July 4, 2025: Resistance Day

In which the embodied healing of cannabreath helps us connect to purpose and refine our notion of patriotism.

It was hard to feel patriotic. If I’m honest about how I’m feel about the United States (aka “my country”) today, I feel much more like withdrawing into a dark cave for a decade than waving a flag. However, I also hear a voice —I think many of us do—reminding me not to surrender. Resistance to authoritarianism and tyranny is patriotism. Isn’t that how this whole American experiment got started? Is there still something within our roots and at least some of our original ideals to uphold and explore?

So I put on red, white, and blue, showed up to a community block party, and tried to connect. In the middle of New York City, I shared watermelon, ice tea, and conversation with friends, neighbors, and folks I don’t know. I was reminded that we’re still social animals - we have an instinct to gather for affirmation, celebration, and to soothe our wounds. We still need to do this together.

Later in the evening, instead of watching fireworks, I chose to go into my own sacred space and do this practice I love so much. A few intentions noted before take-off:

Listening to “Lover” playlist because I want to take whatever journey that is. 

Feeling well elevated, but choosing to imbibe a little more, to explore what that could be. It’s okay to explore and to follow your curiosity.

As I’ve been doing recently in this work, I gave myself permission to NOT bring back a lot of ideas. Maybe none at all. My exploration has been taking me into experiences that I can’t give words to, and I’m trusting that is part of the process.

Indeed, my initial notes are pretty sparse:

BEAUTIFUL NO WORDS - except / Teaching re really feeling the music in my heart / It’s working on me - full body, somatic, cellular, beyond words-level tonight.

Throughout this session, I had this sense that I was experiencing sensations vividly, overriding my thinking/analyzing mind so I can just be and feel. And afterwards, I wanted to stay in this state rather than shift to the thinking mind required to take notes. I fell into a deep, long sleep.

The next morning though, I did a free-write in my journal to see what “stuck” from last night’s journey. I remembered that I was exploring technique:

Feeling of breathing and music in my body. Feeling the music and the emotions expressed in the music. Believing a kind of cellular/energetic healing is happening (that transcends thought, material body, linear time.

Making sounds/vibrations, sometimes singing or ohm-ing with the songs. Explore not being loud, but vibrating the notes/tones/pitches in my chest and around my heart. 

Feeling emotions and feelings, of courage and ecstasy. Remembering the thrilling beauty of being alive, and the possibility of saying a radical HELL YEAH! to every situation that presents itself in our lives – even those we most Resist.

Aha. How do we say “Yes!” to the life we are living and all that shows up, even as it feels there is less of “the good” and so much more of “the bad and the ugly.” How to live with it all?

Today, I’m seeing the paradox of two kinds of Resistance. There is the Resistance that blocks us, thwarts us, challenges us – as individuals and as a collective – from moving forward, confronting obstacles, creating what we want to create, living our dreams. In response to this negative force of Resistance, we do need to summon up our own courage and commitment to take the next step forward in whatever we hope to accomplish.

At the same time, I’m also seeing that many of us are finding empowerment and motivation by expressing our Resistance to the forces of oppression. This is the positive, proactive, outward-facing Resistance that we can harness as energy to face the challenges of our times. In this way, patriotism is resistance: so is joy, creativity, community. Maybe even hope?

So I thank this plant spirit (Mother) for all she teaches, and this beautiful breathing practice for giving us a technique and method to embody her teachings.

On this anniversary of the American experiment, may we all find how to overcome the Resistance that holds us back from being our best selves.