Everybody keeps telling you "DO. THE. WORK." but what does that mean? For me, it's shorthand for "Know Thyself."  If you find you're dragging your feet to the self-awareness table it's probably because deep down you're afraid you might find something dark and ugly you aren't ready to identify with. Welcome to the club:)  I think the reason we BIPOC get fired up as we’re urging Allies to do their work is because we've had to get a lot more familiar with our shadows and darkness due to the way our history books, media and news is written. It’s always our fault, we’re always the bad guy, we can’t seem to measure up. Constant alignment with our shadows has meant that we’ve been able to integrate them more readily. This has been tiring work though, we’d like to rest and enjoy the beauty of Ourselves for a spell, balance, enjoy each Other without rebuke... When we say, Do The Work, we're saying, get uncomfortable. Join us in the uncomfortability of self exploration. That's true allyship. A wonderful place to begin your exploration is by cultivating a connection to your ancestors. Somewhere along the way, being American meant leaving behind the traditions and cultures of our ancestors and adopting capitalism, consumerism and general whiteness as a substitute. NOT A FAIR TRADE. We can do better, we all have much richer stories and lineages than the empty, soulless, divisive narratives we've been sold. And the cool thing about discovering your shadows is that eventually you'll learn how to accept those parts of yourself. This process is also called learning to love yourself unconditionally. When you can appreciate the COMPLETE picture of You, it radiates out and encourages others to do the same. It also gives you the freedom and space to explore the awesome things about yourself, unabashedly and with healthy pride. That's healing, that's doing the work:) 

#ancestralhealing #blackhealers #equalitynow #blacklivesmatter #medicinewomen #bridgework #dothework