By Summer Cowhig, Community Herbalist Instagram @passiflorareincarnata
When I think of real estate here on the beach, I think about the first beings who called this place home – the plants. The trees who take water for themselves and naturally leave the rest for the others. I think of the indigenous peoples who lived in harmony with their home, using these trees and plants for food, medicine and shelter. When I think about the future of this beautiful barrier island we are all blessed to call home, I think of beach and waterway cleanups, an abundance of wellness workshops, moon gatherings, grief circles, community food forests; the possibilities are endless. I think of our ocean, rivers, waterways and soils restored to purity. Clean, free energy. Front yard medicinal flower gardens, edible backyard landscapes. I think of an environment in which children and adults feel safe and where they can thrive.
So, how do we build this community we wish to see? I’ve heard it from many beachside residents, “we want a shift in our neighborhood”. Not the kind of change in development that will gentrify our beautiful homeland and push us deeper into the matrix. I am talking about a supportive, nourishing, sustainable change that will lift you and shift you and every single being around you. It starts with us and the way we operate with each other, the way we treat ourselves. Restoring relationships in our community plays a central part to restoring our own well-being.
Now is the time to cultivate self awareness, and practice consciousness. Our behavior influences the emotions, biology and mind-sets not only of ourselves but of all beings around us. Just by adjusting the way we nurture ourselves and the way we nurture others, even in our conversations, can be a simple, loving, powerful transformation. The consciousness of speaking against yourself or others or acting against yourself or others is only because you are choosing it. Choose to expand your consciousness, lift our community up, tap into your intuition and your ability to perceive information beyond the physical. These are the keys for a true revolution.
Don’t hold back and be idle and sedentary anymore. Step into what it means to be true leader. To me, a leader is someone who takes necessary action to start bringing about change through the things that they love. Who do you say you are? What do you say you are? Who are you? What are you capable of doing? All of this can shift if you change the way in which you talk to yourself and to others. Be mindful of what you think and say.
The ecology of our life is made up of our inspirations and our accomplishments, who we love and care for, what motivates and engages us, what creates fluidity, what makes us feel at peace. Let us collectively move beyond confusion, step into solution and create life long lasting change for our community! As Beachside is growing and changing, so can we!
“The words you speak become the house you live in.” – Hafiz
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