assumption that other countries are rivals. 

They may have similarities but there's a world of difference between the two - they are not in the least synonymous. Patriotism is the love of one's identity and achievement to better the world and future generations. Nationalism is believing your identity and achievements are better than those of others.