A few weeks ago I found myself in a little group of humans, sitting in a stranger’s home, talking about all that is forbidden in polite society. There were veterinarians and beekeepers, retired professors and computer programmers. None of us too imposing. None of us with the obvious markings of the Hollywood villain. And yet, there we were, a collection of dangerous people, sharing conversation and a meal.
I never would have aspired to nor considered myself a dangerous woman. But here I am anyway. I am a woman that believes in sovereign thought and choice. I choose to take responsibility for my life. I believe that I know best how to live the life I have been given by my Creator. And in that life, I was bestowed alienable rights, untouchable by bureaucrats. I don’t feel obligated to social pressures and I don’t find comfort by fitting into systems. I don’t trust in the purity of authority. No governmental body or corporation wants better for me than I or my beloveds do.
It’s those things, once just a collection of values that most of us collectively agreed on and lived by, that now make me dangerous. It’s irresponsible to not be the kind of responsible they determine to be responsible. To be responsible today means to do the thing they say is the right thing and don’t do the things they say are the wrong things. We’re to wait in the wings, eating our donuts and watching the news, waiting to be activated into whatever form they find most useful. That’s not responsible. That’s servitude.
All of their systems failed me. Or maybe I failed their systems. School didn’t work out so well with me so they kicked me out. Their version of “health care” could have destroyed the health of two of my infant babies. I learned from a young age to stand firm in the face of white coated experts, no matter my insecurities or fears. Their dictates on health were obviously wrong. I abandoned those a lifetime ago. I take nothing at face value. I question everything and then I dig and dig and dig some more. I can smell a rat long before I see one.
And that is dangerous. Responsibility and sovereignty are dangerous. Questioning and considering is dangerous. A loyal sycophant is what they want, not an autonomous human being.
What a place we’ve arrived at. In just a few short generations we have lost our connection to nature which truly is our connection to life. We have been convinced that nature is a place to play on the weekends or while on vacation. We’ve been told what roles are acceptable and which are not. We’ve had tradition erased by the Pied Piper of Progress. Vibrant health has been purposely confused with lack of symptoms. Meaning usurped by convenience.
For all of my adult life I have been like a bloodhound sniffing out what’s been planted inside of me. They may want me contained and obedient, but I want to uncover the truth. Let me see life as it is! As it was given!
Sometimes I feel like I get a taste, a wee, sweet drop of absolute purity. In a moment God breaks through the clatter and life is manifest! And it is good. It is good.
I was talking to my husband, Troy, about this observation last week. I commented that it’s such a strange place we’ve arrived at, where menopausal women and aging, semi-retired carpenters, dentists, and farmers belong to a secretive club. “I didn’t exactly aspire to be a dangerous woman,” I said, “but here I am.”
“Oh, I want to be a dangerous man!” he said. “Dangerous and capable and controlled.”
It got me thinking about a quote by Jordan Peterson.
“A rabbit isn't virtuous, it just can't do anything except getting eaten. It's not virtuous. If you're a monster and you don't act monstrously, then that's virtuous.”
Not only can I understand a man’s drive to be dangerous, but I can be awed by it, too. Let’s not confuse threatening with dangerous here. Let’s understand what is dangerous to a system that wants us lazy and disconnected and understand it through that lens. We are dangerous when we are skilled, aware, awake, knowledgable, strong, and prepared. We are dangerous when those we love are more important than what we want.
How I want to live, who I want to be, is in opposition to the desires of those that use their power to control, but that’s not why I live as I do. I live the way I do out of love and devotion, not out of protest. I refuse to be dulled by their addictive offerings because I want to live intimately with the offerings of my Creator. I am growing in love and realization, not feeding fear and hate.
I won’t agree to my imprisonment by a digital device or a dopamine delivering toy for the very reason that they are wedges between me and my purpose. I will continue to take on the load of my life because it’s the only way to know meaning. No more meek rabbits. We need more controlled monsters living with virtue and integrity. I never wanted to be dangerous, but if that’s what it is to speak with courage and choose freedom and unabashed love over fear, well then, call me whatever you like. It doesn’t matter. I know who I am. I can’t be manipulated by those that don’t.
a slowdown roundabout roundup
Here are a few things that have inspired me, given me a little chuckle, or maybe just a thing or two I use and love regularly (I trust that most of you know I don’t get a red cent for any of these recommendations. They’re shared as a gift for anyone that might benefit):
* This short story, Punching Down, by David Sedaris. Be warned, if you aren’t familiar with David Sedaris, his humour is wildly acerbic. But it makes me like it even more, especially in this time of such nutty censorship. I laugh and gasp in horror in equal measure. If you like this piece, you might just like his books.
