by Trish Dingman
I have noticed, this year, this week especially, social media posts and personal stories of people standing up for themselves and others- which is AWESOME! However, I have also noticed people activating from a place of defence and fear- fists up, ears covered, mouth wide open- screaming insults to those they disagree with or feel oppressed by. Hate begets hate. We already know this. We've all quoted the great Martin Luther King Jr. But perhaps we've forgotten the rest of what he said,
Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.
May we activate from love
May we activate from a wide open heart. May we educate instead of fighting back. May we put down our boxing gloves and step into debate.
Attacking the attackers doesn't change a thing; Does it?
For me FIGHTING for what I believed in, in the past, has always felt exhausting. At moments when I "stood up to an aggressor" my ego would feel fuelled up, proud, like a winner- but my spirit would feel depleted.
I believe the Power of the Feminine IS the healing energy the earth needs right now. The teacher. The leader. The warrior of light. The one who is willing to stare into the dark and not look away.
Ears Open. Heart Open. Available.
The Goddess listens. Tries to understand each side. Can see herself (or himself, or their self) in the aggressor, the problem, the victim, the debate and the solution.
She (let's just let her be she for now... But know that she is also he and also them) is curious enough to learn the whole story. And empathetic enough to care, even when she doesn't agree. She meets hate with wisdom, experience, education and love.
She can stand up for someone who seems smaller, attacked or victimized; but she stands tall, soft and clear- no hate in her words- only a caring need to start a discussion, to sit in unknowing for awhile and maybe just maybe to come up with a new way of doing things... To spread love.
The Goddess operates from ONE HEART.
And she can only do this once she knows herself. Truly knows herself. Knows her dark and knows her light. And loves her dark and loves her light. She knows that she is imperfect and she is ok with sitting in imperfection. She sees the parts of herself which are broken and doesn't rush to fix them.... Because she remembers they make her more human; more empathetic, more willing to listen to what and who scares her, or triggers her or angers her.
She has taken the time to know herself. She has taken the time to take care of herself. She has done the work. She has the tools to sit with and express anger non violently... She knows to enter a heated moment without wearing her opinions and familiar past experiences, like heavy armour. She enters into debate with an open heart- because she knows her own... And to know her own and love it, is to activate from an open heart.
The communal heart. The heart which connects us all, human, plant, animal, creature, organism, bacteria... ALL OF US. The heart of Gaia herself. Where all of nature's beings are equal. Where all of nature's beings (no matter how wrong or cruel one may appear, because appearances are deceiving before they are unravelled) deserve to be seen, heard, loved and helped. FOR REAL. No being deserves to be met with hate- NOONE.
May we activate from love.
In the moments we get strung out on power, on passion, on the burning desire to make a change, to do what we think (what ego thinks) is right- may we step back and activate from love.
May we slow down. May we breathe deeply. May we listen before we react. May we ask questions before we defend. May we only stand up with wide open heart. From ONE HEART. From this shared heart.
WE ARE ONE.
Really we are. When we begin to activate from love. Even if we think no one else is doing it... Even when the overwhelming urge is to fight back... To do what we think is right.... To win. (and no one ever wins... Everyone just keeps hurting)
May we step back and then step up and activate from love.
May we...
HEAL. EVOLVE. THRIVE.
