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What comes to mind when you think of the energy behind "rebellion"?
Battle? Protest?
Or maybe memories of your sweet little toddler, who is no longer a toddler but a sassy teenager who insists on disagreeing with every...thing...you...say... with an annoyed tone, while throwing in an eye roll and a quick, deep exhale to boot.
As I move through this stage of my life - my 40's - it's almost as if I am repeating previous life stages. Let me explain.
My life has been going through an overhaul since my early 40's. I stopped dying my hair after 20 years. I left the corporate world & the security of a nice salary, became a grandmother, experienced soul liberating connections with Nature and Sound. I created a small business that is Earth & Soul centered while trying to uncover a new way of doing business that is in alignment with my principles.
It's been a continual process of shedding, growing and repeating.
There are points in this journey where I've felt like crumbling into Gaia's arms like a little girl, wondering what direction to take.
And points where I've felt so confident and sure that nothing can stop me, like a young adult.
Lately, I've been experiencing this deep need to rebel - like a teenager (minus the eye rolls and sighs - but I do get a tone from time to time!).
To rebel against the modus operandi of society.
One that promotes, encourages and depends on disconnection for it's survival, through its very structure.
Disconnection from Self.
From Each Other.
From the Divine.
From our Body.
From Nature.
From Love.
We can fall into a default mode that often looks like this:
We are away from our family 8-10 hours a day, most days. When we do get home, we are often mentally and emotionally exhausted, stressed and tired so our presence really isn't present.
When the weekend finally arrives, it's time to catch up on all the household duties that piled up during the week.
We find ourselves in a loop of overdoing in an attempt to balance everything, but really, we never find balance in this place.
It's simply a mirage that we chase.
We book our kids schedule full of activities because unconsciously we feel they will "fall behind" their peers, or we over compensate to be sure they have opportunities/material items that we didn't have, or to make up for the time we can't spend with them. Leaving them wanting more, because the true need isn't filled.
Societal pressure to compete and guilt.
Most kids know the names of more video game characters than names of trees & plants growing in their yard, let alone the medicine and wisdom they hold.
Disconnection from Nature.
We pass by each other at the market with barely a glance, let alone a smile or hello.
Disconnection from each other.
Our mind is so busy with anxiety/stress/worry/survival, that it isn't even a thought to connect with our body and listen to what it is telling us.
Disconnection from our bodies and the intelligence it offers to us.
Or what our soul is longing to say; what could be found in the depths waiting for us to bring to life.
Disconnection from the Divine, from the sacred, from the Heart.
And so....I've been rebelling. Quietly.
What does this look like for me? I make time to sit with my soul, and listen. I say no, when I used to say yes. I guard my time and energy. I am selective in what news & media I consume. We homeschool our youngest two. We support organic farms that honor Earth through our food purchases as much as we are able. I am more aware of what my body is telling me, and actually listen when it asks to slow down. I try to live as close to Nature's rhythms and the wonders that rest within that space, and raise my kids to do the same.
I build a life around what is healthy for me and my family vs what is the norm.
I create space for simple.
Surely, it will look different for you. Each rebellion comes from a different place. A different soul. A different life and different dreams.
But, I think it starts the same for everyone. A single choice. A choice to be still. Heeding the pull to something else. Not more, but different. To begin to deeply nourish yourself. Truly, it starts with loving you.
Rebelling doesn't have to be some sort of fight.
It can exist in the quiet moments of your peace.
Asking ourselves - and listening to - what is tugging at your heart? What isn't working in your life, and what small, easy choices can we make to start towards something different?
Life can be hard. I know. My rose colored glasses broke a long time ago, and I'm still working on all of this too. But let's consider that perhaps why it's so hard is because everything is structured to make it hard, through disconnection. At it's root, disconnection breeds pain & struggle.
It's up to us to create something new. To create the connection. To create the ease in which we can be. So our kids and grandkids can know something different.
To move from disconnect to true connection starts with making a decision for different.
To weave a more beautiful society, requires all of us singing our own soul song.
And we must rebel to find it.
Rise up, my Friend.
In coherence,
Ranee
P.S. Please drop a like or comment below if this resonated with you!
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