Dear friends,
While I make no assumptions about your political inclinations, if you’re like me, you might be feeling a heaviness in your heart right now, given the results of the presidential elections here in the US. If that’s not the case for you, please feel free to skip this message.
If sadness, shock, disbelief, anger, and/or fear have been present for you – please remember that all those are natural emotions when we’re faced with a profound turn of events – impacting our personal, social, and planetary lives.
I feel your pain deeply, and my heart goes out to you. Words don’t do justice… yet I hope these few can offer some comfort.
What helps me most – and might be helpful for you too – is feeling my connection with my body, including my larger body – the Earth – through breath, physical sensations, and Gaia’s gravitational embrace.
If you can, you might want to visit a natural place… touch a tree, inhale the fragrance of herbs or flowers, and lay your body on the ground – remembering that you’re being held by a planet that has turned on its axis for eons – a time immensely larger than a single political administration.
This is not to deny the gravity of our times. Not at all. I’ll just say it…. this sucks. It hurts to the bone to witness a power structure that promises to unravel democracy, human rights, and the very life support systems of our planet.
This might not be the right time to jump into action, mobilize, or find great strength. There will be a time for that. But for right now… Just as our physical body needs rest when recovering from illness, our spirit too needs gentle care to heal its existential wounds.
The Earth offers healing balms – from hot baths and herbal teas to bird song and moist soil to dig our hands into. If you’re indoors, you might let yourself break a few norms: play with your food, smell it, savor it, and lick every finger with abandon. If you’re lucky enough to have a child or a partner, sharing this simple delight might rekindle a small spark of aliveness in your spirit.
May this time be one of profound healing, connection, and restoration.
With heartfelt love,
Sylvie
