Introduction
Have you ever witnessed a murmuration of birds, moving together in breathtaking synchronicity? Each individual bird navigates their own path, but together, they create a collective movement that shifts the very current of the sky. In many ways, this is the essence of systems change – countless unique beings finding alignment to transform the spaces they inhabit.
As conscious individuals working within unconscious systems, many of us find ourselves grappling with the complexities of navigating change from the inside. We feel the weight of awareness, the tug of resistance, and the yearning for a more liberated existence. How do we root into our deepest truth, while still operating in spaces that are not yet ready to embrace it? How do we honor our identities and callings within institutions built upon their suppression?
This exploration requires a radical redefinition of what it means to create change. It invites us to embrace the personal as political, and to recognize that our most potent activism may be in our moment-to-moment existence. As adrienne maree brown writes, "How we are at the small scale is how we are at the large scale," (brown, 2017). By cultivating a practice of authentic, intentional presence, we begin to shift the very DNA of the systems we exist within.
The Weight of Awareness
For those who have awakened to the unsustainability and oppression embedded in our current paradigms, moving through the world with this awareness can feel like a heavy burden. We may find ourselves in spaces of privilege and power, grappling with the cognitive dissonance of knowing these systems must change, while still operating within them to survive.
Whether you're a teacher recognizing the colonialism embedded in educational standards, a designer seeing the unsustainable practices in your industry, or a therapist feeling the weight of intergenerational trauma in the lived experiences of your clients – this tension is a near universal experience for conscious individuals in unconscious systems.
Know that you are not alone in this. The very fact that you are feeling this friction is a sign that you are in alignment with a larger movement towards collective liberation. The emotional labor of holding this awareness is valid, and a vital form of activism in and of itself.
Redefining Radical Action
In a culture obsessed with external measurables and productivity, it's easy to feel like our activism must be big, loud, and quantifiable to create meaningful change. But what if our most radical action is simply in showing up authentically, in all the spaces we inhabit?
Radical presence means embracing your full truth in each moment, and allowing that truth to permeate the spaces you occupy. It's choosing courage over comfort, vulnerability over performativity. It's letting your existence be an act of resistance.
Every time we choose to speak up against a harmful comment, practice a more regenerative way of being, or simply embody our story in a space not designed for us – we are part of a larger movement towards liberation. As Tricia Hersey writes, "Rest is resistance" (Hersey, 2022). Our every act of nourishment, of slowing down, of feeling pleasure in our bodies – is revolutionary in systems designed for our disconnection.
Small actions, when practiced with intention and consistency, have ripple effects far beyond what we can imagine. A teacher choosing to center Indigenous voices in a classroom, a policymaker advocating for trauma-informed practices, an artist creating from a place of cultural reverence – each act is a small shift in the tides of change.
Finding Your Node
As interconnected individuals within larger systems, we each have a unique role to play in the Great Turning (Macy, 2009). Our identity, positionality, and social location informs the ways we can leverage our power to create change.
Some of us may be the healers, tending to the collective trauma stored within our cultural and familial lineages. Some may be the visionaries, dreaming up new possibilities for how we relate to ourselves, each other, and the Earth. Others may be the bridge-builders, compassionately guiding others in their own journey of unlearning and reimagining.
We can look to the wisdom of our ancestors, who have navigated oppressive systems with creativity and resilience for generations. From the Indigenous leaders who protected their cultural practices in the face of violent colonial erasure, to the Black scholars who subverted racist academic paradigms to preserve their ancestral knowledge – we each hold legacies of resistance in our blood.
The question becomes – how will you radicalize your little corner of the world? What medicine do you carry, that is needed to help midwife the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible?
Practical Tools
Embodying radical presence is a daily practice, one that requires compassion, discernment, and a deep commitment to self-trust. It can feel vulnerable, disorienting, and at times lonely – particularly in spaces that are not designed to support our full truth.
In these moments, anchoring into the body as a resource is vital. Somatic practices like breathwork, meditation, and mindful movement can help regulate our nervous system amidst stress and open our capacity for intentional action. We can lean on our relationships with the Earth, ancestral practices, and anything else that helps remind us of who we are and what we stand for.
Discernment is also key. There may be times when protecting our energy means choosing not to engage, or allowing others to take the lead. Remember that rest and replenishment are crucial to sustainability – we cannot serve from an empty cup. When we do choose to use our voice, may we root in truth and compassion.
And always, may we return to the knowing that our existence has impact – our presence in each space is shifting something, whether we can see it immediately or not. When the path feels unclear, may we draw strength from the collective. Like a murmuration of birds, we are each contributing to a larger movement of change.
Conclusion
As we navigate the complexities of being a conscious, compassionate individual in unconscious, harmful systems – let us hold faith in the power of authentic presence. Our greatest activism is in choosing radical self-love in each moment. To heal ourselves is to heal the world.
The journey of collective liberation requires each of us to find our place in the larger murmuration. To trust the wisdom within us, and allow our existence to be an act of sacred resistance. With each small, intentional action, we carve out space for a more authentic, life-honoring way of being.
This is an invitation for each of us to embrace our identity, trust our truth, and allow our presence to permeate. To recognize that we are part of a larger movement, guided by the wisdom of those who came before us and the visions of those still to come. May we find solace in community, and trust in our unique medicine.
Let us remember that shifts begin within, and ripple out – each of us an integral part of the whole. From this place of radical presence, we begin to reimagine our systems from the inside out. One authentic breath, one courageous conversation, one nourishing act of rest at a time – we are collectively midwifing the world we know is possible.
References
brown, a. m. (2017). Emergent strategy: Shaping change, changing worlds. AK Press.
FOX Weather. (2022, November 4). _Nature's mystery: Watch the hypnotic dance of a starling murmuration_ [Video]. YouTube. [https://youtu.be/X0sE10zUYyY?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/X0sE10zUYyY?feature=shared)
Hersey, T. (2022). Rest is resistance: A manifesto. Little, Brown Spark.
Macy, J. (2009). The Great Turning. Center for Ecoliteracy. https://www.ecoliteracy.org/article/great-turning
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