The precision of the blade 🗡️✨
Hi friends,
On this day of collective transition and uncertainty, I hope you’re finding moments to care for your nervous system. Yesterday, I came across a quote on Instagram that really resonated with me (I wish I could remember who posted it to give credit). It was a message for those of us who’ve ever felt like we didn’t belong, who live as artists in our own way, or have spent time on the fringes. It said: Now is our time.
The world needs fresh perspectives and alternative ways of being now more than ever. I like to think of us as an army of warriors—not soldiers beholden to an external authority, following blindly, but each guided by the leader within ourselves. Though we come from diverse walks of life and hold different affiliations, if we’re fighting for a better, more just world, we’re united under a shared banner of creativity and transformation.
Tomorrow in our Decolonization Dojo, part of the Chrysalis Kali online membership, we’ll practice some basic single sword techniques. I love teaching stick techniques because they’re practical for self-defense (most of us don’t carry swords these days). But there’s something powerful about imagining our stick as a sword, drawing inspiration from the precision and intentionality required with an edged weapon.
Sword work reminds us that even the smallest, most deliberate movements can have a massive impact—just like the changes we create in the world. Training in this way also connects us to our ancestors, to a time when blades were central to pre-colonial life and communities revolved around the sword as both a tool and a symbol of protection and sovereignty.
Interested in training Kali, Filipino Martial Arts, with us?
Decolonization Dojo sessions alternate between guided movement practice (where we learn footwork and techniques like this) and deeper discussions about FMA history and how our decolonization journeys intersect with our physical practice.
Here’s what’s included in our CKC Online Membership:
⚔️ Decolonization Dojo Live Weekly Sessions meet most Tuesdays at 6:30 PM EST / 3:30 PM PST. All sessions are recorded!
⚔️ Video Library of 130+ clips including Kali techniques for solo and partner practice.
⚔️ Warrior Rising Course included with membership.
⚔️ Book List with 50+ resources on decolonization, FMA history, and healing trauma.
⚔️ Online Community Platform for extra resources and support.
⚔️ Member Discounts on in-person group training and personal sessions.
⚔️ Branded App for easy access to all course materials.
Join our interactive Filipinx community, where we blend physical movement, cultural reclamation, embodied historical resilience, and the cultivation of our warrior spirits.
Doors close January 27th—start the New Year with us!