To wake up this morning and find out that Trump will be the next president of the United States was like waking up to a nightmare with no escape. I spent the morning alternating between bawling, checking my FB feed, bawling, meditating, checking my FB feed, getting the kids up and out the door with as much normalcy as possible, and then bawling again. I cancelled my meetings and crawled back in bed and quickly realized that wasn’t going to be helpful to anyone.
The only thing I could come up with was prayer. I donned my raincoat, put together a few supplies and headed out on a 20 minute hike through the woods to a small waterfall that has a tangible spiritual power.
A couple months ago I came to this same spot with my two kids. We had been in the house driving each other crazy so I said, “To the Woods!” and we hiked to this special waterfall. As soon as we got there the two of them raced all around brandishing swords and bow&arrows and rifles made out of sticks. In vanquishing monsters they accessed their 4 & 7 year old inner powers. Meanwhile, I sat on a rock by the waterfall with my birch staff planted firmly on the earth, accessing my own inner power to connect with the wisdom and patience of my ancestors and all those who have stood up to oppression, and those who are doing it right now. Time stopped. We were in the past, the future, and deeply connected to that place, to Mother Earth. It was in that moment I could clearly recognize the power that we have access to, the power that is needed for birthing a new world.
People, it’s happening right now. Can you feel it? We are birthing a new world. In the last decade I’ve given birth to two babies and my body has not yet forgotten how painful giving birth is. Yet, more painful still is to hold on to what needs to be let go of. In opening to the birthing process we access power. There is something in letting go and pushing through that is necessary, that changes us.
This is a very very excruciatingly painful moment. It is a moment that I’ve known would come, and yet a moment that I’ve been dreading. I don’t want to live through this. I don’t want my kids to live through this. I was hoping against hope that we’d get to have one of those orgasmic births of a new world. Recently it seemed possible – hearing Bernie’s vision of civil and economic rights, of justice, of coming together across differences, of doing what is needed to slow down the destruction of this planet – it seemed truly possible that we could peacefully birth the new world. Those dreams were squashed and a nightmare has appeared in its place. Given what we’ve heard so far from Trump I am bracing myself for the worst. The hatred, the fear, the misogyny, the racism, the lies, the control… I mean, wow, wow. And that so many of the people in this country (1 in 6) think my nightmare is a miracle? Wow.
The only thing to do today is pray. When I got to the waterfall I lit a candle. The candle has a quote on it – “Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” And so began a very intentional turn away from darkness and towards light. I prayed for strength. Strength to stand up against hate. Strength to not give in to fear. Strength to tell the truth. Strength to always do what is right. Strength to live in love. I prayed for love.
As I prayed a flock of black capped chickadees surrounded me – one landing and hopping very near. The Chickadee medicine is to awaken understanding and higher truth – to be able to see more clearly in the dark. The chickadee is fearless, with no qualms about taking on a larger bird that threatens it. Yes! This is the medicine needed right now.
Light candles, light a fire, light the fire within you, my friends. Today is a day for the Chickadee Prayer. Prayer opens us up to possibilities, it opens us up to love and healing, it keeps the hatred and fear at bay. I’ve been wondering how to process all of this with my kids and it came to me at the waterfall that prayer is how we will do that. I will teach them to pray. I will teach them to stand in truth and love and for justice, no matter what. Let us join all of our hearts in prayer, to whatever God, goddess, Spirit, tree, ancestor you pray to. Let us pray the chickadee prayer – for strength to take right action in the times ahead.
Another world is possible, another world is now.
light a fire