Consciousness Strength Training* *especially for white progressives

Mar 27, 2025

My friend recounted a recent experience:

“We went to a party where we were the only Black people. The rest of the party-goers talked and talked about how worried they were about politics. I chimed in with my own experience, that sure, things on the national front weren’t great, but, you know, we’ve been here before, and in fact, many of us have lineages where we’ve dealt with ongoing setbacks over years, decades, even longer. They seemed to be interested for a couple of minutes, but then went right back to their lamentations. I looked at my partner, shook my head, and said I was ready to leave.”

I’ve turned this anecdote over and over in my mind. What is it that I, as that prototypical white person at the party, am missing? What is my anxiety-spinning, compulsive-media-watching, end- times-fantasizing really about?? How does my experience represent what might be going on for other white progressives? As I’ve reflected, I feel my energy beginning to return, like the sun’s rays beaming as it first comes over the horizon.

Here’s what I’ve been chewing on: My white privilege has been shaken. How could this be, that my life and livelihood are in any way threatened?? Oh sure, there are millions (billions) of folks who are living every moment under oppressive governmental policies. But now I feel the possibility of my rights being imperiled. Ah, so I’ve been benefiting from white supremacy all along–and now that could be stripped away??

The illusion of living in a just country has cracked like an egg and dumped its contents in my lap, leaving a messy reality for me to face. Daily I talk, think, research and write about “power over” and “power under.” But my experience of this current political moment is exposing the degree of comfort I’ve gleaned from my privilege. Even as my feminist self winces, I see my own investment in patriarchy, how much security I’ve drawn from passively assuming there is some metaphorical wise father in charge of warding off chaos and dealing with uncertainty–so I don’t have to.

I see how, like those partygoers, my own lamentations expose my underdeveloped inner strength. My “Little Red Hen” person (“the sky is falling!”) keeps me from facing the truth: every moment of life is the great unknown. It’s up to me to step in and engage with whatever comes my way..

So–I’m ready. It’s time to get strong.

You want to join me? Let’s step into Consciousness Strength Training.

Here’s my regimen:

Cultivate the connection with my inner spirit to the point that it’s unshakeable.

I can locate where my spirit lives. It’s a stream of energy right in the center of my chest. But I haven’t truly committed to it as my home, my strength, my truth. Something happens, I get scared, and I forget to lean in to my inner self.

Reps: Reconnect with my true self three times/day (morning meditation, mid-day, before sleep.)

From this place of strength, step into my discomfort.

Discomfort is easy to avoid through all of my fave drifts (social media, reading the news, perseverating). But life is happening out there in the uncertainty, in what I don’t know. My low-level nausea, light-headedness and sweating are my signals of leaving the safety of the illusion of the known. I’ve instinctively pulled back from what hasn’t felt good, rather than build my ability to be on my own edge.

Reps: Notice those things I don’t want to say, don’t want to do–and say and do them. Internally congratulate myself for my daily feats of increased levels and time in discomfort.

Refuse to let fear and anxiety rule my life.

I see how I’ve allowed my fear about current politics worm its way into my brain. Reflecting on my friend’s experience at the party, I want to slap myself awake out of my fear trance, tell myself to pull it together and get a spine.

Reps: When I notice fear thoughts, replace them with “I will handle whatever happens.”

Apply the tools I teach.

OK, I know I’m setting the bar high, but geez–it’s time to really commit to doing what I talk about:

Reps:

Stop blaming. Anyone.
Stop villainizing. Anyone.
Go to the root of the projection every time using SEW. Live from integrity: Speak the truth, feel my feelings all the way, take 100% responsibility.
Apply my 10 steps to conscious, sustainable activism, with special attention on loving what is, opening my heart, wondering, and play.

Remember that I do best when I'm in community.

Alone, it's easy for me forget what's possible, how to apply my consciousness weightlifting. With folks who speak the same language, I remember to my bones what matters most: love, laughing, authenticity, speaking the truth. I find my courage when I'm in connection.

Reps: Participate in the EPI groups we have going; look for opportunities to add more.

Open back up to joy, fun, possibility.

I’ve given so much of my attention to politics. For what? I have a sense of that same white privilege contributing to my background voice that says “I should do something.”

I salute activism, and am grateful to those who are putting their energy and voices into creating positive change. However, as I reflect on my own indignation at current events, some of my unrest is coming from a part of me that is trying to wrest power and control back. I have a sense of wanting to get on the other end of the rope with my fellow progressives and pull the “other side” into the mud. Win.

What if the real “do” here is to be a decent human who commits to respecting all beings, no matter who they are or how they behave? What if my “do” is to fully inhabit my body, my spirit so that I’m so embodied and connected I can trust myself completely? What is the very best use of my time here is to fully immerse myself in the everyday miracles of what this planet has to offer?

Reps: Spend time every day being fascinated by the glory of existence. Daily, create beauty that is reflective of my true nature.

Ready to meet me at the life gym? Let's get strong--together.

With great respect and love,

Julie