Block by Block, Heart by Heart: Dr. Lyla June, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg & Rae Abileah

Mar 5, 2026

Guest

Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg

Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, a Minneapolis ritualist working on trauma-informed community care; Kaira Jewel Lingo, a Plum Village Dharma teacher blending engaged Buddhism and social justice; Dr. Lyla June, Indigenous musician and organizer focused on regenerative food and cultural resilience. They explore neighborhood-based mutual care, weaving spiritual practice with steady organizing. Short, place-based acts of care and interdependence are highlighted as roots of lasting courage.

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INSIGHT

Collapse Kills Systems Not Peoples

Collapse can kill systems while people transform; Lyla June cites Chaco Canyon's drought and caste collapse leading to cultural redesign.
Archaeology shows logs hauled 100 miles and social hierarchies collapsed by drought and youth uprising, prompting an egalitarian Diné future.

ADVICE

Move Toward Harm With Regulated Hearts

Move toward suffering with regulated hearts, not away; Kaira Jewel urges nervous-system practices and rejoicing in others' good deeds.
Use ancestral stories, ancestor practice, and celebration as ongoing spiritual nourishment to endure prolonged crises.

INSIGHT

Crisis Expands Circle Of Care

Crisis expands the circle of care from household to block and neighborhood, shifting cultural norms.
Rabbi Jessica observes Twin Cities neighbors moving from private families to mutual-aid networks caring for strangers daily.

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Recorded from a live SAND Gathering (February 2026). From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, communities are turning toward one another in a time of uncertainty, remembering that care begins close to home. Beyond public action, quieter networks of support are taking root: block-by-block relationships grounded in land, lineage, and love.

This gathering explores how spiritual practice, trauma-aware care, and neighborhood organizing are being woven together as living traditions. We ask what it looks like to shift our energy from reactive mobilization toward steady, proactive organizing that can sustain us for the long haul. Drawing from Indigenous memory, Black freedom traditions, diasporic Jewish practices of care, and contemporary grassroots work, we reflect on how mutual care—feeding one another, tending grief, protecting children, honoring the dead—can be reclaimed as daily sacred practice.

This is a conversation about blending spiritual practice and movement practice; about thinking smaller, closer, and more relational; and about learning from quiet, resilient forms of organizing that move people from isolation into coordinated courage.

This conversation invites attunement: How do we stay grounded in grief without collapsing? How do we strengthen relationships across differences? How do small, steady acts of care help communities move from fear toward shared courage?

This is an invitation to listen to the wisdom already alive in our histories, our bodies, and our neighborhoods.

Topics

00:00 Welcome and Context
02:33 Grounding Breath Practice
03:22 Why We Gather Now
05:19 Meet the Speakers
07:36 Lyila June on Collapse
09:12 Chaco Canyon Lesson
12:36 Kaira Jewel on Flow
16:39 Rejoicing and Ancestors
20:04 Rabbi Jessica in Minneapolis
24:54 Sacred Geography and Duty
29:59 Lyla June on Forgiveness
36:22 Liberation for Everyone
37:32 Grace and Sobriety Story
39:06 Jewish Wisdom and Mutual Care
41:27 Feasting Fuels Mutual Aid
45:53 Spirituality Is Not Neutral
49:11 Sacred Criticism and Fierce Love
53:49 Mycelium and Small Acts
59:51 Resources and Community Questions
01:03:30 Heart Practice for Overwhelm
01:06:17 Reweaving Interdependence
01:08:46 Warrior Love Closing
01:14:31 Final Announcements and Farewell

Decolonial Mental Health Practice: Clinical and Ethical Insights from Palestine with Dr. Samah Jabr (March 1, 8, 15 & 22, 2026 • 9:00 – 11:00am PST online with SAND)

Please consider donating to Rabbi Jessica’s GoFundMe campaign in support of students at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. The students are using creative arts to process the trauma of recent encounters involving ICE and U.S. Border Patrol.

In collaboration with local artists, they are developing an art installation intended to uplift and inspire both the school community and their neighbors, while continuing to advocate for justice and safety for all. This project offers a meaningful way to strengthen community bonds and foster collective healing.

Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member