Blog by Valerie I recently received German denazification records for my great grandfathers and grandfather. I paid the state archives to scan them for me after finding out how that process works in an article in der Spiegel, a German…
Blog by Valerie Whether you’re a First Nations migrant who became Second Nations in a new land like me, or have deeper colonial roots with settler ancestors who stole land like my husband, you and your ancestors deserve to be…
Trauma bonding tends to be defined as a strong attachment with someone (or something) abusing us or causing us harm. By this definition it is inherently negative, and the advice from a Western psychology perspective is to become aware and…
Blog by Lukas An old friend once looked me in the eye and, with all the seriousness he could muster, uttered words that have stayed with me to this day: “Those with power will never give it up voluntarily. It…
Blog by Valerie Some days I feel like I am running a race from the moment I wake up to ensure I use my time carefully to fulfil my responsibilities with my family, around the house and garden, with the…
Blog by Lukas For everyone interested in further exploring the topic of settler trauma — First you might like to further work out your own ancestry: Genealogy assistance: Family search is a free and popular service for doing basic genealogy…
Blog by Valerie We recently revisited one of my favourite childhood movies with our daughter, Ferngully. I was reminded of the depiction of pure destruction and the power and joy of that aspect of our nature in the character of…
Blog by Valerie Years ago when I took a uni course on social psychology my main takeaway was that people who use positive psychology have better mental health than those who don’t. But, if a belief or mantra that has…
Blog by Valerie Rage matters. It’s a passionate, spirited emotion. Spirit keeps our inner fires burning and helps us feel alive. We need healthy spirits! I remember spiritual teacher Tom Lake, an Anglo-Celtic medicine man sharing that to try to…
Blog by Valerie “Darkness is the purest form of light” is a teaching I deeply honour from Tiwa Elder Joseph Rael – Beautiful Painted Arrow. He says this because out of darkness all colours and possibilities emerge, whereas white light…