Flame Wars in Spiritual Spaces

During the summer of 2018, what happened behind the scenes of two online events exposed the painful fact that the wound of race is as present in the spiritual space as anywhere else. The run-up to both of these events sparked heated flame wars, contested on one side by white women with a history of promoting progressive causes and on the other side primarily by woman of color who perceived these events as reeking what some described as cultural appropriation and others described as racism masked by privilege.

One woman who described herself as triggered by these events is Wendy C. Williams, an African-American spiritual life coach and energy healer. In this podcast, Williams reflects on what went down during the run-up to ill-fated Urban Priestess Summit and Danielle LaPorte's Lighter program, lessons that each group might learn from their participation in the flame wars, the psychology of triggering and appropriate ways to react.

Williams also talks about growing up in a Jehovah’s Witness household, the emerging agency of African-American women, and how to harness spiritual power. In addition to having practiced spiritual counseling for the past decade, Williams has a degree in counseling psychology and has lived internationally.

Links: 

• Wendy’s site 
• Facebook background on the Urban Priestess Summit
• Facebook background on Lighter
• Diversity and Spirituality Network’s site
• Record a response to this episode
• Like the podcast? Support us on Patreon!

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“Back in the day...”

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The Poet, the Buddhist, the Transsexual

Esteemed poet Diana Goetsche talks about anti-gay and anti-trans attitudes within the American Buddhist community, how people fiercely protect the gender divide, and how her Vajrayāna practice sustained her during her transition. 

In between discussing these and other topics, she reads poetry from her eight collections, including the poem, Black People Can’t Swim, which merited her  the 2012  Pushcart Prize. Because of this and others work, Diana’s been cited as one of the few white poets willing to write on the subject of race. She also reads  from The Diana Updates, a series of letters to friends about her transition that was republished in The American Scholar.

In reaction to her American Scholar letters, she received supportive letters from people in all walks of life. “We are all, I was learning, in transition, people between people, longing to be fully ourselves. The only essential difference with my deal is that it’s glaringly obvious and can’t be hidden from anyone.”

A former varsity athlete and concert jazz dancer, poet with award-winning collections, a dedicated meditation practitioner and instructor, Goetsche is a multifaced advocate for America’s newest visible minority.

Links:

• Diana Goetsche’s site
• Her Life in Transition letters
• Diversity and Spirituality Network
• Record a comment about the episode
• Like the podcast? Support us on Patreon

 

Check out the Diversity and Spirituality’s newest podcast

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