ubuntu-grows intentions for the new year

"let us not take life for granted...

always remembering how truly precious your life is."

- emily c

On January 1, 2009 ubuntu held its second day of healing.

On this day we had various workshops:

Yoga/Meditation

Intentions and Determinations

Trauma Stewardship

Trust

Potluck dinner

Guided meditation

Letting Go

Dance/Body Love

The Intentions and Determinations healing session lead to the question...

"how do we support each other through the year in keeping our intentions and determinations?"

It was suggested that we post to the blog a list of our intentions, and then find an intentions buddy to help keep each other accountable.

Here are the intentions: planted seeds that we hope to grow through the year:

AJ

- to be thoughtful and intentional for myself and those I care about

- continue to be more GREEN

Alba

- to use every drop of potential I possess to the end of having the most extraordinary life possible

- to listen and act on my clarity

- to be authentic, whole and intentional

Amiris

- love for myself, others, of our environment which is the earth and cosmos

- destroy oppression and exploitation

- to create love and freedom for myself and others and of our environment which is the earth and the cosmos

- to do my work well

- determined to be free together with all

- bridge divided worlds and people, bring them together in a diverse collage of collective collaboration while never losing sight of the horizon light of freedom which is our humanity

- find a love remedy to heal the oppressors of their oppression

Beth

- play regularly

- practice my art as prayer

- create home as a place of welcoming

- take care of self

- pay attention

- trust my passion

- transform my world like we do

- to draw frequently

- to live actively

- being a being of light

- learn new meaning of accountability

- to act, to attend, to witness

- to love, to heal

- to know home

- to speak

Bre

- I want to focus more on art. For art comes in many forms. It is drawing, writing, music and cooking! It is creativity and it is creation. Art was my first love and I put it aside to focus on schooling. Now I realize that I should have never put it aside. My goal is to draw more, write more, do more, and cook for myself and friends, family and community!

Emily

- to be healthy

- to be a person of conviction

- to be intentional and loving with my words and actions

- to have and nourish faith

- to create a stable, healthy, happy and harmonious family

Jenn

- CREATIVE FORCE

- trust that I am loved and create trust

- feel love as abundant as creative process

- sing, be art, write music

- create confidence

- follow my path creatively

- create healing space

- learn from the earth's creative force

- be a mentor

- recognize the beauty and creativity every day

Kriti

1. feet on the ground

2. give into right now. goal-less. nowhere better to be.

3. willingness always to learn new things.

4. write it. share it. now.

5. sharpness clarity precision

6. do whatever needs to be done, simply, straight forwardly, without hesitation.

7. no fear. no hesitation. no doubt. you are perfect and invincible. you are surrounded by the same.

Lex

- youth led spirithouse

- Durham in love with ourselves through progressive cooperation and synergy

- optional and resonant historical names for the divinity in my life

- learning to mother ourselves

Lex and Julia

- the most loving sustaining days and nights ever shared...

Lynne

- to be brave in all I do

- to spend more time with loved friends

- to truly live to the fullest outside my work

- love

- to finish fitting into my skin

Manju

- no deprecation, self or otherwise

- write a love letter daily

- practice impeccable self care. begin with simple steps. begin with my body. begin TODAY.

- be intentional about moving forward in healing from my abuse and violence history, be patient with this process.

Mikel

- I am hereby resolved to opening my heart and my awareness to enable my choosing, moving, and connecting with each and every moment in a creative, spontaneous, and Truthful way

Noah

- Say yes! to my life with my whole heart

- focus

- say all the things i wish I'd said/ that i need to say

- act from my heart, my spirit and my deeply held values-knowledge

- speak like i know

- don't wait for perfection

- open up and give my trust out like extra seedlings or seashells

- tell everyone how much i love them

- say blessings out loud

Sendolo

- Decisive

- Strengthen my character

- Strategic, accountable, integrated, organizing

- Call my Mama, Gramma + JJ Polska more often

- Complete a first draft of my portfolio

- Make base building and intellectual work the center of my work

Serena

1. to create and sustain a sense of purpose in my work

2. to build a useful and consistent rhythm into my days, nights, weeks, moon cycles, and seasons

3. to develop an intentional, sustainable spiritual practice- in particular I want to listen to my ancestors more and better

Yashna

1. Practice Impeccable Self Care

2. To build myself with these blocks:

strength, clarity, trusting, boldness, empowered, loving, courage, confident, full+whole, truth telling, creative expression

3. to hold a torch of hope and light for myself and self-love and to actively pursue creating this in my life

4. to hold a torch of hope and light for my relationship/partnership with mikel and to actively pursue creating this in my life. healthy, passionate, connected, sustaining, long-lasting love

5. to rewire myself out of old beliefs into empowering beliefs that support my growth

6. to change my default of fear and negativity to positivity, hope and joy

and to close:

"i want to blink my eyes and radiate love like the stars." - noah