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Peace Braid

Good morning my dears.

It has been a while since I have spoken from the heart here and I want to take a minute today to drop in.

I have been thinking a lot about what is working in the world around us, today. What are the things that we live for, the things that keep us connected and hopeful. Where are the places that don’t require resistance to make great change, and in fact maybe require us to do the opposite of resist: Lean in, move toward, flow.

Finding moments of peace, appreciating the beauty around us in the small things and cultivating the feelings of standing for, and living for something instead of in opposition. There is something very powerful there.

Here is what I have been up to: Preparing food and eating. Growing a baby. Braiding hair. Growing a baby. Traveling and sharing hair wisdom. Growing a baby. Connecting with communities. Growing a baby. Crying and laughing. Taking walks, loving flowers, bringing in the Spring. Loving my family and being driven mad by them, reading. Growing a baby.

The activism of Fall and Winter has softened into a deep search for the answers to “where is my energy best spent for the common good, and for the good of this small microcosm which is my body, myself, my family, my immediate community, etc.

Reading has felt revolutionary. The People’s History is almost finished, I’m just working my way slowly through the Reagan years. The teachings of Malcom X is really shifting some things for me, having been raised on the peaceful/ non-violent teachings of Dr. MLK. Braiding Sweetgrass blew my heart open. The Power of Habit empowered me with new insight into behavior. Walking the Medicine Wheel really made me think about healing in a different way. There are more: But let’s start with these.

I had the pleasure of spending some time in Portland last weekend, with my dear friend and fellow hair healer Stefani Padilla of La Tierra Sagrada Hair.

We taught a workshop together on Hair Ritual, and we facilitated a Peace Braid Meditation with a circle of women and men, joined in a continuous braid, while invoking and sharing visions of peace and what that means to each of them.

The circle was hosted by Alea Joy of Solabee Flowers, a beautiful bloom shop in PDX. She helped us adorn the Peace Braid with cherry blossoms, roses, cymbidium orchids, daffodils and beautiful botanical greenery. 

The next day, we celebrated the 1 year anniversary party of Solabee in their current location in NE Portland. I braided flowers into people’s hair, and Stef did trims and shared her Hair Medicine while party-goers gazed at beautiful blooms and drank violet champagne cocktails. 

Was just lovely, and so nice to spend some time with a new community. Thanks PDX, for taking good care of me.

I am sending love and peace to all of you who are reading this, and I’m curious: What brings you the most peace right now?

 

xo, HTHG

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