Syrian Sistars

In this episode of Syrian Sistars, we tell one of millions of Syrian stories of a time, ten years ago, on the brink of possibility and hope, when people we love took a stand against a brutal regime. We reflect back on those moments of the early Syrian Revolution. We look at how the Syrian struggle became one that moved beyond and through the borders of Syria and beyond and that continues on today in the work of Women Now for Development, Mazaya Center, the White Helmets, and so many others. We read a poem called "lost behind the sun," reflect on our fallen martyrs, and read a letter from the Syrian revolutionary Ghaith Matar. We reflect on two divine names of god, ar-Rahman and ar-Ra'uf in our new Divine interfemmetion segment.

We're back and we're feelin a lot about our feelins! Banah reads a poem called “if the people should one day choose life,” which will be published in the forthcoming @afghanpunkmagazine. Zhe talks about how to make spaces of freedom when we are unfree in the material world cuz “it's a caravan, not a sprint.” As Banah says “the more we can cultivate spaces of freedom for ourselves, even when we're unfree in the larger world, we can time travel to a world where we are free.” Weyam talks about how to commit to non-harming when you've been hurt in a day to day way. Weyam shares an old Arab Muallaqat by Amr Ibn Kulthum where a Bedouin tribe leader cuts off the head of a king because his mom got insulted (too real). Banah shares the holy Assyrian & Sumerian story of Ereshkigal & Nergal, and how turning toward pleasure, turning your feelings might be the key to getting free. As Weyam says “If we're going to survive as a literal species through increasing climate crisis, displacement, and refugeedom, we have to be able to metabolize experiences of senses of violation to our dignity faster and more absolutely, not in just a superficial way. And the way you do that is by completely feeling every feeling. The injustice, the oppression, the smallness, the pain, the love beneath the pain that makes you feel the anger, and fully feeling it until it moves. " songs & plugs: Nia by Oum Itha al Sha'ab Yawman Arad al Hayat Turning toward Conflict Workbook: https://www.weyamhealing.com/offerings

Trigger warnings for mention of anti-Black violence and misogynoir. In this episode we uplift and honor recently departed Black ancestors. We talk about the concept of sanctuary and tap into the frequency of freedom. What does it feel like to be free? We explore some of the root causes of racism and anti-Blackness and talk about the spiritual wounds that need to be healed. The names of God we reflect on in this episode are المغني -the one who can bestow or can enrich richness, and الغني-the abundant infinite richness of creation We talk about inviting those qualities of liberation when you're feeling overwhelmed and fatigued. We talk about the Quran verse إن الله لا يغير ما بقوم حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم That God does not change the world until we change ourselves. We ruminate on Surat al Doha, parallel realities, time travel, and share a meditation to connect with the abundance of creation. We end with the story of Tiamat, the primordial Babylonian dark mother ocean goddesses whose body creates heaven and earth. Shoutout to @Blkgirlsanctuary on Instagram who we mention as creating sanctuaries for Black femmes Music: Syrian blues by Tootard Infinite Universe by Beautiful Chorus

