Alaafia Friends,

Happy almost summer to those of us rooted in the Northern Hemisphere. I've been delighting in the sweetness of spring, rain clouds included. 

My spring has unfolded with countless trips to the library with my kiddos, in-person connections with beloveds, receiving bodywork, dreaming about future collaborations, attending Shabbat dinners, speaking about ancestral connections to UNC students, decorating my grandma's grave, mowing my momma's grass and tending to many seedlings, as well as our furry and feathered companions. This spring has been slow, savory, and satisfying. Despite the conditions of the external world, I've found myself inspired and feeling the sweet flames of aliveness radiating throughout my being. 

Early in the season, I found myself captivated by a sentence written during one of my morning pages practice. [Side note: If you've never heard of morning pages, this is a daily creative writing practice created by Julia Cameron. If you're curious, google it, it's a great practice to engage.] The words in my notebook that caught my attention were, "Build up and rest in the interiority of your life." Deep down, these words stirred something profound and covered me like a second skin. As I continue to sit with these words, especially in the context of our current and unfolding realities, they feel like a mantra and manifesto of resistance and connection. 

These words feel like medicine for our times, gifting us an approach to navigating the world as it changes, becomes unrecognizable, and feels increasingly hostile. They galvanize us to welcome connections and relationships that mirror our humanity back to us, to root even more deeply in community, and to nourish our inner spaces of refuge so that we may continue to engage with the world around us and love each other through it all. 

Before I close, I'll share a bit more of what came through in my writing practice related to the interiority of our lives:

 “The interior spaces of our lives are not the endeavors of the solo architect; they are the sanctuaries of refuge built and sustained through community, kith, and kin. When we turn our attention to building up and resting in these spaces, we will find the spirits of our beloveds, living, and ancestors companioning us here. Building up and resting in the interiority of our lives is a practice of radical self-love and resistance. Community and relationships are the sacraments that nourish, enrich, enliven, and enable these interior spaces. The existence of these spaces is essential to our collective liberation.”

 I hope what I've shared today inspires you to examine with curiosity your understanding and praxis for building up and resting in the interiority of your life. May the conscious tending of your interior spaces help move us in the direction of liberation for all.

Happy Almost Summer,

Tamira