“No One is Free Until We Are ALL Free” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
U.S. resident, 1787: “Do we have a Republic or a Monarchy, Dr. Franklin?”
Ben Franklin, leaving the Constitutional Convention: “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Dr King’s declaration about the nature of freedom is almost philosophical in its tone while Ben Franklin’s infamous quote comes with a warning, ‘if you can keep it.’ When I included the King quote in one of my Freshmen English paper prompts, most 18 year olds were not really able to grasp the implication of how ‘no one’ can be free until ‘all’ are free. It takes an immense amount of empathy and awareness to contemplate that, a lot of listening and perhaps asking hard questions; and to Franklin’s point, “keeping” an entity as foundational to freedom as a REPUBLIC is the whole point–a Republic needs good caretakers. These precious democracies do NOT “keep” themselves. Government, civil rights, freedom–they aren’t “ideas;” ONLY in practice do they have any meaning at all. Only in the Good Will of the citizens can they even thrive.
I could wax poetic for a long time here today about the precariousness of our democracy, or as another great thinker among us, Dr. Cornel West put it, “the great experiment called democracy.” We’ve come a long way…and yet. I’m not the first person to observe that things in this country are moving backwards, that progress also could be added to that aforementioned list of ideals. The fight for the rights of ALL people that Dr. King advocated for (and died for) is still our fight. We are still trying to keep our Republic.
Or are we? Many feel deflated, worn out, hopeless. Many believe that politics is a low-vibing arena of bi-partisanship that they really aren’t interested in sullying themselves in. Personally, I trust (and am more interested in) what happens in my LOCAL environment as far as governing goes, and how to affect change. It’s just more relative, more pertinent to my experience.
As bad as it is, many of us are grateful to live here and not some other country. I know I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. And as I grow older, I’m curious about how the application of freedom does, in fact, get carried out. Were we the people Dr. King and Dr. Franklin envisioned as the executors of justice, of civil rights, of freedom? How are we measuring up as the lucky Caretakers of a Republic? Does injustice, oppression and discrimination happen to ‘other’ people or does it have to happen to us directly for us to get involved?
None are free until all are free. Thank you, Dr. King.
Find out today where your water comes from. Find out who is on your school board. Reach out to a neighbor and see if they need their driveway shoveled. Be the Citizen you imagine exists here in our land of the Free.
Shine On,
Mary Katherine
I HAVE 2 REMINDERS and 2 NEW OFFERINGS!
Reminder #1: There is still time to join my Time Machine Mavens class! I can take ONE MORE STUDENT for this class on Past Lives and how to learn from them through the written word. For a fuller description, check out my website page! Starts Jan 24th (6 PM Zoom) and runs for 4 weeks
Reminder #2: DRUM MAKING WORKSHOP with Jane E King! Make your own Medicine Drum with an extraordinary teacher and ceremonialist. All-day event takes place at Avalon Acres on Saturday March 25th; for more info, check out my website page! An incredible experience, if you’ve been wanting a drum
NEW OFFERINGS!
“It is time to gather your tribe”
What is your soul trying to reveal to you? Are you a woman rising up to the occasion of shedding the old and proudly wearing the vestments of a seer, healer, teacher, path-maker, bard or other kind of mover-n-shaker?
Do you crave the company of others who are dancing their inner light for all to see, unafraid, uninhibited, and very-much overdue?
To speak your heart’s desires in a soulful, safe container with others who are setting little fires of bold love in their precious lives is much needed–and from what I have witnessed in my clients–much appreciated when the container is available. That’s why I have designed an opportunity twice a month for women to gather in such a way.
Women in ancient times used to gather to do their work together–washing at the river, pounding wool, grinding corn, sewing and weaving. As they worked, they sang, they talked, they gave advice. In our current technological age where everyone is a broadcaster and memes with Kermit the Frog give us our daily “advice,” it is my belief that something deep inside us women is calling us back to sit together, to share and hear the stories of others. When one or more are gathered in a way that is meant to move us beyond the mundane world, the work of the heart is initiated…and the soul gets its needed floor time.
On The Persian Rug Series will take place twice a month (the first Thursday evening of the month and the 3rd Saturday morning of the month) at my Portland office, 640 Brighton Ave (with the exception of April 6th*); in these circles we will:
- Have council to share stories and witness others
- Guided meditation if the circle falls near a holiday
- Witness triumphs, lessons learned, and downloads
- Do energy work for anyone needing a healing boost (*although you do NOT need to be an energy worker to attend)
- On occasion, Tarot or Oracle readings
The dates for our circles are as follows:
__Thursday, Feb 2nd 5:30 PM- 7 PM (IMBOLC! Guided meditation to Brigid)
__Saturday, Feb 18th 10:30- 12 Noon (New moon Ritual)
__Thursday, March 2nd 5:30 PM-7 PM (Intention setting for Sacred Discernment)
__Saturday, March 18th 10:30 AM- 12 NOON (Spring Equinox!)
__Thursday, April 6th AT AVALON! (Drum Circle under the FULL MOON! Arrive by 6 PM, end time “until”)
__Saturday, April 22nd 10:30 AM-12 NOON (*this is actually the 4th Sat of the month; Earth Day and guided journey to GAIA!)
COST: Suggested Donation $10-$20 [if you need a spiritual boost and cannot afford this sliding scale, please contact me directly & ask about a trade]
RSVP: is Required! Please RSVP as space is limited (6-7 ppl) at my Portland office. We will sit, well, ON THE PERSIAN RUG! So please bring a back-jack, comfy cushion, pillow or yoga bolster. Tea will be served upon arrival and an altar will be set.
**Sending your PayPal or Venmo donation saves your spot; if you plan on attending, please remit at least 48 hours in advance. Keep these dates with descriptions handy and do reach out with any questions! ninepillarshealing@gmail.com or (207) 939-6863
Our first circle on 02/02 will be IMBOLC! How exciting to commence this series with Brigid, the Celtic Goddess of Healing, Hearth & Home, Smithcraft and Poetry…
Hope to see you in circle!
NEW OFFERING #2:
OUTDOOR NATURE RETREAT
with Snow Shoe at Avalon Acres
Water Song Ceremony by Stony Brook
*followed by lunch!
Friday, Feb 10th, 9am -1 PM
What secret might you hear in the forest of Avalon? Do you know how hungry the trees are for your admiration? Is it time to let the sacred waters wash away the residue of painful memories, signaling the new iteration of human you are becoming?
If you need a forest soak, communion with a soulful community, or to realign your body with the tones and colors of Mother Earth, this Nature Retreat at Avalon is for you!
We will also be learning and singing the Water Song, or as it is known in the Northern New England Native American tribes, “Nee-Bee-WA-Bow.”
A morning spent on the land, a council in the barn, an honoring of the flow of water–the source of life itself–will be what fills your tank. A delicious vegan lunch ends our time together.
WHERE: Avalon Acres, 167 Mansion Rd, Hollis, ME
WHEN: Friday, February 10th, 9 AM- 1 PM
WHAT TO BRING: Snowshoes, water bottle, journal & pen, appropriate clothes for outdoors, and click-sticks if you have them (I have plenty-)
COST: $45 Remitting payment via PayPal or Venmo saves your spot; RSVP at least 48 hrs in advance
CONTACT: Contact Mary Katherine with any questions: ninepillarshealing@gmail.com or 207-939-6863
Embodying the Divine Feminine 