Self-Expression IS Healthcare
“Breathe Into Your Heart” from my heart-opening 30 day project with BEAM- join us for the next one in April!
Dear Creators of WONDER and MAGIC-
Thank you for being here! I am grateful for your presence.
Here are a few ideas that I hope will uplift you in this moment.
1. Self expression IS HEALTH CARE. I started to say mental health care…but it’s is even more TRUE that self-expression improves the health of the whole human organism.
I was a highly trained disease hunter for 20 years. I’m the physician who would look at your tissue under the microscope (if you’ve ever had a biopsy of your skin or other organ). As a practicing surgical pathologist, I learned how to recognize thousands of patterns of disease (and the variations of it) so that I could accurately identify disease (or rule it out).
Back in 2010, I got curious….about what makes people WELL. I was very familiar with disease and it’s myriad causes…
…..but, I wondered, how do we bring more health…more life to ourselves? What makes us more vital? (and HALTS or diminishes the ability of a disease to grab a foothold)
My explorations from 2010-to the present have led me to discover something I did not expect.
Self expression is essential to our well being.
I have been learning that it is from singing, dancing, making art, telling stories, creating something NEW (a recipe, a poster, an herb garden, a plan for an adventure) out of thin air that we become MORE FULL OF LIFE.
All indigenous cultures KNOW this and this is why those vibrant communities (when healthy +healed) place so much importance on storytelling, poetry, dance, singing, and art.
This lesson has been largely forgotten in our capitalism centered culture. “Can you make money by dancing or telling stories?”, our culture asks? If not, many of us have been taught to consider it unimportant.
But don’t be fooled. Self-expression is essential.
In the month of February, a bunch of us committed to creating daily. I did a heart-opening project with Alice, my spirit helper (who is an elephant) and it fulfilled my need for deeper spiritual connection, more beauty and more comfort.
(see below- art I made from the 30 lessons that
Alice offered me to help me open my heart)
It was so beautiful to witness all of the projects! So much so that we are going to do it again in April. You can learn more at the link below.
BEAM: A 30 day Mini Creative Soul Retrieval
I’m thinking that it could be so good, for me, to create a project that aims to lovingly RESIST this hate-fueled + hostile government takeover.
We will see.
2. Quote About Mothers That Made Me Go YESSSS! Heather Havrilesky is one of my favorite memoirsts! This is from her substack.
“A mother need not form words and say them out loud. A mother can simply observe and you will discover yourself bathing in her mindwaves without warning. You will walk through a room swiftly and these mindwaves will stick to your clothing like stray bits of lint floating through the air. This sometimes makes it cognitively unpleasant to have your mother within 100 feet of your person at any time during the day when you might, say, want to do something vital and important like eat two to four Cadbury Crème Eggs while playing Wingspan on your phone for several hours straight.”
My own momma had that power and I try to remember that maybe I do too in my kids’ lives (ha!) I miss her so much! Her substack is called ASK MOLLY
3. It’s Not Easy Witnessing a Fascist Takeover: Many people, including me, need an occasional pep talk. If you need a Pep-talk from a kindergartner call this number. I did.
(707) 873-7862
4. Will You Say YES to The Greatest Challenge?
This, my dear
is the greatest challenge
to being alive.
To witness injustice in the world
and not allow it to consume our light.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
Apparently this may be a mashup of Rumi and Thicht but the idea is the same)
I’ve been giving lots of thought to this. How do we keep our own lights burning brightly as we bear witness, attend protests, grieve the continuous stream of hatred and manipulation, and tend to our own hearts and those of others who are hurting?
What saved my bacon this week was:
1. Going for a walk and listening to Tara Brach speak about compassion.
2. Talking to my sister on the phone.
3. Asking my daughter to help me select fun music for our protest REEL I was making. A mini-collaboration. She was excited to see it got lots of views at tiktok:)
4. Celebrating the success of a event I helped organize with my fellow organizers- we all had our fears and concerns and it went so well.
