Sunrise over Richmond Pond
In the swirl of the post-election, with reactions and feelings spinning madly around the planet, so much diverse and interesting information has flowed into my email. Petitions, inspirational readings, insights from spiritual teachers, heart-opening sermons, all have found their way to me. Some are touching, a few even helpful, one or two practically ridiculous. Out of all of them, however, the one below has brought me grounding and solace.
From the brilliant mind and the glorious heart of our Clarissa Pinkoa Estes, here is her blessing and her reminder to us:
“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good…”
Dear Friends, I offer you Estes’ perspective today as a doorway into the possibility of some simple solace. In the realm of the more practical, I offer you the inquiry below for contemplation and practice. Perhaps the following ideas might offer your compassion a form in which to flow. Compassionate presence aligned with right action is my newly understood definition of spiritual activism. Consider:
- How can you ready yourself to offer kindness to another? What do you need, in the realm of self-connection and self-care, to be able to be present with another? Be specific.
- What will your self-care look like now? What practices do you choose to lean toward, in order to commit to balance and connectivity?
- What might it look like today, just for today, to offer a “small, calm thing” to another? Be specific.
- Do you have a hope or a prayer for yourself, in order to move forward during this time of energetic transition? Is there a prayer for others that is alive in you? If so, let it be effortlessly offered onto the altar of your heart.
We are the ones to mend the many splits, the infinite tears in the fabric of our country. Not by the massive, the giant, the huge (perhaps they will come down the road a’piece), but, for today, by the simple, the ordinary, the small. Perhaps this is why, in the larger arc of life, that we have been given this task. This is our work; this is our journey.
We are equipped. We are able.
You are equipped.
And you are able.
And if not now, what the heck are we waiting for?
Please, as always, feel free to share your responses to this blog with me. All perspectives welcomed and honored, dear readers.