Glossary

A - F

Binary oppositions refer to fundamental pairs of contrasting ideas, concepts, or phenomena that help us produce meaning. For example, we understand day because it contrasts with night; right because it’s defined against wrong; big in relation to small, and so on.
In media and cultural narratives, these oppositions are often intentionally constructed to reinforce hierarchies or inflict symbolic violence* on particular groups, ideas, or ways of being. For instance, Whiteness is positioned as superior to Blackness; speed is valued over slowness; men over women; logic over intuition. These pairings often do more than describe difference; they encode power.
As described by Peter Van Ham, I define branding as the process of attaching things like ideas, feelings and concepts to products, services, people, places, events and more.
Not to be confused with decolonisation (the active process of gaining financial and political independence from colonial actors, such as through reparations or the return of land). A decolonial approach, or decoloniality, is an orientation that seeks to dismantle the immaterial aspects of colonialism — such as knowledge systems, ideologies, and ways of being — which uphold its physical and structural forms.
An approach to branding that considers the symbolic harm inflicted on marginalised groups, identities, ideas, and ways of being by colonial actors and their narratives. It seeks to contribute to the healing of those harms through branding that restores dignity to those groups, identities, ideas. Decolonial branding challenges dominant narratives and promotes more just and plural ways of seeing and being.

See definition of branding for a fuller understanding.
Ecofeminism is a philosophy and movement that links the exploitation of the natural world with the oppression of women, Black/Indigenous peoples, and other marginalised groups. It unpacks the shared systems—such as patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism—that sustain both ecological destruction and social injustice.
The Ego refers to our ‘false self’ — the thinking mind that identifies with thoughts and narratives, and that often relies on concepts like difference, superiority, and inferiority to reinforce its sense of identity. The Ego helps us navigate the world, but it also fuels our susceptibility to fear, violence, and division — making it vulnerable to being used as an agent of colonialism.
Epistemic violence refers to the act of categorising certain knowledge systems or ways of knowing as inferior to dominant, often Western, frameworks. This can include dismissing knowledge that falls outside of Western scientific paradigms as “unreliable” or “woo,” or invalidating lived experience and testimonial evidence when it challenges dominant narratives or the context of established data. It is a form of symbolic harm that reinforces power imbalances by delegitimising alternative ways of knowing.
A fck it fund is a sum of money or access to resources that offers a form of liberation — giving a person the ability to walk away from harmful jobs, relationships, environments, or systems. It represents an “out” from situations shaped by power imbalances and coercion, particularly under modern capitalism, where economic dependency can force people to stay in compromising or unsafe conditions. The concept highlights the role of financial freedom in personal and collective agency.
The false self refers to a constructed identity formed by the Ego — often shaped by external expectations, social conditioning, trauma, or internalised beliefs. It manifests as an imagined version of the self that seeks control, validation, and security by projecting certain images and suppressing others. This self often defines itself through comparison, judgment, or attachment to roles, labels, and narratives, many of which may be untrue or incomplete. While the false self can help individuals adapt to their environment or social norms, it also distances us from our more authentic, integrated sense of being — sometimes called the true self. In decolonial and spiritual contexts, the false self is understood as a product of systems (like colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy) that encourage disconnection from self, others, and the natural world.
Feminine refers to an energy or quality present in people, objects, colors, and experiences that emphasizes receptivity, intuition, nurturing, and inward focus. It’s often associated with openness, sensitivity, relationality, and internal inclinations, contrasting with more outward, active, or projective (masculine) energies. The feminine is not limited to gender but is understood as a dynamic and fluid principle that exists across all beings and things.

