Beyond the Self
Living
in community
amidst
dry hills of
gypsum dust
to be alive means to be
in relation,
constantly.
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/3339dff2-a8e3-4e6a-a790-0bc6a0561041_IMG_7170.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=750&h=1334)
with each
other,
with ourselves,
with the natural world.
I wouldn't want to live life
any other way.
there is no aliveness
in isolation,
no
freedom
in loneliness.
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/4b6165a2-e3f7-4b52-95d5-c65a3b58b3fb_IMG_7165.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=750&h=1334)
In Western culture,
we're telling the story of Self
as if the Self
could ever exist outside of
its relations.
But we are not just beings,
we are interbeings.
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/0f8faebf-80b5-4193-b418-5c64a4297a3d_IMG_7185.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=727&h=1293)
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/c54fe0b8-ba7f-4886-91f7-e5085fee81ca_IMG_7168.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=750&h=1334)
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/b2c12c8c-42fa-43a4-af9c-bf06d989df05_IMG_7176.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=750&h=1334)
we come into being
through being
in relation.
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/df4b1b83-2e05-4df9-84cb-6605230533db_IMG_7153.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=750&h=1334)
![](https://images.prismic.io/clerestory/fb85e882-3bf9-4168-be09-6fd88ba0366e_IMG_7171.jpg?ixlib=gatsbyFP&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=50&w=750&h=1334)
Special thanks to Sunseed Desert Technology, an off-grid community and non-formal education project for socio-ecological transformation. This series was produced by the author in Los Molinos del Rio Aguas, Almería, Spain in 2021.
Rahel Könen is a storyteller and advocate for relational worlds. Her work is focused on improving human-environmental relations and co-creating regenerative and just alternatives. She is currently completing a MSc in Human Ecology and holds a BA in International Studies with a minor in Journalism. Driven by a desire to connect worlds, Rahel aims to build bridges between peoples, places, narratives, and disciplines.
Discover more from Rahel Könen.