UNPACKING DECOLONIZATION WITH LETTIE SULLIVAN

"We are so much more extraordinary than anyone has ever taught us. We are so much more than what we are told. " -Desirée Dunbar

Not all of us are natives of the land we are living in. Many, if not all, are just second generation or third generation of a nationality settling on specific land. With the expertise of Lady Sullivan, a priestess and the CEO of the Goddess Ministry, we will dig deeper on the topic of decolonization and intergenerational trauma.

No matter where you are in this world, you carry with you a cultural inheritance. This is a fact that one should accept and acknowledge whenever they step into a discussion of decolonization. It may not be a physical thing like a private jet, but it encompasses all the systems and institutions that we rely on in this civilized society. But the reckoning with cultural inheritance is it comes with a lot of shame.

Shame is uncomfortable, subjective and arbitrary. It is how you interpret something and what it means to you. In the aspect of healing, it is necessary that you can reach a place where you could hold that discomfort to a point where seeing the lines of what is good and what is not is clear, a wider perspective of cultural inheritance particularly on the topic of white supremacy.

For instance, when you have parents who were missionaries, you could say that they did good in this world. Yet again, you also need to acknowledge the fact that their role in the society was to usurp or to subvert the culture that was in place, because those cultures were deemed inappropriate. There is a false sense of righteousness that comes through that lens and you have to look at that too.

There is so much going on beneath the surface of our culture and communities that we are not taught at schools. In the past, children were tortured in different ways and even today, there are still sorts of violence in forms like sexual abuse and psychological abuse. Even if things have already starts to shift now with the help of our spiritual leaders, we still need everyone to acknowledge this problem. In order to start healing, we have to feel it instead of just pushing it to the side.

Critical race theory has this negative connotation attached to it, as this blanket generalization of everyone who is talking about how we got to this place. I found some cogent discourses despising this theory, saying that it is not the only way to look at things. All of these is just from somebody who has been in academia, putting together all of these words that sound really intelligent. But then they completely missed the point. Yes, there could be other ways that we can embody, hold and do this racist work but there are mentions of what the alternative is or if this is inaccurate at all.

The truth is, all of these things are actually facts that you can verify on your own. It is important that you pay attention to the words being said and not just regurgitate talking points from people who are offering you a way out of your discomfort. It does not necessarily mean that you do not take opposing opinions but rather exercising due diligence. Your ability to ask questions to other people and to yourself is necessary.

We are bombarded with information all the time, even in just a single Google search, you could access all kinds of things. One thing that you always have to take note of is what the sources are and it is also a lot of awareness and mindfulness. Trusting your instinct and knowing your inner truth will help you discern what feels true and what does not. Develop the sensitivity to listen to what your body tells you. Our beings are so much more extraordinary than anyone has ever taught us. We are so much more than what we are told.

There is a tremendous amount of healing that takes place when we lean into sisterhood. Although there are a lot of things that we have to give up in order to truly receive the gift of one another, even the patriarchal values such as competition and comparison, we can all find a common ground where you can compliment another woman on her beauty without diminishing your own. Thus, cultivating each other's self-worth.

It is important for us to actually understand the roots of the words that we are using, to really truly get the meaning because words cast spells, you are literally creating your life with your words. What else can you get aside from the things that you keep on saying to yourself? Nowadays, there are so many words being used to manipulate language in very subtle ways that kind of fly below the radar. And that is one of the things that we have to remember when talking about decolonization, social justice and activism. We have to look at the words that we are using in the language that we are using, because if we are continuing to perpetuate the same dialogue, then you are going to keep getting the same outcome.

The beautiful diversity that we have is in the culture that we bring in. This is what has been perpetuated over the millennia, that still brings us here, telling the stories of our ancestors, so we all must pick up the mantle of understanding and developing cultural intelligence so that we can come together to find solutions for the problems that we are all facing on the planet right now.

Everything is energy. We are nested in a cycle, and we are influenced by energy. Over the span of years, different cultures and religions have developed and discussions of color and race also continued. With these also comes the eradication of some cultures due to their color, oppression and social injustices, and more. So, where is the balance? We have to acknowledge that love is the most powerful force in the universe.

Our social construct is a shared agreement field. So when you withdraw your consent from the shared collective agreement, do it in your heart. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind; you have to change your heart and your mind. And only you can really do that, because we have seen how many, many people can be led to believe something that is not true. Despite evidence, upon evidence of the contrary, people can convince themselves of an untruth by blocking out everything that is unlike the conclusion that they have drawn. Do you know somebody like that? That is the thing. Pay attention to those things, to what you are leaving out and to your certainty.

Whenever you see something that shows injustice and violence, withdraw your consent of being okay in seeing it. Whether that comes out of your mouth or not, if you feel it sincerely in your heart, you are weakening the field that supports that from happening. We have to remember that as human beings we transmit energy, and we receive energy. Take it back. This is your energy, your power. You know, you do not have to put it on display for anybody. You are not giving your life force to something that is incompatible with your truth. Own that, guard that with your heart, and be fierce about it because it matters.

So as a priestess, I am here to walk as love. I am here for the dismantling of the energetic systems of oppression wherever they are found. I am here to encourage all of us to remember our connection with the cosmos, that there is something so magnificent that extends beyond the linear notions of time that we have inherited.

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