H - P

Healing refers to the process of restoring balance and repairing damage, whether within the human body, mind, or the body of society.
Describes a quality, practice, or approach that helps a person experience greater freedom from dominance, oppression, or limitation, whether in the context of their thoughts, routines, workplaces, friendships, ideas, or—more commonly—within colonial systems.
Relating to a transitional or in-between state, phase, or condition—often where normal boundaries dissolve, opening space for ambiguity, transformation, and new possibilities. Liminality can also describe marginality, where individuals or groups exist at the edges of social or cultural norms, standing at the threshold.
The false self refers to a constructed identity formed by the Ego — often shaped by external expectations, social conditioning, trauma, or internalised beliefs. It manifests as an imagined version of the self that seeks control, validation, and security by projecting certain images and suppressing others. This self often defines itself through comparison, judgment, or attachment to roles, labels, and narratives, many of which may be untrue or incomplete. While the false self can help individuals adapt to their environment or social norms, it also distances us from our more authentic, integrated sense of being — sometimes called the true self. In decolonial and spiritual contexts, the false self is understood as a product of systems (like colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy) that encourage disconnection from self, others, and the natural world.
Refers to spaces os systems in broader society where qualities such as forcefulness, extraversion, loudness, and externalisation are prioritised, centred, and celebrated—often at the expense of feminine qualities like receptivity, introspection, and sensitivity.
A product or service that—beyond its primary function—contributes to symbolic healing through the way it’s positioned and presented (branded and marketed). It carries a message of acceptance and celebration around a topic, identity or way of being that has been historically decentered or marginalised by the dominant culture/society.
The use of astrological archetypes to guide conversation and reflection around belief systems, purpose, and personal or collective impact. It centers storytelling and meaning-making, using the birth chart as a symbolic map rather than a fixed script.
The practice of identifying, filtering, and releasing toxic thoughts, stories, and beliefs absorbed from dominant culture. It involves consciously unpacking internalised narratives that limit, shame, or distort one’s sense of self, worth, or possibility.
It’s our ability to shift what we consider to be thinkable, sayable, doable or acceptable – within our own lives or the world.
To be here. To be fully in the body, aware of thoughts, feelings, and sensations—and, in that awareness, less susceptible to unhelpful narratives or external ideas taking root. Presence creates a kind of inner anchoring that makes it harder for external actors—whether cultural, commercial, or interpersonal—to hijack attention, identity, or agency.

Q - Z

A quality or force capable of contributing to returning what’s been damaged to – or close to – its original state.
A thing—such as a website, video, poem, song, list of affirmations, or vision board—capable of anchoring one’s vision or mission. It provides guidance, structure, and direction by holding symbolic meaning that reinforces purpose or intention.
The act of contributing to the repair or restoration of harm caused by symbolic violence—such as erasure, stereotyping, misrepresentation, or exclusion. It involves reclaiming meaning, affirming identity, and restoring dignity through words, images, actions, or representations.
The ability to shape perception, define reality, and influence meaning through language, imagery, representation, and cultural norms. Often subtle and invisible, symbolic power reinforces social hierarchies by making certain ways of being, knowing, or appearing seem natural, valuable, or true. It’s the power to constitute reality.
The use of narrative—including media, advertising, and public communication—to manipulate perceptions of certain groups, identities, or ways of being. This form of violence causes harm by reinforcing stereotypes, erasing complexity, or distorting reality, often in ways that appear neutral or natural—making it more difficult to recognise and defend against.
The study of signs and symbols and how meaning is made.
The use of force in an attempt to change, alter or control a given reality.
Yang refers to an energy or quality often characterised as extraverted, active, forceful, dynamic, and consistent. It is associated with outward expression, action, decisiveness, and movement. Traditionally linked with masculinity, yang energy contrasts with the receptive and inward-focused qualities of the feminine (yin).
Yin refers to an energy or quality often characterized as introverted, receptive, nurturing, calm, and fluid. It is associated with inward focus, intuition, patience, and stillness. Traditionally linked with femininity, yin energy contrasts with the active and outward-focused qualities of the masculine (yang).
A world in which yang (masculine) qualities such as extraversion, action, logic, force and hierachy are centred and celebrated over yin (femine qualities) such as introversion, stilness, intuition, flow and synarchy.