Candles in the Dark

A dear soul recently forwarded me this excerpt from a conversation between sweet hobbit Frodo Baggins and wise and wily wizard Gandalf as reported in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

“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. 

Regarding that last point, I have been struck by how many people are reeling from recent events. The woman who cut my hair last week, the 90~year~old widower up the street I visited this morning, and the vast majority of family, friends, and clients. The degree of upset is truly astounding. 

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

Hold Onto Your Hats, My Friends

Oh, what a time it is! Those who know me well can imagine how devastated I feel at what I see unfolding in the larger society. You will also, though, have reason to guess that I am not only devastated. To the extent that I am able, I refuse to let despair claim me. 

I want to believe that humankind can turn this around, for ourselves and for the other beings who occupy this glorious planet with us. I don't know if we will, but what I do know is that it's best to act as though we can. Not in a passive form of trusting all shall be well, but in an active way, as in "If we're to turn this around, with my disposition and my gifts, what role will I play?" 

Let us pause now for a message from our sponsors. There is so very much happening in the sky right now that can offer a helpful perspective for what is unfolding around us. For readers who find astrology silly, feel free to scroll through your phone for the next few paragraphs. 

The outer planets have a special significance in astrology. Less personal that those closer to the Sun, they are seen as having particular impact on the larger society and can lend insight into the way the collective functions. These planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. 

Because of their distance from the Sun, their orbits are lengthy. For example, it takes Jupiter 12 earth years to orbit the Sun, while Pluto takes a whopping 248. Just like Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars move through the signs of the zodiac as they orbit, so do the outer planets. However, because these planetary giants take so long to orbit, they remain in a particular sign much longer as well. 

Each zodiac sign has its own unique qualities, as does every planet. When a planet transits through a particular sign, its own energy takes on the hues of that sign, its particular signature, for example making Pluto feel very different in Capricorn than it does in Aquarius. 

Given their societal effects, when these planets move from one sign to another, they often signal significant cultural shifts. For the first time ever, every single one of these planets will have changed signs in a mere 9 months. Transformational Pluto moved into Aquarius in November, mystical Neptune will slide into Aries at the end of March, structure~driven Saturn enters Aries in May, expansive Jupiter will be in Cancer come June, and rabble~rousing Uranus becomes a Gemini wild card in early July. 

For those who credit such things, this is recognized as truly astounding. Over a very short period of time, each and every planet that informs the collective will have begun a remarkable shift in energy. Hold onto your hats, my friends. That much change is bound to be destabilizing. And yet, if we commit ourselves to the long view, destabilization doesn't have to be bad. Not at all. When things~~structures, attitudes, perspectives~~have served their purpose, they must fall apart so something new can be born. 

Okay, let's come back to Earth after that brief foray into our own small slice of cosmos. What's a human to do when faced with that kind of change, change that may feel~~and be~~life~altering? For starters, we would do well to find ways to steady ourselves. 

Think of a spinning wheel. If we place ourselves on the rim, we will at the very least become dizzy, though it's more likely we'll find ourselves needing to grip hard, white~knuckled and holding on for dear life. The hub of the wheel is a much more stable placement. In terms of our current discussion, that means centering ourselves frequently, dropping down into that which is eternal amid all that is jumbly, uncertain, and shifting. 

If you have spiritual practices that provide this, use them often and with greater commitment at this time. If you don't, it is time to develop some. We needn't go through this on our own. The guidance of the ages ever offers itself to us, particularly in times of great change. Meditation, prayer, immersion in nature, pausing to breathe with full awareness, enacting gratitude moment by moment, deeply sharing with others...any of these and more are available to us. We need them now and in the days to come. 

Grounding ourselves is the first essential step. The next is where it gets exciting. We get to decide the part we will play in what is unfolding. When we don't offer our dollop~full of energy to despair, fear and anger, we can give it to that which is life~affirming. 

We return now to the question posed at the beginning of this essay: "If we're to turn this around, with my disposition and my gifts, what role will I play?" While I don't have it all figured out by any means, I do have an inkling of my own answer. 

I will remember that, if hate is contagious~~and I think we can all see now that it is~~love must be as well. I will practice love. I will open actively to my personal conception of the Divine through the avenues available to me. I will reinforce my intention to hold that connection to Spirit more fully, day in and day out. 

I won't expect perfection of myself or others, and will allow space for us all to be the perfectly imperfect humans we are, recognizing it for the challenging task it is. I will practice forgiveness. I will speak my truth. I will seek solace when I succumb to despair, and then open once more to Spirit. And if there is more for me to do, and I am guessing there is, it will be made clear to me and the pathway illuminated through that connection. 

And if it all goes to hell in a handbasket? Well, I'll know I've used "my disposition and my gifts" to do what I could. I don't believe it will though, not when I hold the the long view. I choose to believe in possibility. I continue to commit to hope. 

Which leads me to this quote from Krista Tippett: "Hope for me is distinct from idealism or optimism. It has nothing to do with wishful thinking. It is a muscle, a practice, a choice: to live open~eyed and wholehearted in the world as it is and not as we wish it to be." 

Yes, I will do that. I would love to do it with you. Together, we can buoy one another. Together, we can practice love, love connecting to love, love strengthening love, love awakening love in the hearts of others.

Much love,

Leia