You are divine.
You have sovereignty over your body.
You don’t belong to the systems.
You must be subversive.
Rest is a spiritual practice.
Care is a spiritual practice.
Your body has information only accessible via rest.
When we begin the process of deprogramming from the brainwashing of capitalism and white supremacy, we must rest in a slow and meticulous way. This is a life-long unraveling. Softness and ease opens up to us when we embrace this as a pilgrimage. Nothing needs to be rushed. Nothing is urgent.
We must know that everyone who has survived this far into a global pandemic is exhausted deeply. We must know that everyone who has survived this far into a toxic, crumpling Empire is exhausted deeply and possibly disconnected from their own bodies. Can you intentionally decrease your output mote? Can you lay off requesting things and unnecessary calls and emails? Can you say no more? Can you process the grief that is so thick in our hearts and minds right now? Will you slow down to feel and listen? Can you take a nap? Can you put your phone on Do Not Disturb? Can you generally move slower? Can you allow and make space for others to move slower? Can you daydream for a few minutes each day? Can you imagine a world liberated from the evils of capitalism? Can you imagine what it would feel like to be rested and free? Can you daydream again? Can you find silence?
Begin to dislike urgency for non-urgent things. Urgency is a tool of the oppressor. Begin to examine how much grind culture has affected your self- esteem and self- worth. You are enough now. Your worth is not tied to how much you produce for a capitalist system.
You don’t have to wait for the systems to give you permission to rest. Your resting is a balm for an exhausted world. Your rest is a resistance. Your rest is tender care. To imagine a New World centered on liberation, rest must be our foundation. How will we be able to invent, restore, repair, build and imagine from an exhausted state? It's not possible. Our machine level pace has never been sustainable. It's time to sustain. It's time to thrive. It's time to flourish. It's time to re-imagine what rest can be. It’s time to disrupt capitalism and white supremacy by resting. It’s time to snatch rest.
We Will Rest!
You have sovereignty over your body.
You don’t belong to the systems.
You must be subversive.
Rest is a spiritual practice.
Care is a spiritual practice.
Your body has information only accessible via rest.
When we begin the process of deprogramming from the brainwashing of capitalism and white supremacy, we must rest in a slow and meticulous way. This is a life-long unraveling. Softness and ease opens up to us when we embrace this as a pilgrimage. Nothing needs to be rushed. Nothing is urgent.
We must know that everyone who has survived this far into a global pandemic is exhausted deeply. We must know that everyone who has survived this far into a toxic, crumpling Empire is exhausted deeply and possibly disconnected from their own bodies. Can you intentionally decrease your output mote? Can you lay off requesting things and unnecessary calls and emails? Can you say no more? Can you process the grief that is so thick in our hearts and minds right now? Will you slow down to feel and listen? Can you take a nap? Can you put your phone on Do Not Disturb? Can you generally move slower? Can you allow and make space for others to move slower? Can you daydream for a few minutes each day? Can you imagine a world liberated from the evils of capitalism? Can you imagine what it would feel like to be rested and free? Can you daydream again? Can you find silence?
Begin to dislike urgency for non-urgent things. Urgency is a tool of the oppressor. Begin to examine how much grind culture has affected your self- esteem and self- worth. You are enough now. Your worth is not tied to how much you produce for a capitalist system.
You can rest. You can rest now. You can rest. You can rest now. You can rest.
You don’t have to wait for the systems to give you permission to rest. Your resting is a balm for an exhausted world. Your rest is a resistance. Your rest is tender care. To imagine a New World centered on liberation, rest must be our foundation. How will we be able to invent, restore, repair, build and imagine from an exhausted state? It's not possible. Our machine level pace has never been sustainable. It's time to sustain. It's time to thrive. It's time to flourish. It's time to re-imagine what rest can be. It’s time to disrupt capitalism and white supremacy by resting. It’s time to snatch rest.
We Will Rest!
Tricia Hersey
She/ Her/ Hers
Atlanta, GA
Tricia Hersey is a Chicago native living in Atlanta with over 20 years of experience collaborating with communities as a performance and installation artist, theater maker, theologian and community organizer. She is the founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that examines rest as a form of resistance and reparations by curating spaces for the community to rest via Collective Napping Experiences, immersive workshops and performance art installations. Her research interests include Black liberation theology, womanism, somatics, and cultural trauma. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Her work has been seen at: MOCA Cleveland, School of the Art Institute Chicago, Speed Museum, Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport and organizations nationwide and internationally. You can follow The Nap Ministry on all social media platforms at @thenapministry and her website is triciahersey.com.
She/ Her/ Hers
Atlanta, GA
Tricia Hersey is a Chicago native living in Atlanta with over 20 years of experience collaborating with communities as a performance and installation artist, theater maker, theologian and community organizer. She is the founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that examines rest as a form of resistance and reparations by curating spaces for the community to rest via Collective Napping Experiences, immersive workshops and performance art installations. Her research interests include Black liberation theology, womanism, somatics, and cultural trauma. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Her work has been seen at: MOCA Cleveland, School of the Art Institute Chicago, Speed Museum, Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport and organizations nationwide and internationally. You can follow The Nap Ministry on all social media platforms at @thenapministry and her website is triciahersey.com.