where are you turning for soul nourishment / joy / aliveness?
Laughing (from the belly, that whole body cackle) with the people I love. Those moments of mundanity (a spontaneous
trip to the movies on a sleepy Tuesday night, the “I got too much chicken from costco, do you want any?” DM, the texted memes in the middle of the night that remind me I’m not so alone in this world) with those I cherish, who cherish me right back.
what is a text you hold sacred?
Graffiti murals in my beautiful hometown of Oakland, CA / America Chavez comics // Romans 8:38-39
what is a spiritual practice currently sustaining you?
reading under the trees at Lake Merritt
how would you describe the work you feel called to do in this world (even if it is not the work you get paid for)?
I am called to make my corner of the world a little better – meaning a little safer, a little more fun, a little more joyful, hopeful. I am called to build so that we can be – free of the oppressive isms, from what keeps us from one another.
knowing that none of us “has it all together,” what is one question you are wrestling with, or bit of wisdom you are struggling to enflesh in your daily life?
The nagging thought of constant self improvement. Always having to be working on something, developing, growing, healing. The capitalist mindset for “more” that the world runs on is exhausting.
who is one elder / ancestor / mentor whose guidance you draw from? what is one piece of wisdom they have offered?
My mom is the bravest person I’ve ever met. She reminds me to fight like hell for my peace, ain’t no one gonna give it to me but me.
what’s one oppressive untruth you are practicing unlearning / divesting from?
Unlearning love as codependence and love as static. Love exists in relationship and relationships change, people change. And of course, as Ms. Octavia Butler says, “God is change!
what is one thing you wish were required listening / viewing?
Every single TikTok of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. Her album and artistry has gotten me through profound grief while inviting me to partake in glorious, uninhibited queer joy.
share your spiritual biography in 10 words, or less:
where there is death, there is resurrection.
any of your website and/or social media handles you’d like us to include / highlight?
I help non profit organizations decolonize their boards of directors and resource development practices. Check out my work at www.rootbloomoak.com and follow me on IG at @belen_510_