5. Leaving short audio messages of appreciation + gratitude for several people I adore.
6. Buying some nice japanese sweet potatoes and a warm burrito for myself at the Co-op.
7. Letting myself sob and cry outloud (REALLY LOUD!) for a while in my bed after watching a clip of the State of the Union address where 1/2 the room gave a standing ovation when erasure of a whole class of beings, TRANS people, was announced. A call for genocide is celebrated? My heart broke. and I let myself feel all that. Good job me.
8. Visiting Alice and friends via drum to ask for healing and wisdom regularly.
I know I am not the only one feeling grief, outrage and (sometimes) hopelessness….we are not alone.
Love WILL WIN! We just need time. Keep showing up for what’s right.
Keep loving + caring for the vulnerable ones! Let’s gooooooooo!
Protest. Write. Call. Boycott. Make ART.
There are so many things you can do.
(((((And rest and play to restore. )))))
For a wee shot in the arm , CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW to see at all the wonderful people showing up to fight for kindness, decency and justice.
5. BEST Instructions on How to Save Yourself.
“Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life.”
~MARTHA POSTLEWAITE
\
To create this clearing you might need to claim a table or an hour in the morning….a weekend?
Especially now when the forest is so dense- it’s hard to remember what matters most.
In the clearing you will remember.
If you’d like a personal beastie for some help visit the link below and take a shamanic journey guided by me. Your core beastie awaits you!
https://followyourfeelgood.com/discover-your-core-beastie/
I am here to support you! You can learn how to work with me and book here.
I have now opened up some more Tuesdays! .
with much love,
Sarah
P.S. This newsletter is reader supported! I typed this while sitting in sunroom with a coffee from my local cafe (I am no longer going to Starbucks)…supporting LOCAL tastes better. MUCH better.
P.S.S. Minnesota FRIENDS!
The Ely Film Festival is coming up in March and I will be teaching a free class!
If you’ll be in or near Ely, Minnesota please come or share with a friend in or near Ely:). It’s free!
Saturday March 15th 11:00 @ely folk school! RSVP HERE at their facebook event and please share!
I will be teaching (as part of the @elyfilmfest)
A Creative Soul Retrieval
Self-expression is an important component to our vitality. Creative practice restores our well being. Together we will endeavor to connect with our own souls to retrieve something important and bring it to life.
“In many shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions: “When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?”
-Gabrielle Roth
You will learn a simple technique for soul-retrieving self expression that is restorative and healing.
You will spend time in creative community weaving your connection to the whole.
Its FREE
RSVP HERE at their facebook event and please share!
P.S. our documentary directed by @duluthcreative.co and @asherjames.co will be shown on same day in Ely in late afternoon!
Please join me at the Minnesota Film Festival in Duluth, MN!!
Our documentary , “Follow Your Feel Good” is set to screen on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 7:00PM, at The Depot,
AND on Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 1:30PM, in Zinema 2, as part of the Our Stories shorts program.
Get tickets here: https://zeitgeistarts.com/mff/
Will you be in or around Bayfield, Wisconsisn in April?
Come for a short 8 minute documentary, a book signing and a discussion about BOUNDARIES! I’ll be in Bayfield, WI at Honest Dog Books- doors open at 6 pm- starts at 7 pm! TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE HERE.
The best ways to support me are to:
1. Order your own copy of my NEW BOUNDARIES WORKBOOK! (or GIFT ONE!)
2.Order my “How Good Are You Willing to Let it Get?” CARD DECK today.
3. Invest in yourself with a 1:1 session of coaching or shamanic healing.
4. DOWNLOAD my APP for IOS for Divine Wild BEASTIE Support!
5. BUY ONE OF MY (SOON TO BE) 7 BOOKS OR Listen to them at Audible
6. Leave a brief review for any of my books at Amazon or Goodreads.
7. Purchase a print, mug, t-shirt, framed print, tote bag, shower curtain or other magical thing that I’ve created at MY ART SHOP.
8.Purchase an original painting from me that will support you in your home.
9. FORWARD this newsletter to somebody who you know would enjoy it!
