I have been thinking a lot about courage. The courage to have difficult conversations, stand against oppression and genocide, tell the truth, say the unsaid, act on our dreams, let pleasure into our bodies, trust, speak, create, commune, love, try, and be seen trying.
In my MasterClass on Sunday, I shared a powerful shift I learned from the book Restoring the Kinship Worldview. It has really stuck with me: that western/dominant worldviews tend to hold AGGRESSION as the highest form of courage; while indigenous worldviews view GENEROSITY as the highest form of courage.
Generosity as the highest form of courage… I find that astoundingly precious. I get chills at the kind of worlds this wisdom, if embodied on a collective level, could create.
In the past couple of years, I have greatly grown my capacity to be courageous — and my life has profoundly shifted in turn. Towards more magic, love, connection, purpose, alignment.
As a creator, I get this vivid image of myself as a goddess walking towards and through the fire of fear, again and again, merging goddess and warrior consciousness in one orgasmic state of being.
The universe recently reunited me with a wonderful quote by Maya Angelou, which I also shared in my most recent podcast episode:
”Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”
This brought me back to Audre Lorde’s stunning call to courage in Poetry is Not a Luxury:
“There are no new ideas… There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations and recognitions from within ourselves — along with the renewed courage to try them out. And we must constantly encourage ourselves and each othertoattempt the heretical actions that our dreams imply, and so many of our old ideas disparage.”
So I’m wondering: what heretical actions do your dreams imply, and how can we encourage you to attempt them?
There are so many ideas I have not had the courage to create or share, and many others that came very close to never being.
I now feel truly alive to my fears, which is perhaps all they were asking of me all along. To all my fears: I see you, I understand your view of the world — but I wholeheartedly choose not to share it with you. I have found that this dialogue, between fear and me, is its own kind of spiritual awakening. So, what is trying to awaken through you, and how can we help you to allow it?
Yes 💛 im also finally beginning to name and feel my fears rather than shoving them somewhere id rather not see. It didnt happen consciously, but like you said i guess they were asking this of me all along.
Thank you Ayanda for this!🙏 I love that you mentioned Kinship and even generosity as the highest for of courage. As a South African Xhosa woman who has had the privilege of growing up in a village I can attest to that kind of generosity extended towards me by my community. And I believe the community aspect of it all is very necessary in the times we are living in, I believe it would be like a balm we all need, I'm even writing an essay about it on my newsletter!🫠🩷
generosity as the highest form of courage really stuck out with me as well ❤️ I highlighted it in my journal and shared the wisdom with a friend yesterday. I just purchased the book and I'm excited to read it!
'As a creator, I get this vivid image of myself as a goddess walking towards and through the fire of fear, again and again, merging goddess and warrior consciousness in one orgasmic state of being.'
I am going to write this in my journal. I have a very vivid imagination and the visual I got while reading it was SO good.
One of my favorite quotes about courage is from the Princess Diaries (with anna hathaway, one of my favorites): “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.
From now on, you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.”
Yes 💛 im also finally beginning to name and feel my fears rather than shoving them somewhere id rather not see. It didnt happen consciously, but like you said i guess they were asking this of me all along.
Thank you Ayanda for this!🙏 I love that you mentioned Kinship and even generosity as the highest for of courage. As a South African Xhosa woman who has had the privilege of growing up in a village I can attest to that kind of generosity extended towards me by my community. And I believe the community aspect of it all is very necessary in the times we are living in, I believe it would be like a balm we all need, I'm even writing an essay about it on my newsletter!🫠🩷
generosity as the highest form of courage really stuck out with me as well ❤️ I highlighted it in my journal and shared the wisdom with a friend yesterday. I just purchased the book and I'm excited to read it!
This work is consistently changing my life and perspective. It's helping me to be more alive and human. Thank you for having the courage to share it.
'As a creator, I get this vivid image of myself as a goddess walking towards and through the fire of fear, again and again, merging goddess and warrior consciousness in one orgasmic state of being.'
I am going to write this in my journal. I have a very vivid imagination and the visual I got while reading it was SO good.
One of my favorite quotes about courage is from the Princess Diaries (with anna hathaway, one of my favorites): “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.
From now on, you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.”
As always, great and thought provoking read.
loved reading this <3 I'm trying to be as courageous as I can, whatever that means, and seeing this perspective is refreshing !!