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Lily wrote about the chat I shared at @Anarchaforko.
In one section of that post, she said:

I'll title this part of @erikaharris' workshop "Pull my Finger" because that's literally how she introduced it and that's what people did. There was a lot more to it than that but that's on @erikaharris to explain when she has the time and inclination.

(I had the inclination all along, and finally made the time to elaborate a little on what I shared in that outdoor circle.)

I talked about Time Sovereignty + Social Honesty.

Time Sovereignty and Social Honesty are two executive ideas (as in 'I execute them') that revealed themselves to me while I have been earnestly aligning my inner and outer lives the past four years.

These two ideas are influenced by decades of nature-based and transcendent pursuits, combined with a more recent and fully embraced philosophy of self-ownership and voluntaryism.

Basically, the more free and whole our mind becomes, the less it holds in common with the dominant reality... which is largely comprised of learned limits, and broken focus.

Truly wonderful things are all around too, of course -- because, Life!

But mostly, the mainstream world is in service to consumable, distracting decoys, that dangle just above the open mouths of hungry crocodiles (eg. debt, addiction, FUD.)

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One cultural crocodile that has swallowed the entire industrialized world, is acceptance and adoption of the mass-illusion called 'linear time'. Before it was diced, chopped, and butchered into mechanistic cubes...

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...time was not much more than an observed orbit. A tracked season. It was cosmic and biotic signals that set the pace and rhythm of life. We were synchronized with nature, and therefore, with ourselves. It was sane, and beautiful.

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And now what are we synched to, beyond consumption and entertainment? Why are polymaths like Lily and John, such anomalies? Why are so many people absolutely convinced of their worst fears and doubts, and protect 'em like a lover?

Freedom agitates.

That's its job... to dislodge enslavement.

So even though it's what everyone says they want, we'd do well to remember that Freedom destroys, as well as creates. It destroys illusions, and offers clear-sightedness. When we touch the truth of who we are, it will clash with some part of our outer-world. In varying degrees, our true self will clash with the crocodiles of customs, culture, and consensus.

In THIS VIDEO I talk about why those clashes are blessed, fertile events.

And in THIS VIDEO I share why being honest is better than being polite... especially for empaths.

The second cultural crocodile to swallow the entire industrialized world, is acceptance and cooperation with the invisible leash called 'etiquette', aka "rules of conduct." The word 'etiquette' comes from "little tickets" that were actually stuck and posted everywhere, to tell people what to do, and how to act!

Social expectations create stress, dread, and self-betrayal. Yet many smart, strong people regularly do what we don't want to do, because we so fear being ostracized, shunned, rejected, and intensely left with our very own self...

Several years ago, I was trying to understand why social media (Facebook, in particular... even years ago) left me so drained. I had stumbled into "social" media's dissonance.

The essence and root of 'social' is 'ally.' This is a friend with whom you can bind together.

My internal changes had made it very difficult for me to accept Facebook, or any other social media platform, as a real function of bound friends.

When we track our pain to its root-source, we will have already done more than half the healing... because the investigation and self-inquiry IS the work. And when it's faced, the pain can inform and even medicate.

So I observed the pain I felt about most 'social' things. I did not avoid, but plunged into the disconnection, awkwardness and frustration that shows up in my relationships, from time to time.

I believe any suffering we have ever felt in any of our relationships, is the result of feeling the need to hide some core aspect, or expression, of our true self.

And why do we ever feel the need to hide who we are? Because we perceive a risk of social loss.

And why are decorum and protocol -- WHICH ARE BOTH CONTROLLING FRUITS OF AN IMPOSING STATE -- still so influential over ideologically stateless people?

Who is fit to rule our harmless social and interpersonal behavior??

WHO on this gorgeous orb has any grounds on which to tell another person what is 'proper,' 'decent,' and 'good form'??

Those are slave-words.

They are used by enforcers and manipulators with an intent to plant shame-seeds,
should anyone dare EAT THEIR DESSERT WITH A SALAD FORK.

Let alone wake up to the farce that is authoritarianism.

Those chump-words have been baked and embedded
with a synthetic reward of superficial acceptance,
from weak-willed people.

How much of a reward, is that?? lol

Social Honesty is both an antidote, and a mature response, to these slavish concepts.

It is generated from the strengths and preferences of YOUR core-essence.
It is simply: (1) being who you really are; and (2) interacting with the world as The Real You.
This requires making and re-making reality more to your liking.
Facing the clashes, and the crocodiles.

The things (eg. coercion, tyranny, oppression, poverty, disinformation, etc.) that we bump up against in life, that threaten or harm our true self, those intersections + conflicts are the exact coordinates to our greatest growth!

And Finally, Skin-Hunger + Finger-Pulling

The finger massages were actually supposed to be a 'warm-up' exercise at the beginning of the chat... but because I was so nervous, I FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT until the very end! Ha. It's okay, though. It seemed to make a great closing.

This post is already link-heavy. And long. So I will just suggest you search "skin hunger" and "touch hunger" (they're synonymous) for yourself, if you haven't heard those terms yet.

It is not sexual, but Western people are about as nuanced and comfortable with touch, as vowed clergy are supposed to be.

Satiating touch-hunger with sex, is a little like riding a roller-coaster to blowdry your hair. Excessive.

Not that there's anything wrong with sex or rollercoasters! My goodness, I'm sure the world would be a much blissier place if there was more of both!

Anyway, I figured that few would mind the chance to experience innocent touch in a trusted environment. I asked everyone to pair in 2's and face each other. Then take turns, starting with your partner's thumb, hold it between your thumb and index/pointer finger, and slowly and firmly pull down from its first knuckle, all the way to the end of the finger tip. Slowly repeat, 3 to 4 times on each finger.

Lily got several great and candid shots of these finger massages in her post.

Here is one of 'em:

Hey there, @alexlapointe! :-)

One of our most neglected senses, in addition to touch, is smell. So I passed around a bottle of Siberian Fir Essential Oil, and invited everyone to rub a couple drops of this piney-smelling conifer between their palms, cup their noses with their oiled hands, and inhale deeply.

May I tell you why I love this aroma so much? Because it is high in apha-pinene... just like my favorite Sativa strain, Jack Herer!

Tell me you don't notice -- and like -- when you're out, and you smell something even similar to your lover's scent. The aromatic association arouses. Or stings... in the case of an ex.

Both responses happen because smell is so STRONGLY connected to our emotions.

And THAT is why/how I've been using essential oils to support my evolving freedom, and creative service in the world.

Aromatherapy leverages the fact that part of your brain is exposed to the outside world. When you recognize any scent or odor, it is only because those aromatic molecules have made contact with and bonded to your lower hanging olfactory bulb.

This means that story and narrative can be by-passed, and some memories and feelings can be instantly recalled.

Smell pumpkin pie, recall Thanksgiving and Grandma.
Smell coffee, feel perky.

Eventually, you can get to more complex memories and feelings.
You can even see and face the role of fear in your life, if you wanted to.

Having ideals is easy. Living them requires will.

I've found essential oils a great support of my energy, goals, mood, and concentration.

I recently joined doTERRA as a wellness advocate. If you research or purchase any oils through my site, I will receive a commission.

In return, it will be my joy to follow-up with you (if you welcome it), learn your goals
for whole-person health and wealth, and co-create a plan to see you there.

Similar to touch, being deeply heard and reflected is another real, human, underestimated need THAT WE DO NOT OUTGROW.

When we are witnessed without judgment, our truth voices with much more ease. I offer 1:1 chats to help with this.

💠 Schedule one. 💠