The Urban Doula

Peace Upon You & Yourz

May What You Do Flow From You Like A River

I have recently chosen to embark on a journey guided by one of my elders and best friends, Barclay Mcmillain. He runs a program called LifeSong, a guided exploration of the voice that helps people discover, uncover or recover their singing voice through the unraveling of their story. The Voice Emergent transforms and heals through the power of sound.

Barclay is a former naval officer, teacher and radio broadcaster. He has been running programs like this since 1991, the same year my family and I came to Canada. He has won many awards including holding the distinguished Canadian Toastmasters award. His dissertation was called, "Dancing Voice, Moving Spirit". He blends life stories, voice and song into a healing mixture. He leads us through dangerous grounds, making us feel as safe as home.


I joined the program because in this society where Elders have been lacking around us as immigrants, his knowledge and guidance is irreplaceble. His great love of poetry and transformation, as well as our personal bond has made my heart jump out of my ribcage and palpitate on the ground. I would be a silly man if I did not take his helping hand in any situation. The elders hold vital instructions needed for the re-establishing of Calm Sense.


Last night, the group was asked to write out their 10-minute auto-biography. Needless to say, after the first brave volunteer sat in the center chair with all of us in a semi-circle, we all found out what 10 minutes wasnt.

Story after story, unbelievable circumstances were described, gut-wrenching pain and heartbreak was brought to the surface, inspiring moments of achievement and success were re-lived. Despite the massive age gap between some of the participants, all of us took a little over 20 to 25 minutes to point out the moments that have made us who we are.

One of the participants was a midwife, another participant mentioned an experience with her Doula that has influenced her massively. I couldn't help to notice that in the act of telling and listening, we were playing the role of safety keepers and comfort dwellers during a painful but courageous act of opening up.

Doula comes from the ancient word doule, meaning "woman slave". Knowing that ancient Greek was a patriarchal masculine society, I see the troubling implications of this origin, but through the lens of transformative recollections, I see the word slave as a triumpth for feminine submission to God and feminine power as a form of healing and birthing all of earth's creatures. If anyone is going to gently guide us through barbed wire state of minds - it is the heart of a woman.

The term Doula has traditionally been association with woman who provide non medical support during labor and birth. The extension and more complete definition would include the same type of support for any tramautic and life changing experience, be that a paralyzing injury, different forms of regenerative therapy or the terminally ill. Their job is to help lead the individual through excrutiating moments in their lives where it is difficult to keep hope with the circumstances.

I can't help to see that this uprising in my life of meeting Doulas reveals that during this time of revolution and evolution, the urban doula plays an important role in the awakening. Imagine one day you wake up and realize that every element in your life that was meant to give you meaning, is actually a lure or a trap made to squeeze dollars and production value from you. That all the things you work for, all the things and skills you've acquired, are now obselete. That all the sources of food that you've ever known are closed down permanently. That all your playful pleasures are now without joy, devoid of value. That what you have laboured tirelessly to construct and form has become another commodity discarded. That all of your possesions mean nothing in regards to feeling wealthy within yourself. The reading meter for your soul.

Global Transformation in this small world is a collective experience filled with as many smiles and deep breaths as there are screams of misery and gasps for life. The Urban Doula can help us move through the realization that in order for us to experience meaningful change that delivers more of a harmonic relationship with our earth, ensuring our survival, we must give up many priviledgess that most of us believe we cannot live without. This will be a traumatic experience.

Imagine taking the microphone away from Jagger. One foot from Lebron.
A hands from Balam. The internet from the blogger.
The fuel from the escalade. The borders from the Patriot.
The angst from a predator. Jersey shore from your sister.

Woman lost it for a while when Oprah went off air. Lucky for them,
Winfrey once had a special on the importance of Doulas.

----------------------
Through telling our stories, the distance between us can dissapear.
Without shame or blame.
We fight and recite.
The narratives help us rewrite our present moment.
The listener comforts the speaker with their silence.
With their open hearts, we don't need to say a word to
coach the practitioner through an agonizing revelation.

We are all, in some form, Urban Doulas.