Origin~ALL 1/3 : Birth Time Story
I was born on a Wednesday, May 30, 1990.
Wednesday aka hump day.
at 2:20 pm (angel number) in Manila, Philippines. At the time of my birth, my family lived on Molave Street. Molave is a very important tree in the Philippines and I will share more on that in 3/3 of this blog series.
These aspects of numbers/times and names are important because as a deep, animistic spiRITUALIST, I see/feel/hear the many signs in my life, as there are in yours, of destiny, connection, and purpose that are always guiding us in the names, images, and patterns that appear in our world.
In college, I studied Human Development and Family Studies because I felt God wanted me to give back to families in the same way mine had been blessed with the opportunity to migrate together. The entire foundation of my knowledge and awareness was based on paying it forward and a spiritual debt or “utang na loob” in Filipinx/a/o culture and a rebalancing I was called in my heart to do at the age of 19. I never really used my major in my “profession”, but it is how I see life, relationship, and the way I live my life.
Why do these details matter and why am I sharing them? Because only we can give meaning, purpose, and context to our stories. I have chosen the name Soultree as much as it has chosen me, so I hope to lay out the ways spirit(S), plants, language, culture and life have shaped and sent messages through me. This is my initial attempt to share the connections I see in a way that means something to me and I trust others in the world, too.
This is me.
Gemini sun, Leo moon AF or what?
For the past three years, through community, youtube, and instagram university, I’ve been following doulas and birth workers. Two years ago, one of them inspired me to ask my mother for my birth story. She wants to re-do the video now (after three attempts in one month for me to completely transcribe the captions :( ), but I respect her wishes. Til then, here’s a map of the journey my parents traveled on jeepney and bus to get to the hospital where I was born.
Birthing in urban Philippines in our capitol Manila for working class people was not an easy feat. I give thanks and honor my parents’, my elders, and all my ancestors’ journeys in keeping our lineage alive so I may be in this moment now with you to share.
My mother says, my grandmother encouraged her and my dad to have me not too far apart from my sister. The year I was conceived was also the year my grandfather would petition my older sister, aunt, and grandmother from the Philippines to the Marshall Islands where he worked as a technician after his years of work in Guam. Our migration and family story is one of colonized influence and impact, but more importantly deep Pilipinx, Kayumanggi (Brown) love that refused to die despite challenges and circumstances we experienced along the way.
Photo by BoThai of Illegal Drip
As a spirit and self-chosen OURstorian of my family, lineage, and the world, I share this to LITerally build a bridge between you and me, to create a mirror and reflection in our stories, to build “rapport” as they say in Western (anti)Social Science, to nourish trust, and encourage innerstanding. I also share to (re)claim and tell my own story. In the past, many have supported the upliftment of my story (thank you) for one reason, cause, outlet or another and I just want to do this for, by, and because of me in relation to the U-n-I-VERSE.
May we connect, may you also share and begin your uncovering of truths that have been hidden and turned into secrets and curses. May all that is ready to surface and heal arrive in its own divine timing.