Rethink Basic Ideologies
It was a fantastic week.
Deacon finished his sophomore year at Coronado and will go to Nevada State High School next year. This is a distance learning school that enables him to earn college credits. He has claimed multiple times he is done with the social side of high school and really does not want to wake up at 6:30 a.m. anymore. This way he can focus on volleyball more with his new traveling team and trainer. Deac pulled excellent grades this year despite the plethora of absences he had. I finally wrote a note to the school "We are aware of all of Deacon's absences and excuse them all."
The educational system has issues. As I said about being Valedictorian of my graduating class despite have 60+ absences, "if this system does not require me to be here to be the top of the class, why would I show up?" The same held true for law school. After the first year you could pick the professors that did not require you to sign in on an attendance sheet each class and show up for the final exam. I did solely my last semester when I was pregnant with Deacon and had moved to St. George. I showed up at final exams and my classmates asked, "Wait. What? You were in this class?" So, basically Deacon is starting college this coming year.
Deven has moved back home from Los Angeles. He is grateful for the experience, but also happy to be back with his group of friends, his brothers and his town. Upon learning that Dev was coming home Ezra exclaimed, "What?! Dev is back home? Deven just makes everything better when he is around." That kid also said today, "We are best friends. Just one is college age and one is 9. And we both like cats." I agree, things are better when Deven is around.
Deven's interest in gaming has exposed him to the laws of quantum physics and esoteric principles that makes him a critical thinker and engaging human to talk with. He is a person I feel I can talk with and actually learn from regarding such liminal ideas. He has taken the time and put in the effort to connect meaningfully with Andrew and I individually regarding the changes our family has gone through and the metaphysical drivers of such change.
Yesterday Dev turned 22. We closed the day with a car drive discussing the veil of illusions and societal constructs humans live in. After years of being raised by parents who had not yet seen through these illusions he has lingering layers from how we navigated the complexities of our illusions as we had yet to uncover our authentic selves. As Andrew and I have peeled back the layers and explored alternative ideologies...we have to reteach our children a lot. We have had to apologize profoundly to our three older children for the dogmas we inflicted on them and the pain that caused all of us. Now we have an opportunity to delve into the ideologies that empower them to be people who are living their soul's purpose as opposed to an assigned purpose.
We did give our kids a lot of freedom to be themselves, have the friends they want, dress how they want, and pursue their passions, but there was always an underlying reliance on a power outside of them from these illusions that colored the way we parented. Religion and society does not emphasize the importance of direct personal experience and gnosis as a means to awaken our true spiritual nature and liberate ourselves from the illusions that bind us. In the context of raising children, Gnostic or Native American ideologies provide a compass to navigate through the illusions if one needs any guidance. Or the Transcendental poets have lovely guidance as well, but ultimately it comes from within oneself.
While religion can serve as a source of guidance and community, it often imposes rigid belief systems that restrict personal exploration, especially high demand religions. I now invite my children to transcend religious and societal boundaries and access the divine within themselves. Said Rumi:
"Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot./Seek the path that demands your whole being."
Embark on a personal journey of self discovery using critical thinking and discernment. Question the illusions perpetuated by those in power with the virtue of courage. Like Whitman said, overthrow the teacher. Challenge the status quo.
I want them to recognize the interconnectedness of the mind, body and spirit, emphasizing holistic well-being. Doctors are part of the status quo. Challenge the health care system and explore alternative therapies, medicines and view their bodies as vessels of divine expression. Why are you experiencing this symptom? What is your body telling you somatically? The poet and essayist Audre Lorde (I love her) emphasized this holistic perspective:
"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
Prioritizing our well-being and seeking healing on all levels is not merely a personal endeavor but a radical act of resistance against the limitations imposed by traditional institutions including medicine.
Government, race and gender have to be questioned. Alternative realities have to be in the perimeters of possibility. Is there such a thing as parallel dimensions? Can one be a seer in this age as there were documented seers in history? I have seen things and known things before they happened. That is my reality. Deven says he has experienced that as well. So, it is lovely having him around to chat with in between the daily living of the volleyball games, the little's shenanigans, the dogs, his new cat and all the that goes on in our family.
The two littles both had their end of year plays that will wrap up their time in formal education. For now.
It does feel so good to be alive Everett.
Ezra stepped in for a friend who didn't show up...memorized the whole scene. Genius.
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