insurrection

ND #136 – Last Total Lunar Eclipse

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Closeup of the last total lunar eclipse which occurred on 16 May 2022 – Photo: L. Weikel

Last Total Lunar Eclipse

I couldn’t get ‘you guys’ out of my head as I took a walk this evening. Observing the waxing gibbous moon snuggling up to Jupiter, both bright as headlights in the sky, my thoughts turned to the total lunar eclipse we’ll be experiencing at 5:59 a.m. (EST) this Tuesday. This will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2025, which feels significant. Good grief, it’s hard to imagine the geopolitical circumstances under which we’ll (hopefully) be experiencing that celestial event.

So we might as well look up and appreciate this one. For those of you in the eastern Pennsylvania region, here is a nifty link.

 

Waxing Moon Flirting with Jupiter 4Nov22 – Photo: L. Weikel

Momentous

We all know how momentous this Tuesday, November 8, 2022, will be for all of us. Of course, I’m speaking to all citizens of the United States – but I’m especially looking at you, fellow women (and those who identify as female). If we don’t step up now and take responsibility for ensuring our bodily sovereignty by voting for those who will protect and defend our rights as equal citizens, we could easily find ourselves living in a Christofascist hellscape by the next total lunar eclipse.

I can only hope that we learned our lesson in 2016. As shell-shocked and pit-in-the-stomach terrified we felt at the result of that election six years ago, I’m pretty confident few of us would’ve predicted the tidal wave of misogyny, racism, antisemitism, outright cruelty, and insanity that would nearly drown our country in its wake. But here we are.

And of course, the momentous nature of our election impacts the rest of the world, too. “With great power comes great responsibility,” which means our responsibility to not only vote but also stand up for democracy and the rule of law extends beyond our own precious lives. The fate of many hang in the balance of how we respond to the myriad shameless attacks being made against facts, truth, and reality. We are responsible not only for ourselves and our country, but also the myriad countries that rely on us as an ally and role model. Perhaps most importantly, the consequences of our election will impact the very planet on which we all live and depend.

Last Total Lunar Eclipse (May 2022) – Photo: L. Weikel

A Perfect Storm

It’s no secret that circumstances are such that a perfect storm is brewing on both an emotional and ideological level. That’s why the fact that our turmoil is mirrored in the sky takes on even more chilling significance.

There’s the total lunar eclipse (with eclipses often providing jarring, unexpected revelations and reactions).And we’re still experiencing the final ‘pass’ of the Saturn squaring Uranus configuration that we experienced three times in 2021. You may recall Saturn is associated with rules, foundations, and tradition, while Uranus is often thought of as revolutionary, unpredictable, a disrupter of the status quo, and an innovator of lightning-quick change.

Too much of either energy can lead to unintended and chaotic results. And we’re pretty much assured that we’ll experience both, at least in the short term. We can only hope (and set our intentions) that balance can and will be achieved sooner rather than later. We had our warning on January 6th. Shame on us If something similar unfolds as a result of this election. There’s no excuse for us not to see it coming.

Our Best Strategy

As always, our best strategy is to keep our own centers and allow our sense of calm, faith in our system, and peaceful respect for ourselves and each other to ripple out into our environment. When challenged, we need to feel our feet connecting to Mother Earth, reminding us of who we are and why we care. We also need to look up, and remember that while the Earth may be causing the moon to be in dusky, blood-red shadow for a moment, this will pass.

What matters is that we hold firm to our values and the common good of all, including Nature and Mother Earth. We must stand strong for each other, ourselves, and our ancestors – those who’ve passed and those who will inherit the results of our decisions today. Remember to keep looking up, my friends; no matter what. The next seven generations are depend upon us.

(T+136)

What Happened Last Year – ND #30

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Photo: L. Weikel

What Happened Last Year

I don’t want to write about what happened last year. It seems like all the words have been used up and there’s nothing but actions left to define who we are and what we are becoming.

At this point, nothing matters if we don’t ensure voting rights for every citizen in the country. I say that because there’s no way we will get anything accomplished on climate change if our democracy is shot. Indeed, there’s no way we’ll discover the truth about who was involved in planning and implementing last year’s attempted coup, either – not if we haven’t learned it already by the time the midterms roll around. Because as appalling as it may be, it’s all but certain that Republicans would kill any investigations into the January 6th attack on our capitol as soon as they came into power.

