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hope

Wailing with the Wind: On Disrupting Work During the Pandemic

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Higher Education By Beth Godbee April 10, 2020 1 Comment

This photo shows scattered papers (page proofs) across a wooden floor in a bedroom—with a colorful bedspread, pillows, blanket, sweater, plant, air purifier, bedside table, books, window, and white walls all part of the scene.

It’s windy today—the sort of wind that announces springtime. The sort of wind that lulls and gusts. The sort of wind that howls and rattles windows. The sort of wind that whips through rooms, scattering papers. As it has here: The wind has scattered page proofs that I’ve been pushing myself to review, responding to an email that came out of the blue, asking for proofs to be returned in under a week. On the one hand, these proofs represent good news: a chapter written ... Read more ...

Words Cast Spells: Spell-Casting for 2020 to Experience Grief, Temperance, and Abundance

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 5, 2020 Leave a Comment

This image invokes the idea of spell-casting with smoke and light swirling upwards from an open book. “Words Cast Spells” is written above this image, which is framed with rows of candles and a black background.

Though the new year marks a time for review and renewal, it’s often a few weeks into the year before I’m ready to set new goals via the contemplative practice of spell-casting. It’s as though I have to get out of the turbulent holiday season and new year energy before I’m ready to engage the magic of habit formation. This year (like the past couple) I’m returning to the practice of writing spells (like mantras, poems, or intentions) that I’ve learned through adrienne ... Read more ...

Q&A with Mel Meder: Why Support generative somatics

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism, Interviews, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee December 3, 2019 Leave a Comment

Photo of three generative somatics students in jo practice. Used with permission of gs.

In this Q&A post, we learn from Mel Meder about the importance and possibilities of generative somatics—a deeply embodied practice and theory for creating transformative change. I met Mel several years ago through a mutual friend in Madison, Wisconsin, and I’ve since been learning from Mel about the work of fundraising for organizations that we deeply care about and want to support. generative somatics is one of those organizations, which is why we’re highlighting ... Read more ...

3 Reasons to Participate in the 40-Day Practice on Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee November 20, 2019 Leave a Comment

Referral from Mel (participant from Pennsylvania): “The experience taught me a lot about what it takes to actively practice anti-racism.”

Starting on November 22nd and running for the final 40 days of 2019, I’m offering the “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility.” Every time I offer this practice (this will be my third and second online), I get a lot of questions, including what this work involves, why it asks for a commitment of 40 days, and why it focuses on emotions. Though I hope the course description answers many of these questions—and I’m happy to answer ... Read more ...

Turning 40 with the Gift of 40 Miles: Why I’m Taking Myself on Walks This Month

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee May 8, 2019 1 Comment

Here a teal-blue hiking backpack (lighter day-pack with thermos visible) sits against a stone bench.

May is both my birth month and a time of transition (when the school year ends and summer begins). For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked forward to May and its potential for renewal. This year I’m celebrating my 40th birthday and wanting to mark the occasion with extended time on trails. Specifically, I’m setting a goal to hike 40 miles on my own this month: miles that I’ll walk toward understanding how to be independent within interdependence. Why This ... Read more ...

Lessons from a Poinsettia: Growing Resilience in 40 Days and Beyond

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee February 24, 2019 Leave a Comment

This poinsettia with pink and fuchsia blooms and green leaves sits against a white wall and white counter-top.

This poinsettia is amazing me—still blooming in these last days of February and reminding me that resilience (emotional elasticity, stamina, and strength) is something we don't often recognize until it’s already present and in place. When I googled how long poinsettias bloom, I was (and wasn’t) surprised to see that 40 days are a common period. The information not only confirms this poinsettia’s resilience (blooming for 3+ months), but it also feels like the ... Read more ...

Learning from and Healing Scars, Both Personal and Collective

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image shares the quote: “Collectively, our bodies are scarred (and scared).” against a background of footprints in sand.

Over the past year, my body has experienced a few physical injuries, including a concussion from falling last January and a cut from stepping on a broken bowl back in August. The fall left both knees badly scraped and bruised so that scars are still visible on the surface. The puncture in my foot has involved months of getting ceramic out—piece by piece—and an MRI now confirms that “only scar tissue remains.” That scar tissue isn’t visible like the scars on my knees, ... Read more ...

Welcome to the New Website

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee December 17, 2018 2 Comments

This colorful announcement reads, "celebrating HAPPY 100! 100 blog posts @ heart-head-hands.com" with confetti and streamers. The colors are purple, yellow, white, and bright pink.

For this 100th blog post, I’m excited to share a new, hopefully more robust and accessible website. For the past few weeks, I’ve been building this new version of Heart-Head-Hands.com, a blog with storytelling, resources, and e-courses focused on feeling, thinking, and doing—that is, everyday living—for justice. It’s taken me longer than expected, but the site has come together with the help of good friends and a good web designer (many thanks to Steel Wagstaff!). Today ... Read more ...

