Friends, I hope this finds you well. I’ve been very quiet for the past year, in part due to an accident which left me unable to walk for almost 3 months. Those of you who know me well and know much I love to move my body know how challenging this was.
I had a lot of my own healing to do-first physically and then emotionally as I watched my country divide into 2 different versions of reality, while also witnessing the ongoing ecocide continue essentially unabated.
But I am re-energized and centered, and it’s time to come back together to address some very important matters.
There is one specific event which pulled me off the sidelines and catapulted me back into action.
I try to limit the amount of news I consume, but the other night I turned on the TV to see how my friends in New England were faring with the huge snowstorm. I’m hunkered down on Hatteras Island where I go each year to spend quiet time with the elders (ocean, air and earth).
I heard a news item so outlandish, so dystopian, so disturbing that I thought maybe I was watching an outtake from the masterful film Don’t Look Up (highly recommended if you haven’t seen it!).
The story was brief:
“A piece of a rocket that Elon Musk blasted off into space and then abandoned seven years ago will crash into the Moon this March.”
Excuse me, but WHAT???????????
This is a desecration too significant to ignore.
To be clear, my outrage is not primarily about the moon, but about what this collision represents. I am concerned about our collective shrug of a response, and the implications to society if this kind of behavior continues unchecked.
The symbolism of this event is startling and revealing.
An American billionaire, the epitome of capitalistic success and a byproduct of centuries of patriarchal rule, launches his uber-expensive, high-tech, phallic-shaped contraption into space without fully understanding the repercussions of what he is doing. All of us must live with the consequences.
And now we witness the fallout of his folly- a very large, uncontrollable piece of ‘space-trash’ is about to crash at high-speed into the backside of the moon, a symbol throughout history of the divine feminine.
To be more concise:
We are in a showdown between end-stage, malignant capitalism and the divine feminine.
Many are so worn down by the regular atrocities that it can be hard to muster the strength to care. But care we must if have any chance of saving the beautiful planet we know and love for future generations.
The moon has been associated with the divine feminine, intuition and deep inner psyche across many traditions throughout history.
Women are particularly connected with the moon. Some believe (and a few small studies have shown) synchronicity between menstrual and lunar cycles. This connection has been largely lost, likely from all the exposure to artificial lighting.
The moon controls the tides and since we are mostly water it makes sense that the moon influences each one of us.
Many earth-based spiritual practices (which we all are descended from somewhere in our lineage) revere the moon and understand the sacred relationship.
For many years I have honored the full and new moon each month with some quiet reflection and ceremony, even the occasional song and dance as my sisters did throughout the eons.
When I heard the news about the rocket strike, my body started shaking and crying, not just for the moon but for everything we humans are harming with our disrespect, ignorance and hubris. How different things could have been if we hadn’t been vilifying and marginalizing the divine feminine.
I allowed my grief and rage to be expressed, felt it in my body, in my heart, not bypassing but turning towards.
Eventually it was time for bed. I stepped out on my balcony overlooking the ocean. It’s a dark sky on Hatteras Island with very little light pollution. The storm had blown through and the sky was blazing with stars.
I inhaled deeply and felt the salty air breathe my body in and out. I listened to the roar of the crashing of the waves, which were much bigger than normal from the storm.
How can we humans risk all of this magnificence so carelessly?
I asked for a sign. Just then, one of the biggest shooting stars I’ve ever seen blazed across the sky and dropped down towards the ocean.
I went to bed feeling held and supported by something much larger than myself, slept soundly and woke up with a clear idea.
We need to come together to re-energize, embody and empower the divine feminine. The moon represents all of us getting hit on the backside by unchecked patriarchal rule.
We need to break the spell of our collective denial, and rise up in service of the sacred web of life.
This is no time to sit things out. The next 3-5 years are crucial in terms of making the changes we need or else we will reach irreversible tipping points.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT MEN VS WOMEN
When I say ‘divine feminine’ I am talking about qualities, not gender.
All of us embody a combination of feminine and masculine qualities. We need the divine masculine, ideally balanced out by the divine feminine, and I’m grateful to all who embody this.
As gender becomes more fluid, any human who feels called to bring more of the traditionally divine feminine qualities (compassion, inter-connection, collaboration, prioritizing peace) back into the equation is welcome.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT PASSIVITY
The divine feminine we need is not passive, she (or they or he) stands for something. Think Rosa Parks, Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg, Maya Angelou, Amanda Gorman.
WE GATHER
Let us come together. We need each other right now and we are stronger as a collective. The irony of these times is that we are more connected than ever through technology, but lonelier and feeling more isolated.
Let us gather on the eve of the next full moon: Tuesday Feb. 15th, 6:30 PM EST
I will be hosting a Sacred Circle Full Moon Gathering in Honor of the Divine Feminine. Sign up here for the Zoom invite or use the subscribe box at the bottom of this page.
Come as you are. Meaning, bring your rage, your grief, your exhaustion, your confusion. This is not about bypassing, it’s about honoring what we’ve been through-both in the last 2 years and 2+ millennia of unchecked patriarchal rule.
This will be a ceremony for the moon and for ourselves, a safe space to honor the divine feminine within ourselves, to remember our inherent wildness.
I will create sacred space, there will be poems and readings, opportunities to share for those who feel called to, guided contemplation and whatever else wants to happen in the moment.
Why Should we Gather?
We gather because it’s what women have done throughout history whenever there were important problems to solve.
We gather because we need our voices heard, even if it’s only heard by each other and the benevolent forces of the universe.
We gather in honor of the spirit of the moon and all that she represents.
We gather because we have the privilege of having a voice, and no matter how the next few years unfold we want to be able to say we gave it our all.
I hope to see all my sisters and brothers who want with your whole heart to see a more compassionate world. Come for an hour of catharsis, healing and devotion.
See below for some songs which are anthems of sort for these times. Music and dance are a potent healing force.
This event is freely offered. May it benefit all beings.
Much love to you all,
Erin
Rising Appalacia-Resilient
I am resilient
I trust the movement
I negate the chaos
Uplift the negative
I’ll show up at the table
Again and again and again
I’ll close my mouth and learn to listen
These times are poignant
The winds have shifted
It’s all we can do
To stay uplifted
Pipelines through backyards
Wolves howling out front
Yeah I got my crew but truth is what I want
Realigned and on point
Power to the peaceful, prayers to the waters
Women at the center
All vessels open to give and receive
Let’s see this system brought down to its knees
I’m made of thunder, I’m made of lightning
I’m made of dirt, yeah
Made of the fine things
My father taught me
That I’m a speck of dust and this world
Was made for me so let’s go and try our luck
I’ve got my roots down down down down down down deep
So what are we doing here
What has been done
What are you gonna do about it
When the world comes undone
My voice feels tiny
And I’m sure so does yours
Put us all together we’ll make a mighty roar
I am resilient
I trust the movement
I negate the chaos
Uplift the negative
I’ll show up at the table again and again and again
I’ll close my mouth and learn to listen…
“There will come a time when we will look back and remember when we stood for Mountains, and waters. With one heart and one mind. and we will weep in our victories. Until then we pray harder, chant louder, stand stronger and sing with one voice. Take Your Power Back. And rise like a mighty wave. ~Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People. Oli Kukulu,
To our rise,
