14. Indigenous Holistic Psychologies and Ancestral Wisdom with Elmina Bell

“Don't shrink the power of your cultures and ancestors to fit into oppressive systems” - Elmina Bell Have you been curious about ancestral healing but unsure how to engage? Most of us have been disconnected from our ancestors through colonialism, but that doesn’t mean we can’t access the wisdom that lives on through us. This week I had the huge privilege of getting to talk with Elmina Bell of Mulema Alchemy. In this episode, we talk about re-thinking psychiatric diagnoses from a holistic indigenous perspective. We discuss practical ways to engage with our ancestors. We talk about colonial oppression, racism and how we’re each called to do the work of dismantling oppression in different ways according to our unique gifts and calling, how we can re-center spirit in mental health work, de-center whiteness in astrology and how to prepare for the upcoming eclipse season in sidereal Libra. Elmina Bell (she/they) hails from Indigenous African parents from the Indigenous Bantu Sawa/Subu peoples of coastal, southwest Cameroon in Central Africa, and the Ewe peoples of Togo West Africa and was born and raised in the United States. Elmina is multiply neurodivergent/neuroexpansive person who centers Indigenous holistic psychologies and cosmologies for improved mental health, community building, and for the dismantling of oppressive colonial capitalistic societal systems that are at the root of health and housing disparities. Their work as a trained trauma-informed peer support facilitator, crisis counselor, tropical and sidereal astrologer, sound healer, and medium, is guided by Mulema Alchemy. Mulema means heart in the  Indigenous Sawa languages of her parents and she believes in the transformative, alchemical power of the heart. https://mulemaalchemy.wordpress.com/about-mulema-alchemy/  Links: Get bonus episodes on substack! ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://depthwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love in the Depths, a symposium held by Depth Psychologists of Color in honor of ancestor bell hooks Saturday October 22nd 10am-12:30 PST https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bell-hooks-love-in-the-depths-registration-382331161797  Hye Won Hye: A Roundtable Decolonizing and Re-Indigenizing Mars Themes by Sankofa Rising Indigenous Astro-Saturday November 12th from 1-4pm EST https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hye-won-hye-a-roundtable-decolonizing-and-re-indigenizing-mars-themes-tickets-437466844107 NOTE FROM ELMINA: Sidereal Astrology actually gave me an opportunity to look at ways I can develop roots and foundational astral interpretations that can be applicable regardless of climate while honoring locality. There’s something foundational in Sidereal that works closely with constellations that were used long ago and shares similarities with fixed stars which is the type of astrology that all indigenous societies used. I talk about this more through Sankofa Rising Indigenous Astro, a community and podcast with Black/POC astrologers using Indigenous cosmologies, healing justice, and decolonial approaches.  Find more at : https://www.instagram.com/sankofarising_indigenousastro/ Disclaimer: The DEPTH Work Podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Information on this podcast in no way to be construed or substituted as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy or medical advice.

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