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Sometimes, we fall: Together Through Life's Ups and Downs | Day 311 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Nov 8, 2023

Sometimes, we fall.

So, this was the day I had to take my husband out for a walk because he was imploding. It happened just before I imploded myself. Is it the cultural chock, or the days that have passed without us completing half of the many things we planned to do while at Playa, or is it just something that randomly happens now and then?

I am not sure.

But we have got each other's backs. In the morning, it was Jesper; in the afternoon, it was me. Fair enough.

So we went for a walk to talk a bit, and returning, we stopped to see a shop where they sell art from the Huichol people.

This art was originally made with plant color, as far as I understand, colored yarn pressed in resin. Later on, came the glass pearls.

This art form took the place of written language and of religious communication in the tribe that still speaks their original language, thank God. So do I! I am holding on to my Danish language and fighting to keep my children bilingual (without the other language than English becoming Spanish!).

Also, I learned the connection between the patterns and peyote and how the hallucinatory state of mind, under the influence of mescaline, creates the basis for talking to the Gods and receiving images.

I am in no place to say hallucinations are not messages from the Gods.

How could I be? I am sure the Gods broadcast in many ways, and also, I have no doubt taking mind-altering drugs might lower our barriers to receiving and tuning in our listening apparatus so that we can HEAR, or in this case, SEE.

So, are the fantastic patterns and beautiful colors of much Mexican art resulting from a tradition of journeying into altered states of mind?

I am not sure. The truth is probably more complex than that.

And so we went back; after talking, hugging, and enjoying some art, we had put Jesper back on track.

Love and art are a powerful couple to heal us when we are wounded.

With love

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Cecilie Conrad

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Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad. I'm a trained psychologist, mother of four, radical unschooler and full-time traveller. I have lived with unschooling for over a decade and help other families find their own path – whether it is about homeschooling, unschooling, or the bigger question of how you want to live as a family.

I offer guidance, conversations and talks. I call my work grandmothering – not coaching in the traditional sense, but presence, professional insight and concrete help navigating motherhood and finding your way home to your own values.

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