While I know this is true, I want to run and hide when I hear it stated.

How can it be that Representatives and Senators would actually – willfully – choose to torpedo an effort to get to the bottom of an outright attempt to thwart the will of the people?

Good Question

That’s a question that bounces around in my heart and soul every day. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that the Republican Party is so in lock step with Donald Trump (Donald Trump! Think about that!) that Representative Liz Cheney (with her father at her side) was the only serving member of that party to attend any of the events that took place in Washington D.C. today.

From honoring the Capitol Police who, blindsided and left unsupported for hours, risked their lives to protect all members of Congress to solemnly marking the historic significance of the terrorist attack that took place at the hands of fellow Americans last year, the Republican Party was AWOL. The disrespect and dishonor is palpable. How dare any of them ever utter the words “Blue lives matter” or “We support the police” again.

I’m disgusted with my Senator (Toomey) and my Representative (Fitzpatrick). Their hypocrisy is inexcusable and the breach of their oath of office egregious. As they circle their wagons and protect their own, more and more are exhibiting complicity in the attempted overthrow of our government.

We must demand accountability. If we don’t, it’s likely we’ll lose everything we thought we stood for and realize that, in truth, we never were quite the beacons of democracy we thought we were.

Get involved. Use your voice. We must not remain silent.

(T+30)

Colossally Distracted – ND #28

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Twilight 4 January 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

Colossally Distracted

Yikes. How could I have been so colossally distracted as to neglect to comment on the new moon we just experienced this past Sunday? Here we were, celebrating the beginning of the next cycle of the Gregorian calendar, and I didn’t even notice that the moon was new as well?

I hang my head in shame.

But you know what? Luckily for me, the moon herself reminded me of her recent ‘new’ status by revealing just how lovely her crescent self is becoming. She revealed herself in such utter beauty tonight, it was impossible to complete our walk without stopping over and over again to try to capture the beauty that seemed to only build as the night progressed.

Macro Meaning

As you all know, my natural inclination is to focus on setting our own personal intentions and aspirations at the new moon. Obviously, they may or may not coincide with the intentions (or ‘resolutions’) you declared for the new year. But the coincidence of the new moon happening so close to the turning of the calendar increases the power of anything you set your mind to in these intense times.

It’s interesting to contemplate the ‘macro-meanings’ of outer events and their timing, too. For instance, I wonder if there will be anything new – any new investigations – announced in Attorney General Merrick Garland’s speech tomorrow afternoon regarding the insurrection. Will we be surprised and relieved? Or will we continue to be lament the fact that not a single ‘mastermind’ of the attempted coup has been indicted.

Only time will tell.

But I think I speak for many of us when I express my fear that my faith in justice will remain unrequited if those who plotted this slow moving coup are not held accountable.

Before Our Eyes

We all know what we saw unfold before our very eyes last year. That was no ‘tourist visit,’ and to even suggest that ‘spin’ on those events with a straight face is insulting. Shame on the Representatives who tried to float that narrative.

I keep coming back to the idea that we all watched it unfold in real time – right before our eyes. And now we’re starting to get an idea of just how deep into the inner circle of the Administration the plotting took root and flourished. I for one would love to see some Justice Seeds get planted this week.

New moon, new year. Yeah, fresh accountability would be a great complement to these energetic patterns of hope and new beginnings.

Tonight’s Newly Waxing Crescent Moon – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+28)

 

Never Challenge Worse – ND #20

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Trouble on the Horizon? – Photo: L. Weikel

Never Challenge Worse

Here we are, living the last week of 2021. If nothing else, I trust this year has been an object lesson in the truth of the adage: “never challenge worse.” Last year at this time, I cringed every time I saw someone declare how 2021 would haveto be better than the abysmal year we’d just experienced. And it didn’t take long for everything to fall apart to an even greater degree than it had before.

Even the dramatic inroads that were made vis-à-vis vaccine availability and the possibility that opened up to get the virus under control seemed promising – at first. But alas, we know how things unfolded in that area. I don’t need to hash and rehash here.

