To All the Soul Warriors

My headspace at the moment...

I sit and am aware of the dysfunction that exists around me. 

At home.

At work.

In the world and in the systems that govern and rule. 

There is so much anger, resentment, frustration, isolation, separation, categorization, labels, labels, labels… It is the birthplace of oppression. What is witnessed is the presence of fear and the lack of love. I take a breath and discover the only place that I can find a sense of calm, and, for the first time I am truly aware, that it is within myself. 

I recognize a place where I am not at battle myself as I once was. I am reminded how I would devalue and attack myself to no end. I still have areas to grow but I have grown so much along the way.  I’m recognizing the importance to witness ego, to let go of judgement, and understand that I am the example, I create the world I around me. I hold much power.

Where is the love…

Where is the love towards others where we can be conscious about the impact of our decisions, to choose to take action from a place of love and real value for another life?

I have found it in fleeting moments like walking through a train on the side of a mountain asking passengers to the donate funds of their ticket purchases to the family of the woman who lost her life that day, while holding space for another during their grieving process, and in short encounters that possess a shared recognition of each other and an opportunity to remind one another who we are and what power we possess.

We belong to one another.

I have found it in the hearts of everyday people who choose to show up in the world and acknowledge the value of others, in their homes and in their community.

I have found it  in the courage of those who make the conscious effort to show up and live life out loud.  I strive to move forward in a truer way, to create things that enhance my life and the lives of those around me, to tell the truth and fight for justice, to be open and direct, and to live a life filled with integrity, honesty, tenacity, and decency.

“We are searching on a joyless quest for pleasure” – Dr. Cornell West.

There is a raging sea, who can calm it? I think of the story of Moses, calming and parting the sea, what a powerful metaphor: to bring peace, a sense of safety, and stillness in a time of disorder. There is the sea, a body of water symbolizing the raging emotion. A staff symbolizing grounding, balance, and strength.  A powerful tool used to part through and calm emotional turmoil to cross over to freedom.

There are many out there creating a path towards freedom, a place where the hope of a new, peaceful world may be created. That is the embodiment of what I hope the remaining part of my life to be.  To stand in my power, to exemplify love, to speak openly and honestly, and to always be in touch with the center inside myself that is calm, fierce, and empowered.

Together we can create a new world.

This past year, I am more aware of the turmoil of the world around me. I weep and cheer for humanity. I am only beginning to understand the obstacles that revolutionary leaders have faced.  How were they able to make certain calls, how were they able to stand strong and boldly in the face of such horror? To claim inner power when fear takes hold-- that is the breadth of God. As Bell Hooks says, “When you work for freedom, you cannot rest.”

As my own consciousness rises, the hold around the need to understand the world around me loosens. There simply is no answer, everything is left unknowable with the freedom to choose moment to moment. Our collective choice has brought us here.

I am left with Thich Nhat Hahn’s voice where he says, “The conditions must exist.”

In the current state of the world, these conditions must exist in order for the next shift to occur. Everything is unfolding exactly as it must. What is coming? Where are we headed? I can only hope that it is towards a more loving and connected existence. Perhaps we can choose to create this together? I go within, I connect to my heart, I build peace there, and I find freedom. 

To all the soul warriors who share this path, I see you, and I wish you the same.