Step into Your Role
Healing History
The term “healer” has been tarnished for many of us by greedy industries and new age gurus, so for this conversation I want us to reclaim the idea of a healer in a more traditional sense.
Think of our ancestors in villages before colonialism. Imagine what “healer” would have meant to them - before our cultural wisdom was made scarce or artificially glorified as the latest for-profit trend and sold back to the community as “wellness.”
Wellness In Real Life
So what is wellness in its true form? While some imagine organic superfoods, yoga routines, or elite skincare brands, I think of freedom, connection, embodiment, community. Hundreds of years ago, my ancestors belonged to that kind of healing tradition, and they saw the practice as a means of survival. They took part in social milestones like bringing babies into the world, guiding children into adulthood, and honoring lives at their end. They stewarded useful local plants, taught from their learned experience, and were trusted sources of inherited wisdom. The village couldn’t survive without their leadership in these roles.
In the article Understanding Traditional African healing, M.G. Mokgobi explains that “the services of traditional healers go far beyond the uses of herbs for physical illnesses. Traditional healers serve many roles which include but (are) not limited to custodians of the traditional African religion and customs, educators about culture, counselors, social workers and psychologists.”
Modern Day Healers Matter
Looking at the range of what counts as healing work reminds us not to trivialize or romanticize this role in the modern day. We all must simply find our role in the community. I know that my place is not on the front lines of a cause - physically and emotionally, experiencing violence first hand tears up my nervous system. While I’m not built to be one of the warriors, I care too deeply about the world to sit on the sidelines.
In the Summer of 2020, when so much unrest infiltrated my community, I asked around until I figured out what was needed, what my gifts were made for. In Kansas City alone, where I’m based, inhumane and traumatic things happened daily to civil rights advocates. The wounds of the protests weren’t just physical - I watched people fight emotional and spiritual battles until some of them became too consumed with pain to function.
In response to the suffering in my community, I started offering more accessible energy work sessions and cared for dozens of protesters nationwide that summer. They all expressed gratitude for helping them grab their first moment of rest in weeks. I found my village role by creating space for the warriors to breathe, feel safer and heal. Looking at my career as a massage therapist, and breathwork and reiki practitioner, I realized I was connecting to my village role all along.
Finding Your Village Role
Liberation requires warriors, organizers, communicators, cooks, gardeners and more. Right now (and always) it is vital that you find and step into your role, whatever it might be. Talk to the people around you and see where you can show up, even if it feels small. Because our initial redefinition of “healers” includes anyone who stewards wisdom and wellness in their community, don’t overlook the many roles and tasks that belong to healers. Whether its as obvious as a spiritual ritual or healing practice, or behind the scenes on childcare and supply runs, the healers of today are just as important for our collective survival as they were 500 years ago.
To me, rest is the first step in healing, both energetically and physically, so I’m always going to be here - holding down a quiet corner for anyone who needs to step back and refuel for what’s ahead. Where should I look out for you?