The same goes for our political leadership. We thought we dodged a bullet. And undoubtedly we did. But now it seems we’re realizing we better hope we’re capable of dodging a bazooka. Or maybe a grenade launcher. Or heaven forbid – a nuke. Because the bullet we dodged was, viewed with a longer-range lens, probably the least of our worries.

Can’t Close Our Eyes

And that’s the rub, isn’t it? We keep thinking, “It can’t get any worse.” And yet it does.

What do you remember thinking and feeling as you sat before your television or computer screen on January 6th? I can tell you what I wrote about that night – fresh from the experience. This is my post from that night.

Even more surprising to me? I just searched my posts with the key word insurrection and discovered 26 entries. But even more chilling is my first mention of insurrection: the warning I wrote the night of September 21, 2020. I’m equally surprised by my entry the evening of January 3, 2021. And wow – I called it on the evening of January 6th.

I’m not providing these links as proof that I’ve got some super cool oracular powers. Far from it! If you read the posts, you’ll see I actually just stated what was right before our eyes the whole time. And if I could see it, we all could see it. But our eyes seemed to be firmly slammed shut. I dare say the Capitol Police felt unheard and unseen.

Calm Before the Storm

I don’t want to be an alarmist. Indeed, I seek peace. I yearn for justice and equality. I do my best to promote communication and connection. But I’m feeling a sense of foreboding. This week feels like the calm before the storm.

My worry – as is being conveyed in other outlets; I don’t claim to be a singular sage – is the lack of accountability. The fact that 51 weeks have gone by with no major players or instigators being indicted is exponentially emboldening the insurrectionists. We cannot let this stand without imperiling everything we rely upon and hold dear in this country.

And I don’t think it will simply play out, lah-dee-dah, and disappear into the memory hole. No. I suspect within the very near future we’re going to see other additional direct attempts to subvert our democracy. Or perhaps we’ll finally see some well-investigated and highly documented indictments (and then convictions, if our system works at all).

Either way, I’m not betting 2022 is going to be a ‘relief.’ It may, however, bring relief. If we can manage to keep our republic.

(T+20)

A Way Forward – Day 1100

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29 – Nautilus – The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte

A Way Forward

In last night’s post, after expressing worry over both the state of our country and our overall morale, I wrote: “There is precious little overlap between realities anymore. And without common ground? How do we salvage what’s left of our country’s future?”  Holding the energy of those questions in my heart, I consulted The Ocean Oracle to “seek a way forward. What do we need to know? How can we help ourselves?”

The answer I received? Nautilus on a foundation of Sea Urchin.

Nope, this isn’t an order of sushi. Rather, it stands for New Beginnings – on a foundation of Truth.

29 Nautilus – New Beginnings

The story behind this card is lovely and bears repeating:

“He wore the shell around his neck, on a cord long enough so that the nautilus rested just over his heart. A reminder to him of his past which had led him to the present, hopeful about the future. He had been going through some personal issues, issues which weighed him down. He felt stuck – stuck in the middle of something he could not see clear of. He took himself away to the beach, to clear his head and hopefully gain insight into how to move forward. It was on a long walk during this that he found the nautilus. There had been a huge storm the night before and this treasure had been left behind in its wake. He had seen shells like this before but had never realized their intricate and intrinsic beauty; how they were formed into a perfect spiral – that nature had the instinct and intelligence to allow a grain of sand to grow into this perfection. He opened himself to the sacredness of the design realizing it offered a new beginning – a new way of being in the world. That everything was an opportunity for growth and change and beginning anew. This awareness released him from his past, allowing him to be fully aware in the present moment.

The Messages

What needs to end? What needs to finish so something new can enter? Open your heart to divine perfect timing. Let go that which keeps you stuck. If you free the energy around holding onto something which no longer works for you, you will have more energy to put into a new beginning. Enjoy the newness of your latest endeavor. Be awed by the perfection of nature and the new beginnings she offers.”

22 Sea Urchin – The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte

The Foundation

The foundation, or card on the bottom of the deck, when I pulled the main card (above), was 22 Sea Urchin – Truth. The ‘story’ accompanying this card is as follows:

 “These creatures had not been seen in these waters for years. They had left long ago, driven out by the pollutants that people had left behind. They needed clean water to thrive and the waters here became too murky and infested for them to live in a healthy way. So they chose to leave, find a place where they were part of a balanced ecosystem. They flourished for years but grew too may for their home to sustain them. Some migrated into new waters and some eventually ended up back in the place they had left long ago. But it was not the same place. Something had shifted. The things that had polluted the water were no longer there. There was more awareness of the way the oceans and ponds and tides worked. There was a place now for the urchins to thrive. They were able to expand and contribute to the ecosystem in a life enhancing way.

