BOOKS WE LOVE
Review by: Tashya Knight
BOOK CLUB
Rituals and Practices for Building Community and Connection
By Michelle Cassandra Johnson
Healing is an arduous journey, but when taken together in community, it can be sweeter. As Michelle Cassandra Johnson says in the first chapter of her book, “I have leaned into grief-permitted it to move through my entire being and, as a result, I felt less suffering and more freedom.” We all want to find this freedom, but to do so, we must take on the work and then share what we learn with others. We find our unity amongst the community. Michelle says “As we build from what has been uncovered, we cannot do it alone.”
In We Heal Together, we are led through eight chapters exploring how we create communion and ritual, uncovering our lineage and legacy, finding moments of joy, and how to use our dreams as messengers for how to move forward.
Each chapter contains useful journal prompts allowing the reader to dive deeper into concepts taught and explore their own thinking and awareness. This is combined with practices to be done individually and/or with community so that we may help each other find the healing and transformation we are seeking. We learn to hold space for one another and invite each other in for learning and ritual. Through understanding the collective unresolved trauma we inherited from our ancestors we move into honoring each other and not leaving others behind as we commit to taking action for the collective good and the healing of all beings.
As we are reminded in the last chapter, “The belief that we are separate is a dangerous myth that arrests our ability to see how truly interdependent we are.The myth of separation makes us believe we can live our lives on our own and that we should be able to do everything without help.” We must instead recognize our interconnectedness with all beings and strive to heal this separation and suffering. And we are guided in doing just that through the practices, rituals, and teachings in this book.
Tashya Knight is the founder of Wellness 13, a Wellness Lifestyle Coach, Yoga Teacher and member of the Yoga Love Magazine team. Learn more about Tashya here