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 Perhaps you have seen this obvious truth before - It is a truly a stuck place in South Africa.
There was no collective sorry to go with the collective forgiveness that we as white people experienced. Blessings to the forgivers! I made that apology to a number of black friends over the years. And perhaps it is required to do it multiple times for enough depth. In spiritual circles there is much talk of forgiveness. It was revelatory for me to realize that apology is just as much a big deal. In fact when you have taken on the role of the oppressor either through your own actions or through lineage (we all have ancestors!) apology frees your soul in the same way as forgiveness does when you are a victim. It brings you deeply into and through the shame and guilt. I have also over the years been apologized to by a few men for patriarchy. Each one is a sweet treasured moment in my personal history that deeply refreshed my soul. Blessings to the apologisers! The forgivers and the apologisers light the way. Become a light in the world. Yesterday I read Sisonke Msimang's lovely article about Thuli Madonsela called 'Thuli Madonsela is reclaiming respect for women’s authority'
She spoke about Thuli's 'courageous vulnerability', how she refuses to be a victim and how we can always relate to her because she does not downplay either the difficulties or the joys: 'With the cameras rolling and the lights flashing, we have seen on her face the woundedness and her inner strength as she grapples with them both. We have seen the exhaustion of months of research, and the strain of sleepless nights. We have seen her immaculate attire and flawless make-up and we have watched her search – and then find – the right word to answer the tough question. In other words, Madonsela has made no attempt to hide the difficulties, which is why we can savour the triumphs alongside her. It isn’t just that she is fighting on our behalf, it is that she herself is somehow ours, an embodiment of our own travails and joys.' Sisonke's words resonated with me very much since I once had the pleasure of hearing Thuli Madonsela speak in a small meeting - her open heart overwhelmingly came through. In short Thuli displays for all to see the qualities of an open heart. She is modeling, on the world stage, the power of a woman's open heart. I think women are pretty clear about the power of their sexuality. Most women know how their sexuality and seductiveness can draw people in. Sexuality is the domain of the second chakra and in the second chakra the feminine aspect is active. For interest, men because they tend to be more masculine, dominate in the first and third chakras, because the masculine current is active. The first and third chakras relate to survival and power, respectively. The next chakra where women and the feminine become active is in the heart. When the heart is always, or at least mostly open, the power of the heart has as even more power than the second chakra. It pulls people in! This is made so beautifully clear by Thuli Madonsela. She is almost universally loved, the exceptions being those upholding the corrupt power structure. It's interesting that she appeals to both women and men. In fact I have never seen the type of misogyny directed at so many powerful women directed at her at all! She is deeply attractive as a leader and as a person and the heart of her attractiveness, is her open heart. As a collective we are moving out of the age of power, where the game is domination and submission, victims and tyrants and we moving into the heart. In the heart the victim/persecutor games end. That does not mean we do not stand for truth and justice! cue Thuli! It simply means that we do not buy into the victim tyrant game any longer. When we are treated badly we no longer take it personally! We no longer need to blame. We can let go of our anger and our fear because we start to feel safe. We stand in our courageous vulnerabilty and know that Truth is there for us, no matter what. (As an aside: When I saw TM speak someone asked her how we can support her and she replied that prayers would be useful and welcome, so if you are that way inclined pray or hold space for her) |
