A Simple Formula for Restoring Faith in Humanity

Note: I sent the following out as a newsletter last week. I’m posting it here, slightly edited, in case you also need to hear this message.

Last week, here in the States, a new version of the American Health Care Act was passed by the House. If enacted in its current form, it will have dramatic, negative impact on millions of Americans.

While not the worst news (I do not intend to downplay the atrocities happening in other parts of the world), it is the most recent in a landslide of efforts seemingly intent upon degrading basic human rights both here and abroad.

I’m writing today because this news hit me hard. I’m scared for my family, for my friends, and for those most vulnerable among us. Perhaps you are as well?

As is my practice, I turned to my healthy ancestors asking for wisdom and guidance.

I was told to feel.

That fully allowing myself to feel the fear, the anger, the grief is the first step.

After then, I was told, reach out.

When angry, frightened, confused, etc, it is easy to angrily regress into an us vs them mentality… to want to fight, to resist, to convince others of their awfulness or the wrongness of their beliefs or actions. Either that or to hide, to check out, to sink into apathy and depression.

Unfortunately, none of these approaches work that well – at least not in the long run.

What might work is taking the time to do as my ancestors suggest:

1. pause and feel (aka: self-care)
2. reach out

It is in the reaching out that our faith in humanity can be restored. That we can begin to remember our common struggles. And that we are not alone. It is through reaching out that we can find the strength to take positive action towards what we want in our lives, for our country, and for our earth.

So, today, if you are experiencing distress, I invite you to pause, feel (at least for a moment), and then reach out… perhaps to your healthy ancestors, a trusted friend, a therapist… begin with sharing your fear or grief. Allow yourself to be seen/witnessed in your pain. Give space for another to share their pain and confusion.

Then, when/if the time comes for something else, ask: What is my role now? and listen for what arises.

Because, we all have a role.

And, with the help of spirit and of each other, we can each fulfill our role, no matter how big or small… because no role is, in fact, bigger or smaller than any other role. From providing a comforting presence, to marching in the streets, to writing a book sharing your devotion to the natural world, to baking a cake for a neighbor, it all matters. When it comes from the heart, it all makes a difference.

From my blog archives, here are three posts you might find useful today:

The Subversive Nature of Self-Care Now
The Importance of a Really Good Wallow
The Hardest Thing in the World

my love to you,
larisa

ps. The date has changed for our Prayers for the Earth workshop/ritual. Registration is open. We welcome you to join us as we give voice to the distress in our lives and turn to the Earth element for peace, healing, and renewal.