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This week’s theme. Between Worlds (also the name of one of our favorite tarot card decks…see below), seems to capture this moment perfectly. Over the last few years I have felt stuck in a perpetual state of change; never quite leaving or arriving anywhere. I thought this state was temporary, a moment to move through and beyond. But I realize now that that the discomfort of this transition and those to come IS the work.
To be “in between" is to be connected to where we are coming from and where we are going. It is to exist in the constant state of change, to navigate the discomfort of doing something different, and to embrace the unknown and uncertain future ahead.
None of this is simple or easy of course. There is so much still in our timeline to be healed and repaired so that we can build a future that we all deserve. And perhaps to be alive in these times is to take up this assignment; to assume our right roles and responsibilities in midwifing a new world into being. I’m reminded of the words of Arundhati Roy:
Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.
As we walk together in these times, wishing you peace and love between worlds.
Kerri (she/her)
Art by @workingfamilies
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Politicians on both sides of the aisle spent the midterms telling us that more police and prisons will make us safer. Voters didn’t bite—and perhaps they know better. The US is crime sick and healthcare is the cure.
There is a prevailing narrative about crime that positions bad people as the problem and toughness — in the form of police and prisons — as the solution. It’s not. The root cause of violent crime is not what we think it is.
NYC mayor calls his new involuntary hospitalization order a “moral mandate” to “deliver for our most vulnerable.” What the policy actually delivers is an era akin to the age of the asylum.
“There are no greater experts on realities of American health-care system than many sick people who go to battle every day w/ apparatus that may withhold or remit life-saving drugs & services.” Why capitalism needs sick people.
"When I see both the impact of ancestral and elder organizing, and the impact of our organizing and culture-shifting, it makes me feel even more accountable for what comes next." adrienne maree brown on accountable endings.
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You never know what someone is going through. Mental health struggles don’t have a “look”. They can look like “everything is fine”, high functioning, happy, successful, generous, caring, etc.
What to do if you’re concerned about a loved one? Check up on them. Make time to listen. Tell them they are loved. Remind them that they matter. Have resources at the ready.
If you are the one struggling, it’s ok to ask for help. Let folks know you’re hurting. That you’re in pain. Life’s tough. But please let folks help you through it. Call or text 988 for support.
And remember that you’re not the problem. “Suffering of the mind, body and spirit is a completely understandable response to a traumatising world at any given time” says Dr Sanah Ahsan.
Get political. There’s only so much self care you can do amidst structural violence and injustice. At the root of our mental health struggles is often the need for systemic and structural conditions of care; things like housing, healthcare, access to healthy food and air. Estoy Aqui addresses Suicide and Mental Health by examining the underlying social, cultural, and structural issues that affect our well-being.
Take care of yourself and one another. 💛
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Between Worlds is an inquiry into what it means to be human — a template to pursue both the known and the mysterious. The Between Worlds deck, structure, and design was conceived of and worked on by Ryan LeMere who has been a part of the CTZNWELL dream team for many years. Ryan is an NYC-based, artist, designer, creative director, and educator. His work is guided by questions around culture, ancestry, and material design. Combining powerful archetypes, intuitive wisdom, and the poetry of the birds, Ryan invites us to pursue both the known and the mysterious, so that we can learn to sit between worlds - bolstered by the wisdom at our backs and ready and resilient for an emerging future. This oracular deck is a must have for this moment.
Art by Ryan LeMere
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Love this reminder from @thesmiletiles
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CTZNWELL is community powered and crowd-sourced. That’s how we keep it real. Please consider joining us on Patreon for as little as $2/month so that we can keep doing the work of creating content that matters for CTZNs who care.
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