Living Lessons of the Fae

Since May 1st (Beltane), the Fair Folk have been quite active for me. It is a time, much like Samhain, when the veil between this world and the Otherworlds becomes a bit thinner. Summer is typically considered a yang season, however I have been exploring how the feminine concept of rest can be a beautiful practice to use in the season of Summer as a way of resisting the plastic pace of our capitalistic culture — an imbalanced yang.

I wrote the bulk of this month’s newsletter sitting in my backyard with three ruby-throated hummingbirds buzzing around my head. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing their chirps as I watched them charging each other (the males are quite territorial and guard food sources!).

Hummingbirds are spectacular creatures. Their high metabolism demands that they feed on nectar and other food sources that support their high-energy demand of quick flying and rapid wings, allowing them to hover and even fly backwards! They also have an ingenious way to conserve their energy. “To conserve energy during their overnight fasts, the birds can shift into an energy-saving mode called torpor by lowering their body temperature and slowing their metabolism up to 95%.” (Source: ELife Sciences).

Nature is such an amazing teacher! I often find myself watching nature and being open to the experiences, as the close, non-attached observations can be applied to our lives on the micro- and macrocosm. It fascinates me that even the hummingbird has developed a way to conserve energy! We have a lot to learn from hummingbirds. One of them is that no being can constantly keep a fast pace without adequate time for rest. And yet, we seem to expect that of ourselves in the human world we live in.

As a former early childghood educator, I often wish I lived in a culture that did not infuse the concept of constant productivity into the developing brains of children. Without realizing it, we can perpetuate the false belief that equates our individual worth with productivity with children. Our hustle culture not only values productivity over everything (even in the face of illness) but it is also the main ingredient of our lack of connection with ourselves, each other and our beautiful home we call Earth. Resting is a form of resistance and is an anti-capitalist act that challenges both external and internal beliefs that have been ingrained in us for many generations. Resting as resistance can start conversations about the society we live in and who benefits from the constant pressure we put on ourselves to be productive.

So, give yourself permission and tell yourself: It is okay to slow down. The pace we’re told to continue at is not natural and can lead to a plethora of illnesses, both physical, mental and spiritual. Rest as resistance is a form of rebellion against many of the things that are not working in our world. It’s important to keep a pulse on what our bodies and minds need before our inner ecosystems begin to fall into the state of imbalance and incoherence that eventually lead to dis-ease.

One of the blessings I acknowledged when I was ill was that I was forced to unplug from the hurried pace and focus on being. For someone who worked 60+ hours as a K-2 teacher (and took on waiting tables, working retail and tutoring in the summer), it was a fight into the stillness that was inviting me to just be. A few years into my illness and I found myself a bit vexed when asked, “What do you do [for a living]?” It seemed an arbitrary question to place value on what someone does rather than who they innately are. I still feel that way to this day.

Children don’t need permission to rest. It is their innate nature to explore the world around them and experiment with its response in the safe constructs of play. This is how we learn about our relationship between ourselves and other beings, human and non-human. Some of my very best memories growing up were during the long days of summer, when the only time was now and the construct of time and schedules was some strange, authoritarian disciplinarian to which adults were subservient. It perplexed me then how adults seemed to be at the mercy of an invisible chain for 40+ hours per week while exhausting themselves on their two days of free time to “catch up” on an endless to-do list. As an adult now, I understand the pressure, but as I child, I truly thought it absurd. I wonder if you did you as well?

Looking to learn more about this kind of resistance? Check out Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto, by Tricia Hersey.

In the meantime, we might try soothing the grief that we have carried as we have treated our bodies as disposable tools for a toxic grind-culture. Learning how to practice resting as resistance is a mindful act of embodying a healthy and balanced existence that nurtures our planet, our communities and most of all, ourselves. It starts with us, after all, doesn’t it?

A Timely Message from the Fair Folk:

Our dimension is very close to the vibration of yours. We, too, see and feel the shadows of global issues that affect us, as well as how the four-leggeds, winged-ones and sealife are affected too. We understand if one part of the Web experiences imbalance, it causes an imbalance in everything. We understand the complex interconnection within the Web of Life.

Yet, We do not give our power to global issues. We allow ourselves the space to BE, to find joy, mirth and opportunities to play. This is how We approach our existence, and We encourage you to do the same.

For humans who understand how We see your world, We give you every permission to feed yourselves with moments of goodness, togetherness and laughter. These are acts will sustain and refresh you during uncertain times.