The Beloved Community

We all have the opportunity to take action to create more justice in the world. We are not all called on to participate in demonstrations, but we all need to do the work to enable the necessary change.
Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Our philosophy says that all change starts with changing our mental beliefs and attitudes. While change begins with our thoughts, we are also called on to take action that is consistent with how we want to show up in the world.
One way that Ahiah is taking action on Racial Equality is to continue giving the Creating the Beloved Community workshop series. These are two-hour events that are offered once per month, and all are invited. It does not matter if you are a member of Ahiah or have been to any past workshops. Everyone is welcome.
We are currently asking people to participate in a Racial History Exercise. Whether you are doing the Creating the Beloved Community series or not, this is a good exercise for clearing your heart. The instructions are:
a. Identify an experience of race and/or racism (an event in your life when race became evident or you learned something about it).
b. Write about the event(s), titling it, and including the year.
c. Label it as either a Positive Race Memory or a Negative one.
d. Record your emotions/feelings about what happened. What were the losses, gifts, and beliefs surrounding the event?
e. Come prepared to share one of your stories during the next session (or in the dyad/large group session).
At Ahiah, we are committed to creating Safe Spaces where we can all gather and participate. Part of being able to do that is to deal with the pain and the loss that racism has inflicted on all of us individually. We have different experiences of it in our lives. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color experience it with higher costs and more enormous impacts. People who identify as White have the “benefits” of White Privilege, even when they have consciously disavowed racism, and they also bear different types of costs. White people may have a more challenging time identifying the buried beliefs, benefits, and costs, but I have found that they surface by actively looking and being aware. It is up to us to all come to terms with our experiences and our buried beliefs so that we do not create unsafe spaces around us as we deal with (or choose to ignore) them in public.
I am so proud of the work we are doing to create a world that works for everyone. I know that we can need support as we do this type of work.

Please go to https://www.ahiah.com/prayers to request prayer support. There is a place on the form to ask to be called by a practitioner if you have questions.
If you are interested in exploring racism and its impacts in more detail, I suggest that you watch this video by Brene Brown and Ibrahim Kendhi. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist/
My pledge to Ahiah is to continue to do my work. I do the work that Spirit guides me to see is my work. My prayers are for the Clarity to clearly see that path, the Peace to be able to move through the world without judgment, and the Love to forgive myself and those around me for the past while I lovingly walk the path toward a brighter future.
We are all called to do some form of this work. What does that look like for you?