Episode 120, Siri Carr and Kirsti Carr, Discussion On White Privilege
Release Date: 06/15/2020
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I share another John O’Donohue blessing, called “For The Senses”. My senses have been sweetly awakened and nourished on my travels. Wherever you might be this summer, I hope you are noticing the gift of your senses. May your senses breathe in all the wonder and beauty around you. May your senses illuminate sensations that stimulate and nourish you. May you be uplifted and inspired by nature, people, food, travels, experiences and all that enlightens you. Enjoy the podcast!
info_outlineEnlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode I offer a blessing for those who may be traveling this summer. I feel blessed and deeply grateful to be spending 3 weeks in Asia this summer. I’ll first be in Vietnam for 10 days and then traveling to Bali to visit my son, Wil, who moved to Indonesia in December of 2023. I recorded some short offerings before I left, so my listeners can still receive their weekly episodes. Wherever you might be this summer, I hope you are able to listen and continue to be uplifted and inspired by nature, people, travels, experiences and all that enlightens you. May...
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On this week’s episode, I describe and honor Beltane, the Celtic festival of spring. Beltane is rich with magic as we celebrate the fertility of the land, the potential for new life and the abundance of nature. With the following weeks of May, into June, I encourage you to find your own way to honor Beltane. We are invited to be intentional about what we are planting inside of us for future growth. Delight in the late afternoon sun rays, the stunning cloudbursts and rainbows of this season. It’s no coincidence that we celebrate mother’s day around the same time we thank our Mother Earth...
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On this week’s episode, I talk about my love for the word wonder. Wonder slows me down, drops me into curiosity, and then opens the rich doors to gratitude. Even as a senior citizen, I consider myself a child of wonder. Let the magnificent gifts of Spring re-ignite your sense of wonder. Check out the show notes for links to hear the poignant words of Dot, a 96 year old woman who strives to live in awe and to the timeless wisdom of Rachel Carson’s The Sense Of Wonder. May we embrace what it means to be a child of wonder. Enjoy the podcast! Links: IG:
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On this week’s episode I explore the African proverb Ubuntu, which means ‘I am because we are.’ The phrase came to me in meditation last week and has stayed with me everyday. How do we honor our universal bond that connects all humanity? In the midst of hatred, divisiveness and injustice, how do we deepen our compassion, find forgiveness and treat others with respect? Nelson Mandela’s commitment to Ubuntu reminds me that we are all interconnected and that we have a responsibility to care for one another. ‘I am because we are’ is a phrase and philosophy I am inspired by. I...
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On this week’s episode, as we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, I talk about what it means to bless the earth. From cleaning up trash in our local parks to cultivating more awareness and responsibility to care for our planet, we can bless the earth. I share the earth blessing meditation that organically came to me and through me years ago, that is a part of my daily spiritual practice. May we bless the sky, the land and the waters. May we all bless our precious planet earth. May everyday be Earth Day. Happy Earth Day! Enjoy the podcast!
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On this week’s episode, I provide a guided meditation to help ground us in these tumultuous times. Carve out a few minutes for silence, stillness and slow, steady, replenishing, deep breaths. You are not alone. I hold you, my dear listeners in loving-kindness and compassion. Enjoy the podcast!
info_outline I want to acknowledge and address the traumatic, heartbreaking reality of our country’s anti-black socialization, systemic racism and the internalized racist worldview that is ingrained in being white. I am reaching out, retreating, asking others, asking myself, learning, unlearning, doing, undoing, reflecting, listening, making mistakes, and striving for growth. I truly want to be as present to the discomfort, awkwardness and pain as I can be, of the racial inequality of our shared American history. I’ve been so moved by the younger generation, particularly my adult children, nieces and nephews as they continue to challenge, stimulate and expand my understanding of racial injustice and what it means to be white.
My guests today are 2 of my nieces, Siri Carr and Kirsti Carr. Siri is a teacher of 8th grade writing in a Boston charter school. She cares deeply about making the world a better place, trusting that with love, we are capable of so much more. Kirsti is an environmental biologist, who has studied raptors in California and Nevada and is currently working on a red-headed woodpecker project in Minnesota. She is uplifted by the collective action that is happening across the country and around the world, hundreds of thousands of people standing together, demanding equal justice.
Both Siri and Kirsti invited our extended family into a family Zoom meeting to discuss white privilege. So even though the family Zoom hasn’t yet occurred, I wanted to highlight the initiative they took. As I hear so many white people ask what can I do, I hope Siri and Kirsti’s efforts might be a tangible thing you could try with your own families.
Siri and Kirsti help challenge me to think about how we can openly practice anti-racism in our lives. I know there is a lot of individual and collective work before us and I hope we can inspire each other on the journey. Check out the show notes for links to resources we discuss. Enjoy the podcast!
Programming Note:
Next Monday, June 22, my guest will be author, director & activist Kimberly Jones. You may have seen her viral video that Joel Cross, Trevor Noah, and others have shared. I'm eager to shine light on Kimberly and the truth she speaks.
Links:
Teens In Print
Storyteller Carolyn Finney
"Black Faces in White Places" by Randal Pinkett
"America, This is Your Chance" by Michelle Alexander, NY Times