09/11/2024
“When the individual’s needs are at odds with the group or relationship, they must break into new ground, either by choice or by divine intervention. More often than not, we either resist, ignore, or reject these calls to attrition. We leave our roots planted in the shallow soil of false belonging for whatever benefits they might be affording us. But if we haven’t been listening to the early warning signs of restlessness, doubt, and longing, one day a strong gust of fate will blow through our lives and knock us right out of that soil. Whether by way of an accident, a physical illness, or a sudden loss or crisis, life will have its way with us.
The door slams shut on your old way of life. The way home is completely lost. By home, I don’t just mean a geography or culture, though that is an excruciating form of exile that many millions of people are facing. I also mean “the way things were” in a broader sense: a golden era, a cherished relationship, a role in your community or family, a career track, or even in the ability of your own body.
These are what I call Initiations by Exile because, as we discover in myths and fairy tales, every hero or heroine must endure a period of their own exile if they are to be initiated into the true medicine of their calling.”
Excerpt from “Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home” by Toko-pa Turner (belongingbook.com)
