The Winds Blow Strangely

The winds blow strangely.

How often do the environmental conditions reflect our social, political and cultural life?  Probably more frequently than we notice.

November 8th when I write this the winds blow cold outside of Rise Above Guest House.  They bluster and tear at the stubborn oak leaves left on the trees and sweep the loose ones across the yard into piles against the forest edge.

And then – the sun, tired of today’s cloudy obscurity, bursts beneath them, straight into my eyes as I stand at the window to write.

I welcome the still warm, orange glow of late day sun and long for that kind of flooding insight into the mess we seem to be in.

There are lots of insightful analyses into the state of the world, and there are a few equally insightful maps and strategies for a way forward.

There are maps and strategies that replace bluster with the warm glow of hope.

There are maps and strategies that promote unity amid diversity and collaborative uses of power to resist the darkness of greed, revenge and oppression. Here are a couple of good articles from organizations I follow –  “10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won” from Waging Nonviolence and 6 ways to find hope amid US election despair from Broadview Magazine.

Here at Rise Above Guest House, we follow the lead of the sun’s light, and the sacred light within when we seek to provide a place of healing and hope in connection with the Land.

Our map and strategy go something like this:

Centre the support of the grandmothers and the wise women, who have seen all this and worse before.

Claim and tell the story that finds divine inspiration in the natural world, in the depths of each other, and in the sacred Spiritual realm that is as real to us as the material realm.

Know that there are mountains to climb that will be challenging, but nevertheless, don’t be afraid to dream big.  The view at the top is worth it.

And never forget that each day provides opportunities to balance these two things:

first, daily chores to feed and clothe and shelter ourselves and others

and second, regular bouts of playfulness and adventure.

Without these last two, everything else is too hard.

The light of the sun and Sacred light floods our world each day with beauty in spite of it all and calls us to follow.

written by Marilyn November 8th, 2024