Holding On and Ringing True

      A lot of people are having a rough time right about now, and the recent US Presidential election is just a part of the trouble.  Divisiveness is rampant, no matter where you look.  There is a notable lack of trust, a dis-ease with those who are different from oneself.  Social problems we thought had been dealt with long ago continue to rear their heads, taunting us and reminding us that we have not really dug deep enough.  We have not gotten to the root of the problems that we face as a society.   Racism, sexism, and economic disparity divide us from one another and encourage us to see only our differences.  But we need to focus more intently on what unifies us.  We need to see our interconnectedness as the essence of who we are - who all of us are.
      In September I attended a retreat with Joanna Macy where she taught a large group of us a variety of skills for dealing with despair over the current state of environmental concern in the world.  Many of those who attended are folks involved in what used to be called the work of “Despair and Empowerment” (note the "and" there.  It is not about moving from one to the other, but rather, of holding both at the same time and living within this difficult balancing act.) The work is now better known as “The Great Turning”, coined by Joanna herself as a way of acknowledging where we are in the present moment.
        It is the belief and deep hope of many spiritual climate activists that the world is turning away from its unfortunate and deeply flawed anthropocentrism, toward a more mindful way of being.  But this can't really happen without the current structures falling apart to some extent, and that part of the process in particular, is painful.  Acknowledging this Joanna shared a portion of a powerful poem by Rilke: 

Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,

what batters you becomes your strength. 
Move back and forth into the change. 
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.

In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.

And if the world has ceased to hear you, 
say to the silent Earth: I flow.

(Part Two, Sonnet XXIX by Rilke , transl. Joanna Macy) 

        The Great Turning is not a time for the weak. Change does not happen without some challenges, without some backlash, and when you are caught in the midst of helping to bring change about, you may get beaten up a bit in the process.
        The key is to stay connected to the things that give you strength and hope.
        The key is to remember what it is that sustains you on an ordinary day, and then tap into it ever deeper on the challenging days. Draw the sustenance you need from the way you live your life. For me this means spending time in the woods near a small stream, walking on the dirt road near my home, making music and making good food, and talking with friends.
        The key is to remember who you are and to hold onto believing in the purpose for which you have come. You are needed and valued, and this is especially true in difficult times.

Joanna Macy is a well known Buddhist Earth Activist who has collaborated with John Seed and many others, doing the “Great Work” throughout the world. See more about her here: http://www.joannamacy.net/