“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Many are expressing similar sentiments these days. Rest assured, this post will not catalog the plethora of truly frightening actions being taken by those now in power. Their agenda was quite openly shared in Project 2025 after all, with things unfolding exactly as promised. Taking Gandalf's counsel to heart, I will not lament what is occurring, though lamentation certainly deserves its rightful place. I will explore instead the choices available to each of us as we determine "what to do with the time given us."
A clear choice has been presented. Do we give ourselves over to despair, fear, hate and apathy, or do we instead offer ourselves as vehicles for love finding, as Krista Tippett put it, "ways to live open~eyed and wholehearted in the world as it is and not as we wish it to be"?
While most of us would choose the latter option, it's easy to become stymied, overwhelmed, feeling not up to the task, and doubtful that we can have any effect at all when things seem so bleak.
If we succumb to that way of thinking, we are doomed. For the good of the whole, as well as the ongoing vitality of our own souls, we must resist collapsing into helplessness and the lethargy it gives rise to. While the specifics will be as varied as we are, we must each find our own unique way forward. These have been my responses thus far:
- I have shored up my spiritual practices. Meditation, prayer, and ceremony are given a place of honor in my days, as I know they are essential in maintaining a vital connection to Spirit.
- I commemorated Inauguration Day by setting up monthly contributions, small though they may be, to organizations dedicated to protecting democracy, helping those in need, supporting women's rights, and addressing climate change.
- I practice humility daily, recognizing how little I truly know and surrendering to what is. While I am certainly not always successful, I attempt to greet what comes without judgment, strengthening my radical acceptance muscle in the process.
- I say yes when inspiration strikes, without debating its effectiveness. The outcome is truly none of my business, while how I choose to act is.
While it breaks my heart, I don't see such distress as a bad thing, as it means people are paying attention. Support and a chance to share with like~minded others is needed, though, to reorient and find a wholesome response to what is occurring.
Therefore, I will be facilitating a day~long collage/vision boarding event on March 15th, with my dear friend Ksenya O'Banion. This in~person gathering will be held in Pueblo, with online attendance offered for those who are homebound or live out of the area.
Ceremony and small group discussion will be woven throughout the day, which will be divided into two parts.
The morning will offer an opportunity to give voice to our reactions and express them through images, words and color.
With those truths told, the afternoon will find us freed up to turn our attention to how we'd like to respond to the realities of this time, both internally and outwardly, again creating a visual, this one to hold our personal intentions.
Contact me if you're interested in knowing more. We'd love to have you join us. And please don't be intimidated by the artsy portion of the day. After all, it's what you did in preschool—slapping glue on paper and pressing down. You can surely do it now!
In an email that dropped into my inbox today, Krista Tippett shared a Jewish teaching story that is quite relevant. "In the beginning of creation," she writes, "the light of the universe was shattered into a million pieces, which lodged as shards inside everything and everyone. Our calling, as human beings, is to look for the light from where we stand, to call it out, to gather it up—and in so doing, to help repair the world."
It is time to gather up the light now, my friends, and to do our part, as insignificant and ineffectual as it may seem, to repair our world. As we do it together, none can know the ripples that will be sent forth or their ultimate result, each and every one of us to step forward as the voice of love and courage. .
As I wrote earlier, the outcome is truly none of our business. Our assignment is take our shard of light and magnify it, each one of us in our own unique way, for the good of all.
Much love, my fellow candles. Shine brightly for all the world to see!
Leia
