Aug 22, 2023Liked by Ayesha Khan, Ph.D., gabes torres
For me, home is a frequency. Disruptions are constant and so is uncertainty. With land and even culture, I find myself never feeling at home in one place for too long. Maybe it’s because I descend from nomadic people. Maybe it’s because I go through phases as routinely as the moon does. I just know that home is wherever I feel sovereign. Where the energy I’m surrounded by is nurturing and empowering and curious about what I have to offer. The frequency of sovereignty, love, empowerment, & curiosity is where I work to reside, no matter where I happen to physically be.
I’ve been struggling a lot with migration lately. As an urban ecologist by day, I can see the wounds of the world that come with the disconnection/distance from homelands and the species therein, unfamiliarity with the new land and the beings we encounter, and how long it really takes to get to know and learn how care of the new space (esp since ecologically, those spaces shift rapidly too). Especially as capitalist systems continue to require us to work to live and keeps most people too busy to learn the land. The constant transition is a struggle for me atm, so hoping for a reframe while reading the coming posts on your reflections!
Oh, I wonder - I want to draw a line between this and a concept from another piece I recently read, the concept of one's family "home" (or rather, the small, isolated, close-minded community) becoming entrapment or even a prison for those who are too "different" or neurodivergent or queer, and the greater *freedom* that comes from the *ability* to leave, to migrate elsewhere and find a new home.
On the surface, at least, it seems like an opposite concept, but they both involve enforcement of social norms by a majority group and subjugation or removal of differences... hmm... I feel like this needs deeper examination!
I've been challenged to understand home from a migrant wisdom perspective as i transition to living in a van. and at the same time come to understand the forced migration of my ancestors who fled empires searching for land they wouldnt be driven off. currently sitting with the liminal space between privilege and responsibility and learning how to be in reciprocity with settled kin. thank you for articulating that wisdom from nature, the migrants are a part of the larger flows of energy and nutrients, and can seek balance with land. 🙏🏻
For me, home is a frequency. Disruptions are constant and so is uncertainty. With land and even culture, I find myself never feeling at home in one place for too long. Maybe it’s because I descend from nomadic people. Maybe it’s because I go through phases as routinely as the moon does. I just know that home is wherever I feel sovereign. Where the energy I’m surrounded by is nurturing and empowering and curious about what I have to offer. The frequency of sovereignty, love, empowerment, & curiosity is where I work to reside, no matter where I happen to physically be.
I’ve been struggling a lot with migration lately. As an urban ecologist by day, I can see the wounds of the world that come with the disconnection/distance from homelands and the species therein, unfamiliarity with the new land and the beings we encounter, and how long it really takes to get to know and learn how care of the new space (esp since ecologically, those spaces shift rapidly too). Especially as capitalist systems continue to require us to work to live and keeps most people too busy to learn the land. The constant transition is a struggle for me atm, so hoping for a reframe while reading the coming posts on your reflections!
Oh, I wonder - I want to draw a line between this and a concept from another piece I recently read, the concept of one's family "home" (or rather, the small, isolated, close-minded community) becoming entrapment or even a prison for those who are too "different" or neurodivergent or queer, and the greater *freedom* that comes from the *ability* to leave, to migrate elsewhere and find a new home.
On the surface, at least, it seems like an opposite concept, but they both involve enforcement of social norms by a majority group and subjugation or removal of differences... hmm... I feel like this needs deeper examination!
I've been challenged to understand home from a migrant wisdom perspective as i transition to living in a van. and at the same time come to understand the forced migration of my ancestors who fled empires searching for land they wouldnt be driven off. currently sitting with the liminal space between privilege and responsibility and learning how to be in reciprocity with settled kin. thank you for articulating that wisdom from nature, the migrants are a part of the larger flows of energy and nutrients, and can seek balance with land. 🙏🏻
Beautiful reflections, Ayesha!