Riding my bike today, California poppies bathed my eyes in color and freshness – revealing the essence of Spring shining through in these last few days of winter.
Still jet-lagged, I’m processing my pilgrimage to Egypt – the birthplace of my parents – and I feel deeply inspired by Hatshepsut’s story, a powerful embodiment of renewal.
In a world shaped by kings, she invited her people to imagine something radically different – a female ruler whose reign centered on peace, regeneration, and expansion, rather than conquest. Her leadership opened new routes of exchange, bringing healing herbs, incense, and abundance to ancient Egypt.
No domination. No wars. Rather, flourishing.
And as headlines once again speak of violence in the Middle East, Hatshepsut’s story stirs something tender and fierce in me: a longing for peace, connection, and regeneration – not as a fantasy, but as a lived practice.
When we come together with a shared vision and take small, steady steps, something new can emerge.
May the spirit of Spring – or Autumn for some of you – awaken in each of us a desire to create ripples of change – from doing what we love while rooting ourselves in wisdom and the sacred, whatever that means for any of us.