12/19/2023
Being in the right environment is everything. Being in a community that is unsupportive or doesn’t recognize your value will have you minimizing yourself to only the aspects they can accept, but it will give you anxiety and stress about not being yourself, not making enough income due to lack of support, etc. Move around, expand, stand tall, and find your tribe.
This has been a big lesson for me in doing social media. I initially didn’t want to post about my spiritual journey or Vodou in order to avoid the drama, beefs, and self-appointed spirituality police. The Lwas had to push me out of my comfort zone of being behind the scenes in order to share the beauty and light side of Vodou, as well as expand my reach business wise. Spiritual work and lessons are always layered in this way. I’ve had conversations with elders that disagree with sharing images or videos from ceremonies or the Lwas in possession from the perspectives of it’s something sacred and there are people in important positions in the communities or in their careers that don’t want to risk their reputation and/or business by openly practicing. My response to this is well how will people like myself who have been called from practices that weren’t working for them ever find something different without imagery or exposure to it? Why are we still having to hide our identities in these times to not be ostracized by our communities, when it’s much easier to change communities now or do business online? How do the Lwas feel about those who are still practicing in the shadows and hiding out of fear or shame of some loss or disapproval from society? Can blessings really continuously flow when you’re afraid to give credit to God and the intermediary sources of help (Lwas, Orishas, ancestors, angels, etc.), it’s not like we’re still being killed over here for practicing. I’ve experienced loss of friends, family, community, my child for practicing out loud, and yes it’s been lonely, but the contraction has ultimately led to an expansion of my reach and my tribe over social media. The right people, friends, spiritual family, community, clientele will come with the sacrifice of expansion into unknown, unfamiliar territory. When a fish outgrows it’s environment, it dies if it stays.
