“Aang waan”
I have to thank a friend for introducing me to this phrase. A Unangan Alaska Native greeting, it translates as, “Hello my other self.”
We seem to be seeing chaos the world over now. Here in the UK today emotions are high following the election results. To so many, the outcome seems catastrophic. Perhaps it is. Who can really know? Who is to say how all of this plays out?
Perhaps it is as so many spiritual leaders and communities are saying, that the old ways and systems are crumbling and that part of that process is for things to become unbelievably insane. The darkness before the dawn.
Though at times it may feel impossible, faced perhaps with someone whose worldview seems disgustingly inhumane, we can help ourselves by remembering this greeting as often as we are able. To remember that before our political opinions and before all of our conditioning, there is something that we share. To remember that when we greet another, in the deepest sense, we are greeting ourselves.
Will this always be possible? Will it make everything better? No. But at the very least, hearing this greeting within your heart as you encounter people through the day can bring on a wave of compassion and a willingness to seek to understand that might not have been there before. It can dissolve anger and open spaces for communication. It can be a little doorway into a different experience.
Love and courage,
Leah
Leave a Reply