Show notes
Our world consists of a multi-faith and multi-cultural society. The different belief systems make us unique individuals—whether you believe in ancient practices or religions. One common ground that all religions and cultures coincide with is the concept of spirituality—aiming to connect ourselves with the natural wonders. As we appreciate nature, we question our true purpose as temporary inhabitants of the Earth. In this episode, Quiara Alegria Hudes dives deep into her book, My Broken Language. She shares the origin of her title and how her childhood shaped the voice that she uses now. Stories about her and her family’s spiritual journey offer insights into your own realizations in life. Connect with Quiara and her powerful words to realize that your story matters as well. Join Quiara and Rosie if you want to learn more about embodying your relationship with yourself and others and the energy within you! This episode is brought to you by: Dispea Visit www.dispea.com/loved to get a 30 day free trial! Tonal: www.tonal.com Try tonal for 30 days risk free! Get $100 OFF all smart accessories with promo code: ROSIE OMAZE www.omaze.com use code loved Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: 1.Find freedom in your own uniqueness with Quiara’s inspiring stories. 2.Connect and accept natural chaos as a part of your life. Learn to use it to make powerful creations. 3.Embody your inner energy and let your voice be heard. Resources ●Connect with Quiara Alegria Hudes: Portfolio | Website | Instagram ●My Broken Language by Quiara Alegria Hudes: Book | Audiobook ●The Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santeria by Dr. Marta Moreno Vega ●Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Dr. Peter Levine ●Create a daily meditation ritual in just seven days! Download BUILD YOUR DAILY MEDITATION RITUAL and other freebies on the Radically Loved website! ●FREE workbook! Apply the lessons you learn from this episode as you listen! Sign up at RadicallyLoved.com, and I’ll send it right away! Episode Highlights My Broken Language ●My Broken Language is a memoir of Quiara’s early childhood to the moment she came of age as an adult woman. ●The title comes from her growing up surrounded by different languages. ●Languages she had encountered included oral, musical, spiritual, and visual languages. ●Quiara had to decide how she wanted to speak as she grew older. Quiara’s Background ●Quiara comes from a mixed background. Her family is large and diverse. ●Her parent’s separation split her reality between the two different backgrounds of her parents. ●She found the Buddhist practices of her mother’s side magical. It showed her joy in the midst of horrific times. ●On the other hand, her father’s life in the suburbs was the ideal American Dream life that displayed order over chaos. Concealing Chaos ●Quiara felt that there was a design to the suburbs that concealed the natural chaos of life. She knew that life wasn’t about order. ●She had moments wherein she was lost in herself. During these times, she flowed with the pandemonium of life. ●The suffering of her family on her mother’s side emulated a real and honest human experience, which was facing life and death. ●Her family perceived their bodies as a “church”. No matter where or how they live, they live genuinely with their own church. Chaos as a Part of Life ●Experiencing life is like art. The experience comprises calm and beauty, as well as chaos. ●The energy of life either can be tranquil or intense as the tsunami. ●Having both serenity and extremity in your life gives you a fully saturated experience. Quiara recommends trying to harness the energy that comes from it. ●She learned this from her mother as she found her path to be crowned as a priestess. ●With natural energy, you can see the different forces of nature at work—both the beautiful and the terrifying. Writing Her Memoir ●Quiara started writing her memoir at the end of 2019. ●Similar to Quiara, many writers worry about the accuracy of their memories Despite not remembering the details of her childhood, she remembers the feeling of the moment. ●Writing her memoir was not about listing events in her life, but narrating her growth throughout those years. ●She was protective when writing about her loved ones but was more critical about herself. It allowed her to understand herself in carrying through her life. ●The book was also a way for her to bring awareness to social issues surrounding her family. Reading the Completed Book ●Reading it aloud on Audiobook made her appreciate all the voice actors who brought her book to life. ●A scene in her book that stuck with her is a moment in 1995 when her class was talking about welfare queens. ●During that time, she felt angry about the situation. Reading it in her book brought back the unpleasant feelings. Connecting Through Stories ●Rosie shares her own similar experience of hate and racism in the grocery store with her abuelita. ●The starting quote of her book is about how words have magic and power. Quiara’s story made Rosie feel seen. ●You can’t confine yourself in a box. For many, identity and labeling are elements that shouldn’t be limited. ●Quiara found freedom in her varying cultures. She realized didn’t have to fit into certain standards as her own person. Quiara’s Spiritual Journey ●Quiara’s faith is earth-based and body-based. She inherited this from the Puerto Rican culture and practices. ●She watched her sister giving birth to her own child. For her, the experience channels different energy than giving birth herself. ●Despite being in different places, they came together to help her sister go through labor. ●That moment of coming together in their church felt sacred to Quiara. Body and Spirit ●Quiara thinks that America is a very disembodied nation in a spiritual and philosophical sense. ●The nation is very mind-driven and tends to surrender its body and spirit. This can be unhealthy ●Her sister’s experience at a birth center gave her a new view on consent, especially in medical practice. ●People should pay more attention to consent in medicine. The power of your voice is often underestimated. ●Don’t lock your emotions into your body. Even in a disembodied society, embodiment through movement is important The Importance of Embodiment ●Words can often be inadequate to a physical form of processing. ●Social media reduces relationships to words. It lacks the vibe and spirit that are integral parts of relationships. ●Her mother’s spiritual practice involved the use of drums. Quiara started to feel her spiritual connection through the drum beatings and dancing. ●The drum is the voice or heart within you. The body and our movement are physical manifestations of the drum. ●Quiara was able to witness amazing manifestations of power from her family’s spiritual practice How Quiara Feels Radically Loved ●Quiara feels radically loved in many ways. ●It’s fulfilling for her when she accepts support from others. 5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode [10:57] “What happened in those moments was that I was able to ride the chaos of life, in a way that created a tremendous flow and power. I was able to harness the chaos that was around entries of life.” [16:40] “You learn about the human spirit by seeing the forces in nature and how they work. It's not all rainbows and butterflies, that's part of nature. But there's also the lightning strike, and there's also the whirlwind.” [18:44] “But the truth is, we do remember our bodies. I remember the feeling of that time—of that moment. That is a form of memory. I'm not trying to construct a timeline of events. I'm trying to tell a story about growth.” [31:33] “It's freedom because you can't be confined in one space. For me, there's just no box that's 100% accurate. Questions of identity and labeling— there aren't boxes where they are 100% accurate.” [47:30] “Writers know more than anyone how inadequate words are in the face of human accomplishment and torment, and heart and spirit.” About Quiara Quiara Alegria Hudes is an author and playwright of award-winning books, essays, films, and musicals. A strong advocate for giving voice to minority groups, Quiara started Emancipated Stories with her cousin to share the stories of those behind bars with the world. A few of her award-winning works include Water By the Spoonful, My Broken Language, and In the Heights. Quiara grew up as a native of West Philly, USA, and now lives in Washington Heights, NY with her family. She continues her maternal family legacy for writing music and plays. Aside from music and arts, she focuses on the spiritual legacy of the Taína-Lukumí-Boricua she learned from her mother, a recognized Santera and shaman. Learn more about her through her website and her memoir, My Broken Language.