What is Spirit Clown?
- I use the term “Spirit Clown” because Lukayo means “clown” and “trickster” in Tagalog. In Bikol, it means something even stranger…
- In this context, though, I understand myself as a clown that is sharing the stories of my mistakes and discoveries with others, and if that guides or supports growth in others, what a bonus! I understand myself as a trickster in that I am constantly trying to resist oppressive structures in everything I do, and I take that very seriously even as my vibe is very playful.
- The “spirit” part of Spirit Clown is rooted in pre-colonial indigenous forms of medicine and spirituality within Bikol and Tagalog culture, sometimes referred to with the word “animism” for English speakers. Though animism is understood as a belief that there is a “spirit” in everything around them, I think what the word doesn’t capture, or what most people don’t understand about it, is that it’s about being in “right relationship” with everything around you, whether it’s the land, the ancestors, the wind, your bedroom, your kitchen, your neighbourhood. “Right relationship” means you’re causing the least amount of harm possible, that there’s interdependence and reciprocity.
- So when put together, Spirit Clown is a being who builds right relationships with the other beings around them, while prioritizing playfulness and challenging oppression. This is what I aspire to and this is what I want to offer as a path for others.
- Spirit Clown sharings is not the following:
- Not a lesson or a teaching. Though it can be received as such, you may already know it in your body and spirit, so it may be more of a reminder.
- Not a healing session. Though it can be received as such and may be healing for some, many of us can’t be healed from ongoing oppression; often ongoing oppression needs to be resisted before healing can begin.
- Not an act of justice. Though it can lead to it by being aware of how to relate better with each other and how to organize coalitions against oppression.
- Not just entertainment. Though it can be fun, some of us require integrity instead of performativity, and for others, everything is a performance in the way we have to navigate the stage of a world not built for us.