* I’ve been buying products from this company, Pure Indian Foods, since I was first introduced to the owners at a Weston A. Price Conference many years ago. Many of you know that I use Giddy YoYo salt because of the clean, traditional extraction methods. I never recommend sea salt from the oceans of today. Instead, we should be using mountain salt, which is just sea salt from ancient trapped sea beds from a time when the oceans were still clean. If you’re outside of Canada, where Giddy YoYo is, or you want the big chunks of salt for solé making (as discussed in the most recent Q&As), Pure Indian Foods carries a wonderful salt. There are no explosives used to mine the salt (very common and causes heavy metals and toxins to remain in the salt) and they are tested for purity. I use their big hunks to make my solé as I can only get fine salt from Giddy YoYo. Pure Indian Foods also offer other wonderful products. I love their organic spices and their ghee is, by far, the best for those of you without a handy dandy cow kicking around to make your own.
* Unless otherwise stated, nutritional yeast is grown on GMO mediums like sugar beets or corn derivatives. Nutritional yeast is also fortified with synthetic B vitamins. Not good for anyone. We like a sprinkling of nutritional yeast on things every now and then. I also use it in some of my homemade umami-rich spice blends. This is the only one I buy. It’s certified organic and tastes wonderful. There’s absolutely no comparison between this and the synthetically fortified products commonly used in North America. You might be able to find it through another retailer, but the link is directly to the source.
* I purchased these raw clay mugs as a special way to drink my morning solé. It feels like a bit more special of a ritual and I like the experience of using raw clay for this wonderful, mineral-rich, electrolyte-sparking start to my day. If you do buy these mugs elsewhere, do make sure the company offering them does heavy metal testing on the clay. If you get them, be sure to follow the directions on how to properly prepare and use them.
* My favourite podcast this week was an interview between Paul Chek and Gary Greenfield on water. I always get stumped when people ask me what filter to get for water. Water is so much more than what we remove! I’m convinced that our poor water quality has everything to do with our health problems. I was intrigued by Paul’s assertion that fatigue, the number one health complaint of people today, is directly related to the draw on our bodies from the dead water we’re drinking. Seriously, how have we arrived at a place where filtering out our own waste (pharma residues/toxic chemicals flushed down the drain) and adding back in chemicals makes poison into water? It doesn’t. Don’t be fooled. Highly recommend this one to understand how water can either be a drain on our bodies or an integral part of our health. Filtering water is only a small part of the equation. (By the way, it’s worth noting that produce growing regions like California have turned to waste water recycling to irrigate their crops. Something to think about if you rely on produce or animal products, organic or not, coming from areas using wastewater to grow your food. Another reason to have direct relationships with the people growing your food.)
My favourite meal of the week was this lovely pot of deliciousness.
This was my slow roasted beauty champion of the week. I wanted to take an after picture but I got too excited to eat and forgot. There are two ducks in this jumbo dutch oven. In amongst the ducks are some carrots, onions, some garlic in its skin (nice to pop out and smear on the meat once cooked), some fermented garlic scape seed heads, a good sprinkling of a herb blend I made in the summer (just dried herbs and some mushroom pulverized into a powder), a good drizzle of an apricot saffron sauce I also made this summer and a few glugs of rabbit bone broth.
It really took me less than ten minutes to get it into the oven. Troy and I spent the afternoon roaming around the big rock piles around our farm, hunting for specific rocks for a specific task. We’re making a bigger fire pit. When we got in, tired of heaving rocks and hungry as bears, we were greeted with our feast. Hard worked bones are the best guarantee of a well enjoyed meal.
Lastly, this week we started a sort-of Slowdown Bootcamp in our chat. If you’re a paid member, you’re privy to all the going’s on over there. This “bootcamp” for lack of a better word, is about introducing one new habit into your life a week. Over eight weeks, anyone that wants to participate is going to get a Monday prompt and from there it’s up to you. Take it or leave it. I’m not going to badger anyone.
There’s a wonderful community going on here, and in the chat, with a wide variety of knowledge and experience shared by many. Sometimes it’s just better to implement good things in our lives with other people. I mean, if I’m getting up in the morning to see the sun rise and you said you would but you’re bed is so darn comfy, but then everyone else is getting up… See? A little more hard to resist.
You can join the chat through your phone or through your computer. Whatever you prefer. Hope to see you there.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slowdownfarmstead.com
