Imaginal Journal
Imagination is Medicine
I Got Life by Nina Simone
I ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes
Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
Ain't got no skirts, ain't got no sweater
Ain't got no perfume, ain't got no bed
Ain't got no man
Ain't got no mother, ain't got no culture
Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schoolin'
Ain't got no love, ain't got no name
Ain't got no ticket, ain't got no token
Ain't got no god
Hey, what have I got?
Why am I alive , anyway?
Yeah, what have I got
Nobody can take away?
Got my hair, got my head
Got my brains, got my ears
Got my eyes, got my nose
Got my mouth, I got my smile
I got my tongue, got my chin
Got my neck, got my boobies
Got my heart, got my soul
Got my back, I got my sex
I got my arms, got my hands
Got my fingers, got my legs
Got my feet, got my toes
Got my liver, got my blood
I've got life, I've got my freedom
I've got life
I've got the life
And I'm going to keep it
I've got the life
Songwriters: Galt Mac Dermot / Gerome Ragni / James Rado
Ain't Got No - I Got Life lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Pilgrimage: Reclaiming Life Landmarks
I recently experience a strong current of inspiration to return to a site from my childhood to reclaim space and rewrite an internal narrative.
When I had just turned five years old, I started school for the first time. I was given little to no information about what to expect in this transition as I crossed one giant divide-- I did not speak the dominant language. My mother brought me to the school and instructed me to go follow the kids inside to meet my teacher. I had not had any prior experience of any time away from my very sheltered family and culture. I was so confused that all I could do was cry, refuse, and cling to my mother's leg. She then came up with a white lie, "I will wait by the tree today, while you are in class." I bought it. With the company of my cousin, who was in the same position, we braved this new world together. But when we ran straight to the tree, neither of our mothers were to be found. We busted into tears. To add insult to injury when the mothers walked up to claim us, they laughed at our heartbreak and fear of abandonment. No wonder when I read the "The Drama of the Gifted Child" as an adult the aches of narcissistic wounding felt so raw.
I set about to return to this place after watching a documentary about the Life of Siddhartha who became the Buddha as he sat under the Bodhi tree, touched the earth, and claimed his enlightenment. When I returned, I touched the tree that stood outside my class. It was this moment of touching nature that I realized, the Great Mother, earth, nature, Gaia, had never abandoned me, never laughed and dismissed my fear. SHE always was there, holding me, at every step.
Legacies - The Innocence of a Young Marriage
Once upon a time, my sweet folks were married in a rural Mexican village. The groom's family hosted the occasion. They came around late afternoon on Friday for her and up until they arrive from a neighboring village, she worried she would be stood up. Leading up to the wedding my dad's father, Don Ciro, gave them 1000 ($10) pesos to buy the wedding dress and tux. They went from their little village to the big city Guadalajara on a bus to get them with my dad's sister (they weren't allowed to be alone for one second). Starting Friday, the celebrations started. They had mariachi, dancing and lots of food that last through Sunday, Don Ciro's birthday. Saturday, being the official wedding day. The bride was 16 and the groom, 18. Per custom, the bride's parents were not invited but were sent food as a goodwill gesture. They graciously accepted the food but didn't eat it, offering it up instead to the other children. It was common to note that if the bride's parents didn't agree with the marriage they would send the food back. However, my mother's father, Fidel, did go on a sentimental drinking binge. My folks said they were very in love and couldn't stand being apart but they had to soon after the wedding because it was also a tradition for the bride to return to her family for one more week after the wedding. My grandfather, Fidel, cried with tears of happiness upon her return. But my dad ultimately landed getting my mom back sooner by having her return midweek to him to become the godparents for an other couple's wedding. Everyone was very generous and my parent's started their lives with a tiny house, several chickens, a pig and a small plot of land to grow corn that offered a very nice yield their first year. They were very fortunate indeed.
Yea To It All
Opportunities
to find deeper powers
within ourselves
come when life
seems most challenging.
Negativism
to the pain and ferocity of life
is negativism to life.
We are not there
until we can say
“yea” to it all.”
Excerpt From: Campbell, Joseph. “A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living.” Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2011-08-01. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
Darkness Awareness
“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.”
Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka
Home again
Home again
One day I know
I'll feel home again
Born again
Born again
One day I know
I'll feel strong again
I left my head
Many times I've been told
All this talk will make you old
So I close my eyes
Look behind
Moving on, moving on
So I close my eyes
Look behind
Moving on
Lost again
Lost again
One day I know
Our Paths will Cross again
Smile again
Smile again
One day I hope
To make you smile again
I won't hide
Many times I've been told
Speak your mind, just be bold
So I close my eyes
Look behind
Moving on, moving on
So I close my eyes
And the tears will clear
Then I feel no fear
Then I'd feel no way
My paths will remain straight
Home again
Home again
One day I know
I'll feel home again
Home again
Home again
One day I know
I'll feel strong again
I left my head
Many times I've been told
All this talk will make you old
So I close my eyes
Look behind
Moving on, moving on
So I close my eyes
Look behind
Moving on
Written by Michael Samuel Kiwanuka • Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc