This charming mythological creature was one of several decorating the wall of a child’s room in Pompeii, the Italian city that was buried in volcanic ash almost two thousand years ago. While the amazingly well-preserved ruins are full of all sorts of marvels, when I visited last year the poignancy of this little painted image really stuck with me. I also paint animals on my children’s bedroom walls. I felt a deep connection across the millennia to those ancient parents.

I have been thinking about some of the lessons of Pompeii lately. About what can disappear in an instant and what might persist long after we’re gone. About the legacies we leave as individuals, as communities, as cultures. Sometimes these questions feel abstract and sometimes very close to home.

In my previous post about training with Anodea Judith, I didn’t mention that we were right outside of Asheville, North Carolina. It was my first time visiting that enchanting area. At the retreat center, I spent the week sleeping in what they called a “yome,” a kind of yurt/tent/geodesic dome combo. I called it my Home Sweet Yome. A few days later, Hurricane Helene passed through, demolishing the yome and homes and neighborhoods and livelihoods and lives throughout the region.

The sudden destruction of a place I had just been, and which I held with such fondness, was a new experience for me. This is more and more a rarefied privilege on this planet, where environmental and man-made threats loom for so many, and any assumptions about stability, let alone permanence, are being challenged to an alarming degree.

How can we stay positive, flexible, and resilient in the face of existential threats? We need to be able to bend and sway with the forces of change to sustain access to our own power and agency. I often turn to a particular meditative practice that helps ground my energy in impermanence. It encourages focus and softness and reminds me on a deep level that life is about change. I invite you to give it a try! Details below. I also share some quick calming and centering techniques in a previous post here.

Of course the primary context of this newsletter is the upcoming US election. I’m offering an online energetic reset session for anyone who could use some extra support on Monday, November 4, 8-9PM EST, in addition to my regular monthly group which will be on Thursday, November 14 at 8PM EST. We will generate some calm, nourishing stillness to sustain our bodies, minds, and spirits through whatever changes may lie ahead. Hope to see you there!

Grounding into Impermanence: Sa-Ta-Na-Ma

The “Kirtan Kriya” meditative practice is from the Kundalini Yoga tradition. I think of it as the "this too shall pass" practice. It's a mantra (chant) and a mudra (hand movement) sequence designed to stimulate different nerve endings and polarities in the body. You don’t have to “believe” in anything in particular to benefit, although it’s always helpful to keep an open mind.

While it’s a simple practice, it takes a bit of explaining. I like how this practitioner describes and then demonstrates the practice. Here's a written explanation. And here's a shorter 6 minute version to follow along with, once you have the hang of it.

I think it’s useful to know and understand the full expression of the practice, and I also think it’s okay to take what resonates and leave the rest. I have often used just the hand movements and silent chanting when I’m trying to “get through” a challenging situation, for example when in labor with my sons. Make it your own!