“No amount of violence is more powerful than our words.” In this episode we talk about voice and speaking up in conflict. There is always enough space for all of us to speak. And new paths open up once we let ourselves be with discomfort. We talk about conflict as a means for growth and how we can only grow to the extent that we turn towards our unhealed wounds...starting with ourselves. We talked about why we use goddess cosmologies from our region, and share the story of the Egyptian Lion goddess Sekhmet and what she teaches us about the false scarcity of power, connecting her story with recent developments in Syrian politics. Write in to syriansistars@gmail.com with your stories of quarantine conflicts- successes & failures & with any other comments or thoughts! Other Notes: Layla of River Rose rememberance and the SWANA ancestral hub can be found here: https://www.riverroseremembrance.com/ http://www.swanaancestralhub.org/ Gitanjali Hemp is a master energy teacher of the Syntara system - https://www.syntarasystem.com Book we referred to: Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the 99 Names of Allah by Wali Ali Meyer, Bilal Hyde, Faisal Muqaddam, Shabda Kahn More info on the Guernica 37 and the charges against Rami Makhlouf:- https://www.guernica37.com/post/guernica-37-press-statement The Arabic saying is و من لم يمت بسيفي مات بغيره تعددت الأسباب والموتُ واحدُ Sednaya Prison is a famous prison for political prisoners of conscience in Syria. According to Amnesty and grassroots human rights orgs in Syria, as many as 13,000 people have been hanged to death by the Assad regime in Sednaya between September 2011 and December 2015. Their bodies were found in mass graves. Music: 06:38 - "The Taste of Love" by Rim Banna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz7uY9wXK5g 17:27 - Adhan (Call to Prayer) by Mai Kamal: https://fineacts.co/bahia-shehab 24:26 & 45:12 - "The Daughter" by Felukah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UepVEA-Aw-g

In episode 1 of Syrian Sistars, we share poems, dreams, thikrs, and ancient goddess stories from our region. We ask: what are the places I can't imagine healing and how can I begin to tend to those places? We talk about Anwar al Bunni, a Syrian human rights lawyer, who opened a court case against members of the Assad regime. We talk about curses and how they can karmically bind you to the perpetrator-and an ancient Sumerian legend where this happens. The ancestors told me in a dream before uploading this podcast: It's not your job to change the people who harmed you. God is all forgiving & can do that work. So these are ancient tales about the interlocking nature of karma and transformation, and how a mother goddess initiates a justice process in her own way. It does not mean we should act like Ninhursag. Instead it is a roadmap from 5,000 years ago that raises questions about how this process looks differently for everyone.  In the last half we discuss 6 of the 99 names of God that are meant to be chanted. In Syria, the Assad regime has displaced 13 million + people. Our family and community lost their homes, many survived chemical weapons and relentless bombs, for wanting revolution. We need to imagine a world where we stitch it all back together again. We will return to Syria and we must begin to envision a reparations process in order for it to be possible. In the journey to liberation, when all else fails, we can start with ourselves, slowly forgiving ourselves for the things we hold against us, things that get stuck in our energetic bodies. We channel the divine nature of our Creator to help us through that journey. As Black feminist writer Toni Cade Bambara put it, ‘the revolution begins in the self, with the self.' So as we fight for accountability in larger world systems, we also begin the work of reaching in ourselves & liberating the parts of us longing to be free.  We center our pleasure & desires in those practices. We let loose the flow of divinity within us to create a more just and awakened world. Trigger warning: mentions of sexual violence and torture.  The chants we mention came via our teacher Gitanjali Hemp & the book Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the 99 Names of God.  يا غفار غفور-  Ya Ghaffar, Ya Ghaffur: the camel skin when it breaks, the beeswax that puts it back together. As you chant, find the energy in your voice, connect to that flavor of source energy. The words are divine mantra. These words of god are sacred to remind you of that divine quality of al Ghaffur within you. يا تواب - Ya Tawwab: The restorative transformative forgiveness that travels back in time and changes the conditions so that the harm was not possible. يا عفو- Ya 3afoo: Easeful forgiveness of a mother whose baby bites her. A natural grace. يا عزيز -يا منتقم- Ya Aziz, Ya Muntaqim: the alpha, the creator state of forgiveness that is all. A forgiveness that is the ultimate, no end and no beginning, absolute.  ------------------------- Other notes: Anwar al Bunni's brother is named Akram al Bunni, who is a prominent leftist writer. Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the 99 Names of God: https://physiciansoftheheart.com/ Gitanjali Hemp is a master energy healer whose work has influenced us: http://syntarasystem.com The Hymn of Nansha (clay tablet from 2144 BCE) and its associated rituals can be read here: http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4141.htm Our background music is  "Alihat" by Juliana Yazbeck. We do not own the rights to this material.