Taking It In

We were floating on a mountain lake, a few steps off the Pacific Crest Trail. That’s when the dragonfly showed up. For most of her life, this exquisite Being is just an aquatic nymph without wings. She lives just below the surface of the water. She breathes out of the gills in her rectum. Most of human life is also stuck on the surface, pursuing legacy projects and building brands. Our ego games make about as much sense as breathing out of our butts. Like Spirit, the dragonfly hovers over the waters. She is adaptable and flexible. What it takes to transform. She was beckoning us to lighten up like her. To stop taking ourselves so seriously. So we, too, can fly. 

Physical, economic, emotional and spiritual pain continue to proliferate from the collateral damage of a coronavirus pandemic which came for a country totally unprepared. We lack the safety nets of “socialist” countries and “indigenous” societies scripted by a collective mentality that seeks to protect and serve everyone. Over the past five months, we’ve talked to many friends trying to figure out what to do in the wake of losing jobs, mental and physical health, unemployment benefits, home, school, health coverage, childcare, social connection while coping with these (and more) with denial, distraction and/or addiction. 

More and more, we have been leaning into a spiritual and political vocation that requires presence over production, perfection, and performance. The work of soul accompaniment requires of us a commitment to rigorous daily practice: centering and grounding so that we can be emotionally available--to Spirit, self and whatever is right in front of us. We are prioritizing what Francis Weller calls “the primary satisfactions:” facilitating deep and meaningful dialogue, being mutually vulnerable with a few comrades, and spending soul time in wilderness spaces where water, wind and winged creatures watch over, prod, and guide us. We are also immersing ourselves in reading, writing, play, prayer, fasting, somatic practice, therapy, spiritual direction, and 12-step recovery. We are convinced that the present moment requires no less of us. And that to remain awake and ready (instead of reactive to the 24-hour-news cycle) - in a U.S. western, entitlement-driven culture, so ready to hand out numbing, consumerism, and denial around every corner - is the vital spiritual work of our time. It is more important than ever that we each do our part to care for and keep one another's courage up. 

We live in a disorienting world that is indefinite and ever changing. What will life look like tomorrow, next month...or in 10 weeks when we vote in yet another historic election? The candidates from the two major parties are both far from perfect. We are discouraged that neither option has a plan to eradicate poverty; decrease budgets for police, prisons, ICE and the military; guarantee health care for all; fulfill treaty rights with Indian country; abolish corporate campaign contributions; guarantee green jobs; or support the BREATHE Act. But there’s no doubt: the differences do matter. There's plenty more to come. The frenzy and fury of this race will intensify in September and October and, on November 3, we have grave concerns that votes will be heavily suppressed in key swing states. 

This is a lot for our souls to take in. In the next 10 weeks, we will need each other more than ever. If you need to talk, rant, confess, weep, laugh, analyze or pray, please do not hesitate to reach out. Kardia Kaiomene is a ministry of mutuality. We thrive on being vulnerable with a few dear friends (you!) who are also willing, wanting and needing space to share honestly. This is how we heal and get free from the old scripts and patterns playing in our heads. Collective liberation is contagious. It spreads like a virus. Soul to soul. If you would like to check-in with either of us, just email, call, text or direct message and we’ll lock it in on the calendar. Beloved community is beckoning.