When I first met Christena Cleveland, it was love at first sight. I was so blown away by her book God Is A Black Woman, that I was quite nervous to talk to the book's author. But the moment I saw Christena's beaming smile, which lowered my heart rate and calmed my soul, I knew I had nothing to fear and everything to gain.
She gifted us with ideas about a Holy No, and a Sacred Mess.
Christena became a member of the Missing Witches Coven, and as we got to know her, we fell even more deeply in love and humbly asked if she would be generous and gracious enough to write the foreword for our upcoming book New Moon Magic. Christena delivered an amazing piece of work which ties magic to Gestalt psychology (we cannot wait for you to read it - coming Spetember 2023).
Now we have an opportunity to share the light of Christena's latest project: Shameless Liberation. We hope you'll register for this important (FREE!) program so you can get to know Christena and fall in love with her as we have - so you can better know yourself, and fall in love with You as we have. Below is the program description, sent to us by Christena and her team.
Introducing: Shameless Liberation
Guided by Dr. Christena Cleveland (@christenacleveland), a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist, we will embark on 28 Days of Shameless Liberation by bringing self-love and self-compassion to the part of our race story that shame has tried to colonize. This is a FREE four-week program where Dr. Cleveland will share fourteen powerful reflection exercises every other day via email and then we will have the opportunity to share our reflections with the greater Shameless Liberation community.
To join visit www.shamelessliberation.com
Many of us long to be agents of racial justice who can skillfully and courageously liberate ourselves, our communities, and our world. But time and again, shame – the belief that we are unworthy of love and belonging – has prevented earnest people from doing the actual work of racial liberation. Not surprisingly, as we awaken to the reality of white supremacy and how it impacts us, we experience quite a bit of shame. But unlike guilt, which often motivates us to authentically tend to relationships, shame penetrates our core and makes us want to hide our truest selves from others. Regardless of our racial identity or the specific shame we carry – when we most need help, when we feel hindered in our liberation work, when we are afraid, when we don’t know what to do next, or when we have caused harm and don’t know how to make amends – it is SHAME that prevents us for reaching out to ask for help. Yet there is good news: since shame is a learned behavior, it can be unlearned and even transformed! Shameless Liberation is a series of programs that strategically empower justice advocates to cultivate racial identities that are free of shame and other toxic emotions while also sharpening their resilient leadership skills.
Our first Shameless Liberation offering launches on February 1 at the start of Black History Month and is FREE FREE FREE!
28 Days of Shameless Liberation: Uncovering Your Race Story
Since shame is the learned belief that we are unworthy of love and belonging, we possess the power to unlearn and transform this belief. But in order to do that, we need to explore precisely how shame has partnered with white supremacy in our particular race stories. That’s why we created 28 Days of Shameless Liberation: Uncovering Your Race Story. Over the course of this FREE, four-week program, we will share fourteen engaging reflection exercises that empower you to gently excavate the shame in your race story. If you’re thinking that this sounds dreadfully dour, don’t fret! Each exercise is paired with a transformative, shame-busting affirmation that will help you bring self-love and self-compassion to the part of your race story that shame has tried to colonize. Even more, since shame is powerfully transformed when we cease to hide it, each day you will be invited to share your unfolding race story with the Shameless Liberation community and/or your personal community. And throughout it all, the Shameless Liberation community will be cheering you on and celebrating your uniquely sacred race story. Together we can unlearn and transform shame as we move toward racial liberation!
