Valarie Kaur’s new book, Sage Warrior, is a much-needed guidebook for our current volatile and turbulent environment. Kaur beautifully weaves Sikh lore, her own family’s literal and spiritual journey, and meditative exercises into an inspiring and hopeful narrative.
Here is an excerpt:
I hold the wisdom of the ancestors in my hand like a mala. Each wisdom practice is a pearl. One is not higher than another. I can rest my attention on the one I need in this moment. Any one of them can lead to rebirth, here and now, starting within.
The mala of wisdom is on my wrist—and yours.
When you feel isolated and disconnected, wake to Oneness. Drop into the present moment, look around, and let in wonder. Say: “You are a part of me I do not yet know.”
When confronted with pain, befriend the body. Listen to parts of yourself, or parts of the world, that are hurting. Ask what they need.
When numb and defeated, practice pleasure. Turn to music and movement and breath and taste and touch and bring your senses back to life. Make this a sacred practice, without guilt.
When the world feels like it’s closing in, build sovereign space. Use your splendid imagination and go to a place of beauty and wonder and safety. Be with the ancestors and the Beloved, and with yourself.
When you need guidance, rest in wisdom. Get quiet and let your deepest wisdom speak to you with compassion and care. Let it mother you. And do the next right thing.
When you feel helpless, activate power. Remember who benefits from your inaction. Go to the people, places, and stories that revive your sense of agency.
When you are enraged, harness rage as a source of energy and information. Move that energy through your body and decide how to direct it. Refuse to surrender your humanity.
When overwhelmed by grief, remember that we can bear the unbearable when we grieve together. Reach out to people and be with them. Trust the power this holds.
When you witness suffering, choose courage. Go outside and let the beauty of the earth breathe into you, and ask: “Who do I want to be?” Do what love demands.
When you wonder what all your work is for, become victory. Measure success not by outcomes but by your faithfulness to the labor of love.
And when the world feels like it’s ending, embrace rebirth.