Aug 22Liked by Audrey Nova di Mola, Northern Spirit House
Periods of depression, breakdown, and anxiety have punctuated my later life. These episodes, born from a crucible of trauma, life events, biology, the weight of accumulated stress, have been both my death and rebirth.
The psychiatric approach, the medical model, and its panacea of pills always felt reductionist. It so often fails to honour the depth and complexity of lived experiences, the nuanced interplay between mind, body, and spirit that I knew intuitively to be true.
My journey of healing has demanded more than mere recovery; it has required a fundamental metamorphosis. Like Inanna's mythic descent, I've had to strip away layers of conditioning, confront the raw essence of my being, and painstakingly reconstruct myself. Each breakdown has been a gateway, each crisis an initiation.
This path—as a Highly Sensitive Person, an empath, a soul and spirit walker, a death doula, a mnàthan-tuirim—is not one easily trodden. It demands a keen awareness of the liminal spaces, an ability to navigate the thin veil between worlds. The gifts bestowed by these roles come with their own challenges, requiring a deep understanding of how to manifest and wield them responsibly.
Learning to ground myself amidst a cacophony of sensations and emotions, to listen to intuition amidst the din of everyday life, has required immense stamina. It's a constant practice of attunement, of finding balance between the seen and unseen realms.
Thank you, Audrey, for acknowledging the importance of embracing one's unique mythology. It's a testament to the transformative power of facing our wounds emerging not unscathed but profoundly changed. The path to wholeness often leads through the heart of our brokenness.
Very well said Serena. That keen awareness of liminality and the ability to navigate the thin veils between worlds feel like key skills for this time! May we be supported by a ground swell of blessing from seen and unseen realms.
serena, i feel so seen by what you wrote. Thank You, and for your commitment to turning and returning to your path. it's giving me strength Right Now, and to hear the word 'punctuated.' these later years of my own life have had me question what 'healing' even means, such is the riddle of my own existence, complexifying further and further. i relate so much to the roles/identities you mention and the challenges and responsibilities therein. thank you for showing up with your lantern on my path. <3
Someone from my poetry group shared this poem with me just now; it really resonated:
an open poem to a world-weary empath
you can’t leave Earth yet
~ because I just flipped ahead about
a hundred pages in your story and I read
that someday you will be the reason someone
else doesn’t give up on their life
I’m sorry to spoil the end of your epic tale
~ but someday you will be the one who ignites the blaze in another person’s heart that won’t ever be put out again
don’t complicate the plot of your story
~ you are here to be lamplighter that hands out little bits of your flame to ensure the rest of the world doesn’t exist in darkness
I know you have been scorched so many times
~ to love the world is to sometimes be burned at the stake by others who mistake your gift of compassion as a personal weakness
I know it’s not easy to be a bringer of light to those who have become addicted to shadows
~ but we need you to be a gardener of effervescent seeds that you will perhaps never see grow into burning rosebushes that can be seen from space
Oh, my love, don’t give into the calling despair
~ set your life on fire with kindness and watch how many other people come out of their caves to sit by your campfire heart to share their own stories of survival
this is literally The Water Of Life. it's absolutely incredible; it's everything people struggling in the way we do, need to hear. over and over forever. deep bow for sharing this, and Thank You. <3
Periods of depression, breakdown, and anxiety have punctuated my later life. These episodes, born from a crucible of trauma, life events, biology, the weight of accumulated stress, have been both my death and rebirth.
The psychiatric approach, the medical model, and its panacea of pills always felt reductionist. It so often fails to honour the depth and complexity of lived experiences, the nuanced interplay between mind, body, and spirit that I knew intuitively to be true.
My journey of healing has demanded more than mere recovery; it has required a fundamental metamorphosis. Like Inanna's mythic descent, I've had to strip away layers of conditioning, confront the raw essence of my being, and painstakingly reconstruct myself. Each breakdown has been a gateway, each crisis an initiation.
This path—as a Highly Sensitive Person, an empath, a soul and spirit walker, a death doula, a mnàthan-tuirim—is not one easily trodden. It demands a keen awareness of the liminal spaces, an ability to navigate the thin veil between worlds. The gifts bestowed by these roles come with their own challenges, requiring a deep understanding of how to manifest and wield them responsibly.
Learning to ground myself amidst a cacophony of sensations and emotions, to listen to intuition amidst the din of everyday life, has required immense stamina. It's a constant practice of attunement, of finding balance between the seen and unseen realms.
Thank you, Audrey, for acknowledging the importance of embracing one's unique mythology. It's a testament to the transformative power of facing our wounds emerging not unscathed but profoundly changed. The path to wholeness often leads through the heart of our brokenness.
Very well said Serena. That keen awareness of liminality and the ability to navigate the thin veils between worlds feel like key skills for this time! May we be supported by a ground swell of blessing from seen and unseen realms.
serena, i feel so seen by what you wrote. Thank You, and for your commitment to turning and returning to your path. it's giving me strength Right Now, and to hear the word 'punctuated.' these later years of my own life have had me question what 'healing' even means, such is the riddle of my own existence, complexifying further and further. i relate so much to the roles/identities you mention and the challenges and responsibilities therein. thank you for showing up with your lantern on my path. <3
Someone from my poetry group shared this poem with me just now; it really resonated:
an open poem to a world-weary empath
you can’t leave Earth yet
~ because I just flipped ahead about
a hundred pages in your story and I read
that someday you will be the reason someone
else doesn’t give up on their life
I’m sorry to spoil the end of your epic tale
~ but someday you will be the one who ignites the blaze in another person’s heart that won’t ever be put out again
don’t complicate the plot of your story
~ you are here to be lamplighter that hands out little bits of your flame to ensure the rest of the world doesn’t exist in darkness
I know you have been scorched so many times
~ to love the world is to sometimes be burned at the stake by others who mistake your gift of compassion as a personal weakness
I know it’s not easy to be a bringer of light to those who have become addicted to shadows
~ but we need you to be a gardener of effervescent seeds that you will perhaps never see grow into burning rosebushes that can be seen from space
Oh, my love, don’t give into the calling despair
~ set your life on fire with kindness and watch how many other people come out of their caves to sit by your campfire heart to share their own stories of survival
Oh my love, you are my favourite element
by john roedel
this is literally The Water Of Life. it's absolutely incredible; it's everything people struggling in the way we do, need to hear. over and over forever. deep bow for sharing this, and Thank You. <3