Beloved friends,
The concept that I have been using, inside myself and in conversation with others, to describe the way I am relating to our national crisis is that I’m trying to be very clear that the tragic events of this moment are happening outside of me. I do not mean that I am dissociating or tuning out. I do not mean that the various forms of social privilege I have will keep me safe. I mean that I am insisting within myself upon my internal freedom, that the chaos and horror that are taking place are external events. They are not distant – they are harming many people that I love. I have strong feelings about that. My feelings about them are internal but those are mine, and I can work with them. The crisis itself? It does not get to live inside of me.
Remaining clear within myself about my internal safety and freedom maintains my energetic integrity. I am living in a crisis, but that crisis is not living inside of me. Holding fast to this makes me less likely to get sucked into anxiety, survival mode, and despair paralysis. By holding the space within me as my own I am better able to remain clear-sighted and agile and to retain the agency which allows me to act for the good of all. I am determined to do this: to act for the good of all, as best I can. I believe you are, too.
Sometimes that means resting, and last week we rested for a couple of days. James and I spent two nights at Jacumba Hot Springs down outside San Diego. It was one of the most restful holidays of my life. We soaked in their incredible water, basked in sunlight, ate good food, listened to the 5 albums in our room, napped, and read each other song lyrics like poetry. I've shared the book those lyrics are in below. One morning I had the hottest pool, the Echo Room all to myself. I nabbed a photo of the moment, above. I had my phone because I couldn't resist singing my prayersong with the wonderful acoustics.
The little trip was a nourishing respite. When we left the ground was covered with snow and ice; we returned to what is fondly or grudgingly here called "mud season", depending on the day and who you speak to.
I'm thinking about where to put my first garden bed. I've figured out that Indivisible is the national progressive/protest organization with the best existing structure in my little town and gotten connected with them. I'm deep in the teaching of the winter-spring Energetic Integrity course, and I'll share some fruits of that along the way with you. I'm relishing the Community Reading and the Soft Animal yoga sessions which offer me, too, respite I hope they offer you. It's amazing to feel their inner rewards resonating more deeply as the outer crises deepen.
What is sustaining for you in this time, friend? If you want to drop me a line, I'd love to be inspired. Resources for resilience and resistance lie below. Got one to share? I'd love to hear your suggestions, or what's resonating with you here.
Resilience
The Comfort of Howling
Will Oldham aka Bonnie Prince Billy aka Palace is a favorite musician in my household. The hardcover edition of his collected lyrics came out in 2018, just a few weeks after we sailed out the Golden Gate for Mexico. Songs of Love and Horror has finally entered out lives and oh, it is a treasure. It tends to sit on James' desk. It came with us to the hot spring last weekend. We pick it up often, reading aloud to one another. At the end of each song is a small comment from Will, mostly meaningful, some hysterical. On the left-hand page above is the title song of my favorite of his albums, 1999's "I See A Darkness".
Here is SV Rejoice sailing into the open sea, crewed by James and I. Thanks and love to Gabe Benveniste, who stood on the hills above the bridge in the cold and fog to bear witness and capture the moment. It's hard to believe sometimes that this is real: we ran off to sea, for years! Goodness gracious. So much is possible, friend, and there is freedom in knowing this: we can do astonishing things.
Absurd, Profane, and Practical
Want to do a Google search without getting a bunch of AI results? Just cuss at it! Adding "fucking" to your query will currently remove the AI overview at the top of any Google search result. Ars Technica also has other methods if you prefer not to cuss. Satisfying and effective.
Connecting: SFBA
Itzel Hayward is a name you may recognize; we've been sisters-on-the-path for many years now. I loved to rave about her work as my Non-Violent Communication teacher and you may have met her as a community member in my offerings. Itzel's father has leukemia. People of Black and/or Latino descent, like Lou, have a lower chance of finding a match for stem cell transplants, which is the treatment Lou needs. Itzel wants to change that. Panama Presenté is a free event on March 9 in Oakland, CA to "celebrate culture, strengthen community, and stand in solidarity with those facing inequities in access to treatment for blood cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders." There will be Panamanian food and drinks, a craft corner for kids, and Itzel will share how folks can get involved in making change.
Zooming Out: A New Theory of Evolution
I'm going to let the scientists say this one: "A popular model of evolution concludes that it was incredibly unlikely for humanity to evolve on Earth, and that extraterrestrial intelligence is vanishingly rare. But as experts on the entangled history of life and our planet, we propose that the coevolution of life and Earth’s surface environment may have unfolded in a way that makes the evolutionary origin of humanlike intelligence a more foreseeable or expected outcome than generally thought." In short, a new theory of evolution makes it seem much more likely that life could have evolved on other planets. Reading about these theories and the processes of creating and discussing them helps to ground me in the long arcs of human endeavor. It helps to remember that time is vast and eras of great struggle are seasons that come and go.
Yes, that's the Ganesha who you may have known on my altar in San Francisco, with the worn place on his forehead where my kisses have worn away his verdigris. These days I've chosen to ground my public temple altar in nature, and Ganesha sits on the personal altar in our bedroom. Sharing today because he's wearing a lovely new flower crown woven by my neighbor with the first pink hellebore of the year from her garden.
Resistance
New Vote Forward Campaign
Vote Forward organizes letter-writing campaigns to support electoral turnout; they've got great stats on the efficacy of this strategy. Their new campaign needs letters sent by March 25 to encourage folks in Wisconsin to vote in their April 1 Supreme Court election. You can choose to write to younger voters or to Democratic-leaning voters. They model the letters, which are very easy to write. I've adopted 20 Wisconsin voters so far. Join me? Thanks to Aimee.
Digital Security Checklist
Clear guidance on how to secure data for people organizing and attending protests and for federal workers.
General Strike?
There are folks who have been advocating for a General Strike since Roe fell in 2022.
Ongoing
5calls for support with calling, Resistbot for support with email and letters, Chop Wood, Carry Water for a daily actions email, Rebecca Solnit for perspective.