Welcome to Borne, an online journal exploring the landscape of systemic personal, cultural, societal, and global oppression and its impacts upon person, place, and possibility. Our goal is to invite a broad dialogue rooted in the strength and wisdom of those who have experienced first-hand the darkness of oppression, as well as its partner, the undying light of freedom in the human spirit.

The definition of Borne is: “To bear, and to be carried or transported by…”

We all bear the burden of birthing a global society based on respect, acceptance, and that four-letter word, love. Loving who we are is the beginning and the end of love’s challenge. In between rests love for all sentient beings, and all life on earth. Connecting to the creative and unrelenting impetus of life as it generates itself throughout the universe means connecting to inner personal life and its ever-unfolding possibilities. When we heal ourselves, we begin to heal the earth. When we heal the earth, we begin to heal ourselves. When we create, we are created. There is no separation. We are continually being Borne-again, bearing one another, and being borne by one another, coming together to transform the isolation of suffering–of person and planet–into a river of light that bears us all into the sea of grace and possibility. And it all comes down to story: Who are we? What do we know? How do we know it? Where does it lead us? Why does it matter? These are the questions that matter in these dark times, the questions that let the light in.

The Borne collective is also developing workshops and conferences that inform and inspire. Our Borne-again belief is that surviving extreme trauma can result in extreme wisdom as well as compassion for others and passion for truth and justice. Survivors often get sidelined in life because of their history; we believe that survivors who explore the depths of healing surface as warriors for life and that we have the responsibility to share our wisdom, compassion and passion with others. Being a survivor is not about being sidelined–it’s about be empowered and empowering others. We live in beleaguered times–a Global Age of Abuse and a Global Culture of Denial. The spiritual, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and political insights we gain through our healing are needed in every way possible.

We invite you to join us on this journey, to bear witness to one another, and to the ever-unfolding gifts that life offers as it bears us forward in healing, even as we face, and are faced by, the darkest oppression of our times.

Welcome aboard. Hang on for the ride. Make a few waves. Turn the tide.

Posted in: Introductions.

Challenging Subject Matter

The “landscape of systemic personal, cultural, societal, and global oppression” may sadly appear without horizon, but we will most often narrow our focus to familiar ground. This ground covers, but is not limited to, crimes of the state in Western nations and their intersections with private organized and corporate criminal networks, non-state torture, trafficking, and human experimentation, and how these hidden realities affect the general condition of our world, and our day to day lives. You’ll hear directly from survivors and from researchers and advocates who’ve spent years recovering, exploring, and investigating, and who are  considered experts in their still marginalized fields.

Quality Writing

We will deliver it, as close as we are able, in form and substance. I gratefully rely on my co-editor Janet who offers no small mastery of form. My particular concern is with substance, specifically accuracy. When a subject is shrouded in mystery, or secrecy by design, it is far too easy to grasp hard at speculation, and in some cases, get lost in webs of fantasy. There is so much disinformation surrounding the subjects of our interest, it’s imperative to present information that can be verified, and to be clear when that is not possible, and what it means. For those of us who’ve been lost in the darkness at times, when all else fails, tests of simple logic may offer a way out, as well as a comfort with ambivalence.

Great Art

There is perhaps no better evidence of the light of freedom in the human spirit than creative expression. Our symbolic languages have the power to validate, affirm, and uplift. They can transmit, in alternate form, emotions, thoughts, and deeds that are otherwise unspeakable. I look forward to introducing you to works by courageous, but little known artists, poets, writers, and others who should, in a cultural landscape governed by different values, be well known.

I hope you enjoy Borne, though perhaps enjoyment may come only in tangent to discovery and empowerment, which are of greater lasting impact.

Posted in: Introductions.