Beloved friends,
My heart is with you on this tragic day. I encourage you to be gentle with yourself. If you are reading this you are probably feeling some level of grief. Me, I might pretty sure that I'm not feeling grief if I didn't know it so well. I haven't cried, and while I thought Kamala Harris was going to win, I'm not surprised by these sad events. But I can feel that I'm shocky: I'm varying between feeling highly functional and spacy & disorganized in my thinking, between feeling listless and urgent, and all that tells me I am grieving – I'm just in the shocky, functional part that's easy to miss if you don't know what it is. The tears will come in time.
I've got one foot still in grace as I type this because I woke up and taught yoga this morning, then met someone for a counsel session, so I've been internally in transpersonal ministerial space for these events. I'd like to share with you what I was able to access there. For a few months I've been chanting something that Jessie Raeder taught me many years ago, an arrangement of some lines from Leonard Cohen's Anthem that someone in her Reclaiming pagan community created so that it can be chanted.
Forget your perfect offering
Ring the bells that still can ring
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
I need to both feel my grief and some hope in this moment; this combination of allowing the sadness and horror to flow and something to reach for can keep me from despair. The hope that I find is that we can make this the crack that lets the light in, that the suffering which we are feeling and which lies ahead will galvanize us to make the changes that could make the world a safer place for everyone, a place where everyone can be safe, fed, housed, have access to medical care, and know both freedom and belonging. Perhaps this is how we bring down the broken order and find our way to a more just world. We can hope – and we can try. There are resources below to both support you in your sorrow and offer you places to gather in hope, love, rage, and resistance.
Resources
Stepping Forward: SURJ Meeting Today Wed Nov 6
SURJ, Showing Up for Racial Justice, was formed in 2009 after the backlash to President Obama's election. They are "the largest organization in the US that explicitly organizes white people for racial, economic and gender justice, for a space of grief and rage – and to get organized to show up with everything we've got. White people have a particular role to play in this moment. There have always been white people who rejected racism and chose solidarity and justice. It is our calling to step into that legacy in the days, months, and years ahead." James and I will be this call today at 5pm Pacific, 8 Eastern. Thanks to Jennifer.
Stepping Forward: WFP Meeting Thurs Nov 7
The Working Families Party is "a multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful. We want an America which realizes the promise – unrealized in our history – of freedom and equality for all." They're meeting tomorrow at 5pm Pacific, 8 Eastern. Thanks to Anna.
Refuge: Morning Yoga
I'm opening up my usually-subscription-based Morning Series yoga session to drop-ins for the next couple of weeks. Between Daylight Savings and distress, I imagine a lot of folks will be having feelings in the morning. I'd love to support you. We meet online from 7-8:15am Pacific Time. Moderate intensity mat practice. If you can donate, that'd be great. If you can't donate but it will help you to be there, that'll be great. Simply reach out if you'd like the Zoom link.
Refuge: Meditation
Tuesdays from 8-8:55 I lead a free weekly Meditation Gathering. All are always welcome. This is a gentle, welcoming, guided practice that is led with a sensitivity to trauma and anxiety.
Resource: On Speaking Up
The Southern Poverty Law Center's Speak Up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry is an excellent place to learn more about how to give voice to your values. They have articles on speaking in different settings and on different topics; there is rich resourcing here. In this time where people are willing to speak more openly of their bigotry, learning how to respond to that is a powerful skill. This is an excellent skill for white folks – especially white men – to be proactive with gaining, as speaking against bigotry is less dangerous for folks with more privilege.
Resource: On How We Keep Going
Carolyn Hax's advice column for the Washington Post is always a bath of wisdom, compassion, and moral clarity. Recently the parent of a trans child exhausted by the need to be vigilant for her child and all trans people wrote in to ask how to cope. We might all benefit from Carolyn's answer.
Stepping Up: Letters of Support to Trans Folks
Point of Pride has a letter-writing campaign where folks can sign up to write or to receive support. "Reminding someone that they are seen, supported, and valued is a powerful message for trans folks." "The cards you write are discretely mailed alongside support packages to trans people with barriers in accessing healthcare." "88% of the recipients are trans folks under the age of 24." Thanks to Jennifer.
Resource: My Voice
Last week I offered my prayersong and a poetic spoken version of this in a pair of recordings. I didn't have them online when it was time to send the newsletter; they're now here, along with recordings of me leading meditation and deep relaxation. If you've practiced with me in the past, it's likely that my voice will feel comforting to you. I hope that it can be. Thanks to James, who makes all my online work possible.
Please feel welcome to pass this along to anyone. If you've got resources to share, I'd love to hear them!