Dear Friends,

It has been some time since the last Awakening Truth Newsletter. I am happy to write to you, and I hope your practice continues to sustain you during these turbulent times.

A brief update

The past year I had surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Gratefully, the treatments are over. This journey has made it clear that resilience is not just a matter of basic health, good practices, determination, or resources—but is ultimately sustained by the strength of the networks that hold us. While full recovery will take time, I have an excellent prognosis and deep gratitude for the support and care that carried me through.  

The recent U.S. inauguration and ensuing political turmoil affect not only those in the U.S. but people worldwide. As we navigate this complex moment—politically, socially, and ecologically—many of us may experience a wide range of emotions in response – our body, heart, and mind struggling under the weight of the chaos.

Wood Wide Web

Looking to find perspective, I spent a weekend immersed in the ecosystem of an old-growth redwood grove. I saw how they weathered storms, fires, and floods and created symbiosis with fungi, all the while reaching toward the sun. Their roots intertwine, offering one another structural support and sharing nutrients through vast underground networks. They care for their young, defend against threats, and communicate with each other. Yet, that grove wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for benefactors who purchased the land and the team of people committed to protecting it. Every part made the whole. 

I left the redwood grove filled with gratitude, locating a source of inner strength, resilience, and hope. The ancient ones helped me see how as human beings we can get through these times. What I offer next is a reflection combining their successful strategies and trauma-informed Dharma.

Navigating the Fork in the Road

The Dharma offers us guidance, and the Second Noble Truth—understanding how suffering is created and how it can end—illuminates a path forward. It shows us the choices we have and the consequences of where we place our attention.

From a trauma-informed lens, we encounter two sequential forks in the road.

1. The First Fork: Can we be with our experience? If we are numb, frozen or the feelings are too intense, we pause—soothing ourselves, connecting with inner resources, and finding a sense of safety. If we are managing what we are experiencing, proceed to the second fork.
2. The Second Fork: Will the thoughts, beliefs, and habit patterns we focus on, deepen suffering or lessen it? 

Many people are feeling numb or frozen right now. It’s hard to focus and do simple tasks. Our first job is to come out of the freeze. Trauma-informed Dharma tools can help. Movement, focusing attention on comforting things, avoiding stressful things, and connecting with humans, animals, and nature can help. Once there is a modicum of capacity to be with what is going on, if the impulse to distract arises, rather than following it, we might turn our attention to the body. What sensations are present? What feeling tones do they have? Simply witnessing, without acting on impulse, begins to unwind the cycle that feeds distraction. This leads to greater choice in where we can focus,  increased capacity to be with our experience, and more clarity.

Turning Toward the Light

Like the trees, we are naturally flexible and responsive. We can pause, soften tension, and reconnect with the ground beneath us. And once resourced, we might ask:

• Who in our community is struggling?
• Right from where we are, with what we have available now, how can we support each other? 

Even when we are in the middle of a socially engineered trauma activation where shock, anger, division, despair, or overwhelm are the desired results—we can refuse to succumb to hatred. Instead, we commit to being present to what we are thinking and feeling, and discern what we choose to follow. In this way, we find the next available step of where to focus and what we can do to help. We don’t need to resolve the bigger problems, have special qualities, be particularly strong, or be spiritually evolved. We need the determination to take the next step toward the reality of how interconnected life is and we are. 

None of us can manage multiple crises alone. We need each other. Wise friends and shared practices help us keep perspective. Some days, we reach out for support. On other days, we extend it. Often, we are held in mutual-support circles. Particularly because this past year was so rough, I made it a priority to dance.

Awakening Truth Leadership Sangha

Our Awakening Truth Leadership Sangha—Kat DiPietro, Brian Smith, and myself—brings together a combined 108 years of committed meditation practice. For over two years, we have met monthly, dedicated to deepening trauma-informed Dharma and community. Our work includes:

• Facilitating the Monthly Mentor Group for certified mindfulness and meditation teachers, and supporting leadership and practice. (The first three sessions are drop-in; you can register here.)
• Offering a Trauma-Informed Satipatthana Series, applying trauma-sensitive insights and practices to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. More details here.
• Leading the Integrated Meditation Program, (IMP) a three-dimensional field designed to transform challenging patterns, cultivate confidence, and foster authentic connection.
• Creating an Integrated Meditation Program Facilitator Training to support future IMP cohorts
• Meditation
• Compassionate Witness

Closing Reflections

Repeatedly shifting from the cycle of suffering to the ending of suffering illuminates who we are beneath the patterns of thoughts and emotions. Knowing this fundamental truth of who and what we are is where we find sustainable courage, determination, and hope. It helps us move beyond narratives of domination and separation into a lived understanding of our interconnectedness. It supports creating islands of sanity and circles of safety where we offer the skills and resources we have available. As we meet the intensity of the moment, deliberately choosing the fork in the road that leads to less suffering, our diamond-like brilliance shines. 

Together, one step at a time, we walk this path

Yours in the Dharma,
Amma