The Messages

Your truth is your truth. Are you in a situation toxic to your truth? Do you need to reassess your truth? Has a situation changed in which your truth can come forward again? Is your environment supporting you in your truth? To live in our truth and integrity, it may be that we have to move, and something that means physically. Stand strong in your truth and respect your limits. Set your boundaries but know rigidity may not be the answer. An urchin’s spines protect it but if pushed too hard, or in the wrong way, the spines break.”

My Take

The way forward for our country very well may be via a new beginning. I don’t mean ripping asunder everything we’ve built over the past 245 years. But I do mean that we are stuck – road-blocked in so many ways from accomplishing anything productive. Thwarted from listening to the needs, hopes, and dreams of a majority of people who comprise this nation.

The story of the young man is almost transparently applicable to us as a nation. We’ve surely been ‘going through some personal issues’ – and, indeed, we’ve recently endured a huge storm. Sadly, I sense the storm has yet to abate. Precious little has been accomplished as a result of that maelstrom – neither change nor accountability. But the fact that it occurred at all is, perhaps, the sand that will result in an even more ‘perfect’ creation than was created two centuries ago.

We tend to think our system of government is the be-all and end-all. And as an idealistic person who believes in democracy, I’m pretty fond of it. However, I do believe it can be better. I believe money has corrupted the fundamental tenets of our system – and if we stand any chance of keeping our great experiment, we must get the money out of it.

Idealism

Yes, I’m idealistic. But I also believe that our country was founded on idealism. It makes sense to me that the foundational card underneath Nautilus’s vision of a New Beginning for us as a nation was Sea Urchin – Truth. But I can’t say that I entirely agree with ‘The Messages.’

Yes, when it comes right down to it, we all have our own unique perspective on the world, on life, and on the way things ‘should’ be. We have our opinions about the way things should be. Need to be. Must be, if a system is going to work. And our firmly held beliefs can be called our ‘truth.’

But for our country to move forward as a democracy, we have to at least be able to agree on what is ‘truth.’ We have to be able to start from a foundation of shared understanding of what is true and what is fear or paranoia or deliberate disinformation meant to rip us apart.

Back to Letting Go

In order to get back to at least some modicum of a shared reality, I think we’re going to have to let go of some of our beliefs about how our country is currently set up. That includes changing at least a handful of (and possibly a lot more) ‘ways we’ve always done things.’

This post is becoming long and unwieldy. I wanted to quote the full text from the two cards, though, even though the simplicity of a New Beginning built on Truth is a hopeful outcome.

And I do believe it’s possible. But I don’t think we’re going to achieve it in the next few months.

No, we’re going to have to work for it over the next few years. We’re going to have to figure out a way to discern truth and be willing to let go of ‘the way things have always been done’ in order to create an even more perfect union of people and cultures and belief systems from all over the world.

You know: e pluribus unum.

(T-11)

New Moon in Libra – Day 1058

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Stars Through Trees – Photo: L. Weikel

New Moon in Libra

There’s a new moon in Libra arriving this Wednesday. The precise moment this will occur will be 7:05 a.m. EDT. Being a new moon, it means the sun and moon are ‘conjunct’ or lined up exactly with each other from our perspective here on Earth. And the sun recently entered Libra at the equinox on September 22nd.

There’s a lot going on in the cosmos this Wednesday, and I find it fascinating that there are some extremely important and potentially provocative deadlines scheduled to take place that day vis-à-vis Congressional investigation into the January 6th insurrection. Is there a will to truly get to the bottom of who and what organizations were behind this attempted coup?

I’m guessing we’re at least going to see this week whether we’re actually represented by people who honestly want to figure out what happened and how we can protect ourselves from another such appalling attack on our democracy in the future. I dare say we know what it feels like to be represented by people who pay lip service to democracy.

