"The Well" by brontë velez /186

Over the years, our For The Wild community has been blessed many times by the scholarship and poetry of brontë velez. Through their word, we have been summoned to surrender, to imagine future worlds, and to embody the revolution. If you have had the pleasure of listening to brontë, For The Wild is asking you to give generously to them and Lead to Life, to support their divine, healing, and liberatory work. Through their work, brontë reminds us that “Black wellness is the antithesis to state violence” (Mark Anthony Johnson) and during these times of great transformation and tension, we must prioritize Black wellness and communal care. Financial resources given to Lead to Life will fund their rapid response work; a summer healing series led by Black healers for the Black community, care packages for mothers whose children have been murdered by the police, ongoing trauma stewardship programs focused on nature connection and expressive art therapy for families who are survivors of police and state violence, and more. We are asking our listeners who have believed in brontë’s musings as a guiding light, to support Lead to Life’s work as an investment towards the world we so desperately need, as well as an act of reciprocity for those who have richly given to our imaginations and hearts. As inspiration for giving, we present brontë’s prophecy “The Well”, written by brontë velez. Initially aired on For The Wild Podcast Episode 139, “on the Pleasurable Surrender of White Supremacy [Part One]”, this prophecy was written by brontë velez and originally recited by brontë velez, jazmín calderón torres, and Liz Kennedy of Lead to Life and Ra Malika Imhotep, co-founder and co-convener of The Church of Black Feminist Thought, with musical accompaniment by Jiordi Rosales at Lead to Life’s public alchemy ceremony in 2019. Give in gratitude directly to brontë through their Venmo at bronte-velez or directly to Lead to Life by becoming a monthly member of their alchemist guild or through a one time donation and ensure that Lead to Life meets their $25,000 goal by Juneteenth “in support of Black life, Black joy, and Black healing.” Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full description and biographies.