and love each other |

Photo by Dagmar Schultz

On Thursday night we gathered to celebrate and honor the turning of the world. From inside our homes shining through each other’s computer screens we honored equinox at a time when many of us are feeling the opposite equilibrium. Calling on Audre Lorde’s poem Equinox, we remembered that we are not the first people to be concerned about multiple crisis on a planet in transformation. In the 1960’s as she prepared to give birth for the first time, Audre Lorde was also aware of a world on fire. Just like this Spring is not the first Spring we do have the wisdom of wise ancestors to turn to in this time of adaptation. Inspired by Lorde’s poems “Portrait,” “Coping,” New York City 1970,” and “Eulogy for Alvin Frost” we looked at what is constant for us in this time of change, what are the seeds and possibilities that we see emerging and what the intentional practices that we need to cultivate are at this time. From salty cussing aunties, to brilliant young poets in elementary (home)school we were all in there together, remembering the creative power of our relationships and our boundaries and our ever growing decaying ecological lives. Our offering to you is our group poem, inspired by Audre Lorde’s poetic prescription that “we must be very strong/and love each other/in order to go on living.” In our poem we understand that “very strong” isn’t about having an individually muscular body or normative immune system, it is about strengthening our practices and relationships. The ways we love each other. I encourage you to read this outloud or together in your household (there are some expletives) or digitally. Scroll down to the bottom to see our online offerings for the rest of the month.

and love each other

by the participants in “in order to go on living: equinox ceremony in the time of epidemic”

“we must be very strong

and love each other

in order to go on living.”

-Audre Lorde “Equinox”

say thank you and love each other

eat well and love each other

feel what you feel and love each other

reach out and love each other

tell truths and love each other

weep together and love each other

resist and love each other

be careful and daring and love each other

listen loud and love each other

look for signs and love each other

share dreams and love each other

share your gifts, share your light and love each other

cleanse and love each other

learn to cook and love each other

stay hydrated, smell the jasmine and love each other

laugh loudly and love each other

jump up and down and love each other

sing and love each other

say no or not right now and love each other

trust your pace and love each other

be tender with your heart and love each other

receive and love each other

cry when you need to and love each other

give yourself permission to be a salty bitch once in a while and love each other

tickle and love each other

get hype to some silly videos with your 12 year old niece and her new puppy and love each other

remember your people and love each other

be in divine digital circle and love each other

be Black and strong and beautiful and love each other

make your grandma’s sweet potato pie for a sweetie

do what brings you joy and love each other

embrace your erotic aliveness and love each other

ask your ancestors what they need and love each other

let your seeds grow slow and love each other

reach across to our future selves and love each other

listen to the questions our descendants are asking us and love each other

believe in all the worlds that are possible and love each other

wear your ancestors protection around your neck and close to your heart

and love each other

honor water, drink water, jump into the water and love each other

continue to plant the seeds and love each other

tell others about these workshops and love each other

Take a bath with salts, lavender, herbs. Whisper affirmations into the water. Remember what it’s like to be held by water, the womb, the Atlantic

and love each other.

get in costume, PLAY and love each other

watch Eve’s Bayou again and love each other

read M Archive and love each other until we get there

go to a warehouse in the suburbs with your homegirls to break a bunch of shit with a baseball bat, screaming from your guts to Cardi B, losing your breath

and laughing so hard and love each other

throw a ball in the air and shout “I’m amazing” and love each other

be true to yourself and love each other

say what you need to say and love each other

shove our vision into every crack this creates and love each other

love yourself and love each other

love yourself slow and love each other

make and create love and love each other

ask for the love(s) you want and can give and love each other

love and love each other

To be on the list to get notified about our online workshops and intensives:

http://brillianceremastered.alexispauline.com/contact/