The Wild and Wise

Illness as a Rite of Passage with Lara Veleda Vesta

Season 2

ep. #31  
This conversation and episode is truly one of Mallika's favorite of all time. Lara Veleda Vesta is an author and illistrator, exploring  dís-ability, rites of passage, ancestral mythology, folklore and the sacred creative.  She lives with Myalgic Encephalomeylitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a disease caused by viruses and inflammation with an infectious trigger.  Prior to her illness, Lara was a university professor teaching classes in English and writing and a PhD student in Philosophy and Religion. 
Lara's deep work and knowledge of integrating difficult initiatory experiences, expanded by her use of ritual, research and linguistics, help her blend a beautiful weaving of return to old ways, old knowing and the deep peace that is available to us all. 


Explored in this episode:  

  • Why narrative is so important to healing 
  • Stages of initiation and rite of passage 
  • Finding the joy available in healing 
  • Reorienting our job/to-dos to come from spirit and ancestors 
  • Sacred life is available to any one of us 
  • Collective rite of passage this past year 
  • Redefining our values and letting things go 
  • How do we know when we are on a "return" 
  • Ritualizing every aspect of the passage 
  • Grief is part of the return and integration of the passage 
  • Silence is integral for sacred work 
  • The potency of being together in a ceremonial frame 
  • Illness and disability were hallmarks of initiation in historic stories 
  • The opportunity and communication that comes through as symptoms of illness 
  • How to stay out of resistance to pain and other difficult symptoms 
  • The power and potential of the millions of people who are ill or living with disability 
  • What is your super power?

Quotes from Lara:
"We need each other's stories so we can know what's survivable."

"What I have found useful is ritualizing every aspect of the process."



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