I am heartened to see a shift in what people are sharing through email and facebook. Yes, the horrors of this incoming administration just keep unfolding and will continue to do so. But I see a shift from paralyzing reaction to action. 

We hold tremendous power. We are in fact the majority. Beyond the 2.8 million more votes for Clinton in the recent election, I know there are many who didn’t vote and many who voted for Trump that are now beginning to realize the devastating truth of what lies ahead. And I believe they will join us. We are not some marginalized minority voice. We are the majority determined to take back our country. And we can do this!

Among the many messages of the past few days, the voice of Opal Tometi rings strong and true. A human rights activist and cofounder of Black Lives Matter, she offers five thoughts on what to do under a Trump presidency. Her first suggestion sings to my soul. “Let’s nourish ourselves with words from our ancestors.” And she offers the following ancestor voices.

Ella Baker: “We who believe in freedom cannot rest.” Sitting Bull: “Let us put our minds together to see what kind of future we can make for our children.” Grace Lee Boggs: “Building community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the individual.”

In a separate post, Gus Speth, co-founder of the New Economy Law Center, writes, “I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy…and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation – and we scientists don’t know how to do that.”

There is much to do and much I don’t know how to do. But there is much I do know and standing in that power, manifesting that power, is my best contribution to this movement. Finding nourishment in the words of our ancestors and fostering spiritual and cultural transformation is my work. What’s yours?

Beannacht,
Judith – judith@stonefires.com