Mountain Meditation
By Marguerite Jill Dye
A friend asked me to write about the Electoral College but, honestly, I don’t have the heart. Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million (and counting) more votes than her opponent and I’ve held out hope that enough state recounts and adjusted electoral votes could result in a miracle and change the outcome. Even Michael Moore, who predicted Trump’s victory, says anything is possible in this crazy election.
Meanwhile, we are doing what we can, but with each of Trump’s cabinet choices there is more to overcome. My husband and I attended a record breaking ACLU meeting in Sarasota, Fla. where 150 concerned citizens learned the rights of demonstrators; the Sierra Club where 50 members and 15 newcomers discussed Mosaic corporation’s phosphate contamination of Florida’s water and the proposed Florida oil pipeline that would endanger the Everglades and Gulf waters; the NAACP to support equality and fight discrimination, prejudice, and hatred in this highly segregated state; the PEACE Center’s new coalition of social justice groups to coordinate efforts and create a united front for the challenges ahead.
Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is engaged in a lawsuit against the EPA and denies climate change because he supports and benefits from fossil fuel money; Trump’s Small Business Administration choice is experienced in wrestling, not business; his Education Secretary’s focus undermines public schools; his HUD selection has zero experience or knowledge in affordable housing; and the list grows each day. Selecting one sign to hold at the local demonstration is a dilemma: “Save Social Security and Medicare,” “Save Public Schools,” “Protect the Environment,” or “Everyone Deserves a Living Wage@$15/hour!”
It is a deeply discouraging and frightening time in America, and with all of these concerns, we need to return to our center to seek balance and peace and not lose hope. With our crazy world spinning off kilter and the holiday season upon us, I asked for guidance. This is the angel message that came to me:
We see you are heartbroken, along with many others. But do not despair. There is hope. Things will change little by little, and some things will now be undone but recuperated in the future. It is a cycle of ying and yang, the positive and negative flow on earth and you have entered a new period. The good is that people will unite to stand up for what they believe in, forming new bonds of friendship and cooperation. Back slipping will add to some peoples’ suffering, but others will work to defend their rights. This turmoil and unsettling will bring about change but much of the good will come later. New or old ways will increase strife and throw off the shackles that are now underway. Pope Francis was right to call on people of faith to unite to work together in an atmosphere of compassion, but his word wasn’t heeded by many. Their anger overtook them and led them down a different path.
Don’t lose heart. We understand how the fear in the hearts of many comes from their or their families’ real experiences when evil overtook countries and empires. It is your free will to choose your path, but once chosen, in the case of a nation, others are dragged along. Now is the time to build the foundation and work to set things right, to question authority and challenge unjust laws. This takes courage and empathy to understand the pain of others, to see with eagles’ eyes how new laws and the unraveling of old ones create turmoil, disruption, chaos, and anxiety. Don’t take things at face value but consider their consequences, both short and long term, and how they will change the face of your nation. This is a test, a test of faith in action, a test of bravery and heroism, a test of standing up for people in need and for those who are targeted with hate.
Don’t lose heart and yield to depression and dismay. Find your center within yourselves and centers in your communities that are safe havens for beliefs and individual ways. Gain strength from the divine and with one another for that will help sustain you through these difficult times.
Marguerite Jill Dye is an author and artist who loves living in Vermont and on Florida’s Gulf Coast with her husband. She believes that everyone has an innate divine spark and deserves to be treated with respect. She recently created a paper cut world to illustrate Sandra Gartner’s hide and seek story book, “Where is Sam?”
Photo by Marguerite Jill Dye
We see you are heartbroken, along with many others. But do not despair. There is hope.
