From the explosion of a volcano a crater is created. This great bowl, where a mountaintop once stood, sometimes fills with water creating a lake. From fire and passionate spirit (bursting, defiant upheaval) a new ecosystem may be created, a cauldron of life giving water, a caldera. We believe this is an especially important story at this time. New possibilities for more liberated relationships, sources of sustenance, paths to connection, and deep healing are being revealed. By remembering the legacy of resistance extending behind, beyond, and below us we find the path that was carved out for us. Strengthened by the wisdom and enduring commitment of those that have come before, the struggles that are alive today have the heat and energy to bring what must be brought to the surface for release. From this position in the changing landscape, we let creativity, vision, and love pour freely as another world is born.
The Caldera Health Collective is a collaborative effort to support the ongoing and centuries old struggles of the People of the Living Earth, as well as the Land and Water in their own right, in the unceded Awaswas Ohlone territory known as Santa Cruz, California and beyond. We are Herbalists, Counselors, Body Workers, Health Educators, Artists, and Dreamers striving to offer more accessible, donation-based, trauma-informed, radical support through community clinics, community wellness days, community workshops, and much more. We are committed to harm-reduction and client-centered practices, which require that we remain constantly aware of the scope of our knowledge, experience, and cultural competence within each given context. We aim to center the voices and needs of those that endure the most violence under the hetero-patriarchal*, capitalist*, and colonial empire*. We embrace an intersectional* understanding of systems of oppression and seek relationships of solidarity that mutually empower and encourage self-determination and autonomy. We understand that humility and respect are necessary at every step toward co-creating the vibrant culture of nurturance and reciprocity for which we will always be striving.
OFFERINGS A Workshop on Anti-Capitalist Perspectives on "Mental" Health This event will be facilitated and led by Truth and Taylore of the Caldera Health Collective. We plan to name the philosophical, institutional, and interpersonal conditions that can interfere with our capacity to care for ourselves and one another. We will share ideas for dismantling these obstacles and identify tools for carving new pathways based on self-determination and mutual aid. Possible topics include: Capitalism & Cortisol, CPTSD, Poly-Vagal Theory, Dissociation & Panic, Trauma-informed Practices, Emotional First-Aid, Community Support Strategies, and Nervous System Restoratives & Plant Allies.