Hey Beautiful Human,
As Nap Bishop Tricia Hersey of the Nap Ministry so fervently reminds us:
Rest is Resistance
As I navigated my own mental health distress and burnout challenges from a "failing" group practice, I created my own decolonial calendar because the neo-colonial calendar of the Gregorian Year was no longer spiritually aligned with me. While I am aware of the 12 months we are told we have, personally, I honor the 13 months we are divinely given. January is my Intentional Rest Month.
What does this mean? It means I have been honoring 28 days of work, rest and learning to play, and on the extra days of a 30 or 31-day month, I reclaim that extra day or two for myself. If you are working and receive PTO, this may look like you being strategic in how you plan your days off. It doesn't mean you need to go on a trip or spend your hard-earned money, especially as the dollar loses its value.
Taking extra time means learning to rest and understanding the difference between rest and leisure.
According to Dictionary.com, several definitions of rest mean to
- relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs, and
- refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor and
- the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep and
- cessation or absence of motion.
Also, according to Dictionary.com, leisure means to:
- freedom from the demands of work or duty and
- time free from the demands of work or duty, when one can rest, enjoy hobbies or sports, etc., and
- unhurried ease.
When you think of rest and leisure, do you think of the difference and how you will apply those differences in your life? If so, then you are on your way to Erotic Living.
Resting does not mean without work, it means integrating an ease with which one works.
Leisure means "time free from demands of work...when one can rest and enjoy".
Neither rest nor leisure means material wealth.
They do, however, require the cultivation of embodied intelligence.
This month, I am creating sacred spaces to learn how to train your nervous system to have capacity for rest and leisure or embodied intelligence, with another stop on my book wellness tour, SHIFT Erospiritual Healing Circle at Rising Hope Therapy in Newark, DE. In February, as part of my book wellness tour, I will be hosting my first on-location, Erotic Alchemy Workshop in Wilmington, DE. You can reserve your spot at SHIFTSomaticHealing.com.
I will also be taking a deeper dive on The Erotic Intelligence of Rest in my Substack, Erotic Intelligence: Learning to Play. It's free to subscribe and have a few articles I am sure you will love.
If you haven't already, make sure you get your copy of SHIFT, A Self-Liberation Practice. Digital Copy and its Wellness Plan is available at Erospirituality.com or its print copy is available in my bookshop at Lovership.com.
Here is what one of the readers sent me about SHIFT in a Substack message:
"Hi Mx. Queen!
I hope all is well in your world.
I just received your SHIFT book in the mail and I already felt so seen in the introduction that it brought me to tears. As a trauma survivor, I want to extend gratitude to you for writing this and making it available. Wishing you a happy and peaceful holiday season if you observe!"
-SHIFT reader
I have received other feedback about SHIFT like this as well. Being able to provide such an impactful resource is EXACTLY why this work means so much to me. We all deserve embodied liberation.
Until next time,
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