I’m on a radical self-care kick. Especially the radical part.
Here’s why …
The definition of the word radical comes from the Latin radix, meaning root — implying something inherent, fundamental, far reaching, or thorough. Putting this adjective in front of the phrase self-care begs the question, which forms of self-care might actually be **fundamental, formed at the root, essential, and complete?**
But first, the question arises, what — or who or where — is the self we wish to care for?
I suspect that only when we understand the nature of the self can we then determine what ideal care for it might actually look like. Yep. **First we must know ourselves. Then we can get radical on ourselves.**
However …
This defining of *self* is not a casual affair, as many of you know by now. It takes consistent consideration and thoughtful inquiry to know ourselves.
On one end of a spectrum, there are those who define the self as a conscious individual with free will and a unique life journey … possibly traversing through many lifetimes. On the other end are those who see the self as a construct of neural firings in the brain that generate a sense of individual selfhood rooted in nothing other than a physiological proclamation of “me”ness.
I suggest that the most accurate definition of the self lies between these two poles while also including them both.
Therefore …
Once we accept that an essential component in our self-care protocols must include time devoted to discovering what the self actually is, then from there we can more easily determine which actions, mindsets, and conditions will support the fundamental rootedness of that selfhood.
To make self-care generic, or to associate only certain activities as within the bounds of a good self-care regimen, is ludicrous. **And potentially dangerous.**
It’s like saying that all living plants need the same care. The reality is that each plant needs a unique amount of water and sun and nutrient rich soil. There will likely be an overlap of needs within plant families, genus, and species. But honing in on the specific needs of the individual plant will not only serve the individual plant, but it will also enrich the entire ecosystem within which it lives.
Same is true for human self-care.
When self-care is truly radical, it feeds the growth and health of the self by tending to the uniqueness of the individual and the roots within which it finds its life force, meaning, and purpose — which inevitably impacts the web of life into which it is woven.
In this way, the inner work is intimately tethered to how we enact our selfhood in every aspect of life. Selfistry is an integral framework for such self inquiry. Take heed. It does not take a linear or even rational approach to finding solutions to our heightened stress, depression, and anxiety. Rather it brings a fluid more **cyclical approach,** allowing for the pendulum of our being human to swing wildly between structure and freedom, tradition and innovation, activity and rest.
There is no one size fits all or ten easy steps to getting ourselves on track to meeting the challenges of our era. But finding our way, together, is what we are being called to do.
Born from my decade enacting an ecology of radical spiritual practices in isolation in the wildness of nature — and followed by over a decade of training in integral psychotherapeutic approaches to trauma and adult development, conflict resolution and facilitation, and organizational leadership — Selfistry is **my heart’s gift to humanity.** For me, it addresses the uncertainty of the current meta-crisis by addressing the recalibration of our inner state of well-being.
A delicious combination of ancient and modern, metaphysics and science, the hip and the holy, Selfistry takes a bold stand for the role that the alchemy of the self plays in our beautiful world’s future.
Join me on the journey. Your unique life experience, knowledge, and wisdom are welcome — nay, wanted — here.
