Audio Introduction
Hello and welcome to “becoming a refugee in the time of covid.” my name is guy duperreault.
Playlists if you would like music as you listen to the audio
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YouTube Talk
Today I am reading from a 2023 essay that I edited significantly in the last week. It looks at our words as spells. And as such demands careful expression, mindfulness at the most profound yogic level. With twenty plus years of examining and then removing from my vocabulary six words in particular, the changes upgraded my life in ways that have been so powerful that they are in some ways pretty much ineffable, wordless. This essay is a summary of my refined examination of those ubiquitous powerfully disempowering spell words. And I argue why they are disempowering and why they are ubiquitous despite their pernicious nature.
For me their removal from my vocabulary more than twenty years ago created a profound change in my life, my energy in life, and my relationships. In the beginning the changes were subtle. And now it has seen in me an expansive empowerment and the ability to live strongly, bodily, boldly, responsively and responsibly with agency and authority in this exact moment.
Very recently I had the profound realisation that these words invisibly contradict the yogic principles of the first two Yamas, ahimsa and satya — do no violence in mind or action and speak and act with truthfulness. These words, as you will see by their very nature, violate these ethical practices and do so invisibly because we are bullies being bullied in a social construct I recently understood as being full blown Bully Stockholm Syndrome.
I have included in my audio post the key links from this essay and the hyperlink to the written essay which has, of course, all links and the graphics.
Also if you are inclined to, I offer courses that include practices to enact these ideas and much more yoga and mind-body exercises that effectively bring into ourselves full empowerment as humans with the agency to change our lives effectively and to significantly change life around us with much less effort than you might imagine. Please message me if you would like to join me.
The original text version has all the graphics and links if you would like to read or to read along with the audio.
For those who prefer Soundcloud
Some of the Links Referenced
Robert Pirsig Reality Graphic Tree
My' Wording’ Gambol with Nagarjuna’s ‘Walking’ Verse
🙏 If this essay gave you some pleasure, and/or an ‘aha’,
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All the best with what is changing. Everything changes.
With peace, respect, love and exuberant joy. 🙏
Request for Help
In July of 2024 I had unexpected pacemaker surgery that cleaned out my savings.
I requested donations to help me through the pinch. I anticipate that my immediate threat of insolvency will be cleared before the end of the year.
I recorded this November 1st, 2024. If you come to this essay before January 1, 2025, and you are in position to help and would like to, you can check out the details of that in the link in the post. Once my yoga based trauma recovery centre is given the green light with confirmation of my residency, I anticipate the need for immediate financial help will disappear. As the situation changes I will update my requirements. At this time, I’m about 1/3 of what I anticipate is required. So if you are curious and would like to help me, please consider my request for donations and give an amount, if you are called to do so, that gives you joy. I appreciate and am grateful for considering me.
I am grateful that you have generously shared your time with me and this essay!
All the best with what is changing. Everything changes! With peace, respect, love and exuberant joy.
🙏❤️🧘♂️☯️🧘♂️❤️🙏
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