Loving to Read Again

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Higher Education By Beth Godbee October 4, 2018 5 Comments

Compilation of book covers showing what I'm reading now: Rankine's Citizen, Gay's Hunger, Reynold's Long Way Down, Grahl's Running Down a Dream, and Nelson's A Wreath for Emmett Till.

During graduate school, there were many weeks of being so overloaded by assigned reading that I couldn’t do it all and felt constantly behind. I recognized that the goal was to learn to skim and to put my hands on more and more research, even if I couldn’t savor many pieces. The trouble was that the more I couldn’t savor what I was reading, the more I associated reading itself with feelings of being overwhelmed and behind. When I shared with a mentor how stressful ... Read more ...

Blessed Change

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies By Beth Godbee September 28, 2018 1 Comment

This card from Doreen Virtue’s “Magical Mermaids and Dolphins” oracle deck says “Blessed Change” in large letters at the top. An image appears below these letters and in the card’s center showing a mermaid floating upside down among seaweed, coral, and shells. At the card’s bottom appears the message: “A major life change brings you great blessings.”

What does it mean to turn our lives upside down? How might looking at the world differently inspire new perspectives? What new perspectives are needed to enact more equitable relations? In recent weeks, I’ve been pulling this “Blessed Change” card whenever using Doreen Virtue’s “Marginal Mermaids and Dolphins” oracle deck as part of everyday divination, a meditation practice for grounding and interpreting lived experience. I started pulling divination or oracle ... Read more ...

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bethgodbee

I’m really excited about @soulsupportlc and hope I’m really excited about @soulsupportlc and hope you’ll check out David (@dgs425)’s coaching support. 💗 See you at the launch?

#Repost @ericdarnellpritchard with @make_repost
・・・
Congratulations, David! 💜😭✨🌻🎉💃🏿💕 Today my beloved announced that he has decided to leave his position as a tenure-track faculty member in order to create more space to serve his purpose as a healer. Doing so, he has formally launched his life coaching practice, @soulsupportlc. I say formally because David has been a life coach to me and many of our kindred for a very long time. I am so glad he has chosen to share his gifts and serve his purpose more widely. Please follow his work at @soulsupportlc AND if your time permits, please register and attend the Soul Support Life Coaching virtual launch on June 30. Link in my bio!
vacation mode = cloud watching [Photo is taken l vacation mode = cloud watching 

[Photo is taken looking up at trees, clouds, and blue sky.]

#learningfromnature #cloudwatching #lookingup #trees #sky
I'm starting some time off for hiking and visiting I'm starting some time off for hiking and visiting family this week. And here's a photo of me at a North Carolina welcome center, high in the Appalachian Mountains, standing before a wall of blooming rhododendrons. I'm tired from all-day driving, but so happy to be deep in the mountains and surrounded by blues, greens, and even pinks! <3

#appalachianmountains #rhodadendron #blueridgemountains #home
Today’s newsletter points in multiple directions Today’s newsletter points in multiple directions, much like this turkey tail mushroom. (I love the striations of copper, cream, and olive green on these curly tails.)
 
Here’s a link to the newsletter on tending to brokenheartedness and burnout: https://mailchi.mp/99bd4ad2e962/burnout --> link in bio, too.
 
And if you aren’t receiving my newsletter but would like to, there’s a link to subscribe at the email’s end (just scroll to the bottom).
 
#LearningFromNature #HeartHeadHands #newsletter #brokenheartedness #burnout #resources
🧡🧡🧡 This touches my heart. Grounding and 🧡🧡🧡 This touches my heart. Grounding and guiding.

#Repost @yallaroza with @make_repost
・・・
The first person to show me the power of bearing witness was Helen, my first year Women and Gender Studies professor. Helen was a fierce feminist whose lectures felt more like prose, poetic and passionate. She made me want to take a hammer to patriarchy, and I loved it. 

With Helen, I felt safe enough to say the things I could barely articulate to myself. To name my wounds, to language hard truths, to let someone else in on my hurt. And with Helen, I felt held in those lived and living realities. There were no therapeutic interventions, no life adages, no solutions. There was simply a human being listening, honouring and affirming my experiences of misogyny, racism and sexual violence.

Years later, I forgot this wisdom. I went through therapeutic training(s) that, over time, left me feeling like that wasn't enough. That listening, and presence, and holding space for hurt wasn't enough. And in many aspects of life, I started to feel like I always needed a brilliant intervention that would offer an "aha moment." 

This week, I was reminded in many ways of the power of being present, of listening, of bearing witness. That you don't always need to have the answers, or offer your critical feminist thinking on a topic. You don't always need to have a solution, or advice. And you don't always need to intellectualize what someone's going through. Sometimes, you can just climb into the emotional fort they've built, grab a pillow, and be there. 

Yup, you can just be there, friend. And that's enough. 

(Consensually*)

♥️✨ Gratitude Tag: tag someone in your life who shows up in meaningful ways.
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About Beth Godbee

I'm an educator and former college professor who believes our fully embodied selves matter in the world. We can’t just think our way out of the incredible injustices, dehumanization, violence, and wrongdoing that characterize everyday life. We must feel and act, too. [Pronouns: she/her.] Read more ...

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