Sacred Reflections

A Participatory Altar for Healing and Liberation

"The work of healing is not just individual, but collective. We must create communities of care and resistance."

- Cara Page

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Welcome to our interactive altar space for reflection, healing, and collective action. This sacred space has been an invitation to pause, to breathe, and to bear witness to the stories of those impacted by the traumas of incarceration.

Now, as you engage with the prompts and activities offered here, we encourage you to approach with an open heart and a willingness to listen deeply to your inner wisdom and the experiences of others. This altar is a reminder that we are interconnected in the work of healing and liberation, and that our individual reflections and actions have the power to create ripples of change in the world.

We invite you to light a virtual candle, journal privately, leave an offering of words or prayer, and join in the collective work of building sanctuary spaces for the Black body. May this be a space of nourishment, connection, and transformation for all who enter.

1

Write a personal story of a time when you felt seen, heard, or held in a sacred space. What made that experience transformative for you? 

2

Reflect on the role of ancestral wisdom in your own life. How do you honor and connect with those who came before you? 

3

What does the concept of sanctuary mean to you? How can you contribute to creating sanctuary spaces in your own community? 

4

Write a letter to your younger self, offering the wisdom, love, and support you needed during a challenging time. 

5

Engage in a dialogue with a family member or friend about the impact of incarceration, racism, or trauma on your community. Share what you've learned from this exhibition and listen deeply to their experiences and perspectives. 

6

Challenge yourself to examine your own biases and assumptions when it comes to the criminal justice system and the Black body. What steps can you take to educate yourself and join with other justice seekers to create a more equitable and compassionate world?

7

Create a personal altar or sacred space in your home, dedicating it to your own healing journey and the collective work of liberation.

Share your reflections.

What’s possible when we create sanctuary?

  • “Becoming free from fear.”

  • “When we create sanctuary for the Black body we can pursue our dreams without limits.”

  • “Sanctuary for our Blackness would allow us to reconnect with our origins, work through our traumas, and work towards reaching our full potential as a race without fear of judgment, jealousy, or backlash.”

  • “Healing, nourishment, and improvement are all possible if we protect the Black body. Protecting the Black body will begin by revitalizing our communities, changing our approaches to life, and understanding that this will take all of us working together.”

  • “Anything is possible! But the ability to move forward is beyond profound once we create sanctuary within our bodies...”

  • “A huge, crucial step to create sanctuary for our collective Black body is global reparations for what we have endured and continue to endure as a people. Reparations must include truth and reconciliation acts in all nations. What is possible? Any and all good things. Asé. Blessings and Love.”

  • “We create sanctuary by creating our own space, our own homes, land, and property. Within that we need our own businesses and schools. We need to create our own Utopia. Within that Utopia we create our own security, teachers, builders, and more. Here we will find a Safe Haven, our own nest, our Sanctuary.”

  • “We create sanctuary by creating Healing Lands—places where people go to do healing work. When people are healed from their traumas then we can begin to move forward with Nation Building.”

  • “We create our sanctuary through community, education, empathetic listening, and openness.”

  • “We breathe, and we allow! Miracles happen.”

CHAPTERS:

1
REQUIEM FOR
A NEST

Confronting the wounds and ethics of the Black Exhale Nest project.

2
CREATING SANCTUARY

Witnessing the process of building sacred space for healing and remembrance.

3
VOICES OF RESILIENCE

Bearing witness to the stories of system-impacted Black men and gender non-conforming people.

4
HONORING
THE ANCESTORS

Recognizing the ancestral presence
that guides and sustains the work of
healing and liberation.

5
SACRED REFLECTIONS

Engaging in personal reflection and collective action through an interactive altar space.

6
EDUCATE YOURSELF

Exploring resources that align with the themes of collective trauma, healing, and resilience.