October Looks Intense

As I’ve mentioned before, an astrologer who’s been around for a while whom I respect is Rick Levine. He recently gave an analysis of the transits that will be affecting the entire planet during October in a podcast hosted by Astrology Hub. Here’s the link.

There are a lot of uncomfortable aspects nudging and needling us to make some major changes. It also feels like a huge new beginning, a powerful opportunity to effect real transformation in our structures and beliefs is approaching. Yes, we’ve been asked to embrace these structural shifts all year. But we’re really getting to the point where those of us who resist these changes can no longer hold it back.

What does that mean to each of us as individuals?

And perhaps even more provocatively, what does that mean to us as a country? (That question can legitimately be asked in several countries across the globe…)

(T-53)

Rhythm – Day 1056

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Satisfied Sunset 2 Oct 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

Found a Rhythm

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I only have 55 posts left to write in my 1111 Devotion, but lately it’s been feeling harder and harder to think of things to write about. Again. I ran into this feeling often during the days, weeks, and months when I was first immersing myself in this Act of Power, as I like to refer to it. But then it seemed like I found a rhythm. I developed a trust in my process that became a way of life.

I’m not sure why I’ve been struggling lately.

Swimming Upstream

Some nights it just feels like I’m swimming upstream in a river that’s flowing with the adage, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Yeah, sure; that’s a tidy intention. But I’m not engaging in this every night to simply be a purveyor of bromides. Nevertheless, I try to bear in mind that my posts are read first thing in the morning by some of you. I try to remain cognizant of setting a tone for your day.

But then you get treated to a barrage of frustration like the one that poured out of me the other night. I’d apologize for my rant, but I’m passionate about where we’re headed as a country. I’m freaked out that nothing substantive has been done to bring accountability to the myriad crises and abuses we’ve watched unfold in plain sight over the past several years.

And I’m especially appalled that investigation into the insurrection has, so far at least, yielded a dearth of information about and zero accountability for anyone who was actually a ringleader of that debacle and near-coup. And the sentences meted out for the truly egregious behavior of the people egged on by those in power seem paltry and pathetic. Mere slaps on the wrist when you re-watch what we all witnessed unfold in real time.

“My Bad”

So I must take responsibility. The spirit is willing but the flesh (as obviously expressed by my fingers tip-tapping on the keyboard) is weak.

I’m genuinely worried about the state of our country. And I’m especially troubled by how a failure to hold the big names accountable is going to end up trashing the foundational pillars of our democracy.

I’m relieved we’ve been given a reprieve (at least somewhat) from the constant bombardment of outlandish lies. But sadly, it’s not enough.

We need to get involved; we need to speak up. Too often – and too much like the ‘silent majority’ baloney of 40 years ago – we regular people who’ve bought into the fundamental principles of our country (such as no one being above the law, the existence of an impartial judicial system, majority rule – with minority given some stop-gap measures but not so powerful that they hijack the system – to name a few) are being told to sit down and shut up.

I for one am not inclined to do so. And I hope neither are you.

(T-55)

Disappointment – Day 980

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Where are they? – Photo: L. Weikel

Disappointment

Sometimes disappointment creeps up on us. It stealthily tiptoes up behind us and jumps out of the bushes when we’re least expecting it. And sometimes we see it coming a mile away – maybe even miles and miles away – but we hope against hope that we’re wrong.

It seems to me there’s more than our share of disappointment in the air at the moment. From witnessing the dramatic shift in the way our system of government conducts itself (or not) to those in power failing to be held accountable for egregious behavior. It’s a disappointment that consequences seem to be visited only upon regular citizens. Masterminds and master manipulators need not worry for a moment. All will be well. Nothing will change in their lives.

Just Weather

And then there’s the disappointment we sentient beings experience when we take a step back and honestly look at the climate alterations that are becoming more and more obvious. How long will it take before those living out west start to realize this is their ‘new normal?’ Yet another ‘heat dome’ settling in over our mostly western states and parts of Canada (the fourth in five weeks!), bringing Idaho of all places their 20th consecutive day reaching 100 degrees or more.

Of course, we all know it’s just weather. It’s certainly not climate change. And even if the climate is changing, it’s not our fault. And since it’s not our fault then we don’t – indeed, shouldn’t – do anything to mitigate it. Thus, we mustn’t reduce or eliminate our use of fossil fuels because (a) China might not do it; and (b) it’s not our fault.

It’s all about blame. And money. And refusing to take responsibility. Who cares if we can’t breathe? Or that we have no water to drink?  Most people (in this country, at least) are sure, deep down, that somebody will take care of us. Somebody will ‘save’ us. And they will, maybe – for a price.

Yeah, that ‘rugged individualism’ looks a lot different when it hits your home. It’s a disappointment people can’t see the truth of that.

Little Things, Too

And then there are the small disappointments in our lives. The personal ones. Witnessing people we know and love refusing to take precautions to keep themselves (and all of us) healthy. Listening to justifications that make no sense because they’re not grounded in reality. Wanting to find common ground again because we care enough to desire a conversation – but finding no traction anywhere anymore.

Or at a very basic level, just wishing we could see our besties again – and having them not show up anymore. Spartacus experienced that profoundly on our walk today, which you can see reflected in these photos.

We haven’t had a chance to take our walk-around (4 mile trek) in several days. It’s just been ‘too damn hot’ – or too rainy. But today we were able to take that longer route and Spartacus was palpably delighted, straining at his harness, yearning to see his ‘buds’ – which I’m not sure is a friendship or more a smack-talking hound fest. Either way, it gets Spart’s adrenalin pumping and he loves his wolfhound neighbors.

Spartacus was the embodiment of disappointment when not a wolfhound was to be seen tearing across the fields toward us, barking in a frenzy of terror-inducing menace. We’ll have to try again tomorrow.

The Embodiment of Disappointment – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-131)

Celebrating Freedom – Day 965

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Screenshot of Ring of Fire in Gulf of Mexico – Photo: L. Weikel (video CBS)

Celebrating Freedom

Interesting holiday we Americans (technically, we citizens of the United States) are celebrating this weekend (and particularly tomorrow, July 4th). The birth of our nation; the anniversary of the day we declared our independence from Great Britain. We’re supposed to be celebrating freedom and – perhaps paradoxically – unity.

As we approach our country’s 245th birthday tomorrow, I think it’s fair to say we’re at a crossroads of greater consequence than we were at just eight months ago. Don’t get me wrong – November 3rd (but more accurately, the election of 2020, since all votes weren’t cast on a single day in November) was of enormous consequence. I shudder to think what shape our country would be in had the election not been won by President Biden. (And I base that opinion on the shape we were in and the prospective devastation we were facing had circumstances simply stayed on track with the prior four years.)

But because of the unprecedented and shameless dissemination of propaganda across pretty much every expression of traditional and social media, and the confluence of this manipulation with a toxic combination of fear, hopelessness, cynicism, and despair, we’re a country teetering on the edge of self-destruction.

Last Year

Last year’s 4th of July celebration felt drastically different than any I’d celebrated up to that point. A major reason it felt so vastly different was because my nuclear family didn’t get together with a branch of our extended family, in Connecticut, with whom we’d celebrated the 4th of July holiday for at least 30 years, possibly even more.

The reason, of course, was Covid-19. It was simply too much risk for too little gain when we loved each other enough to sacrifice one year so we’d all have plenty to spend together in the future.

Instead, as I wrote in last year’s post (“New Normal – Day 601”), Karl and I stayed close to home. Lucky for us, M and T live close by and we were able to revel in a fireworks extravaganza that rivaled almost anything I’d ever seen before. (Thanks to several of their neighbors engaging in what almost appeared to be a competition on who could shoot off the biggest and best for the longest amount of time. The by-product of this apparent rivalry was astounding.)

But that sense of a widening gap between the haves and have-nots was palpable. And sadly, in spite of Joe Biden’s victory in November, that gap is rapidly becoming a chasm that could swallow us whole.

Chasm of Fire?

Ever since the election, but especially since the insurrection of January 6th, it’s become harder and harder to bridge the chasm and find any principle or value that moves us deeply enough to find unity. And it feels bitterly ironic to me that this is what our country was founded upon: Unity to protect our diversity.

Now we can’t even unite ourselves to harness our substantial wealth of intelligence, resources, creativity, and determination to stop the imminent destruction of the planet upon which we all live. We are literally left gaping at the image of a virtual Eye of Sauron swirling in the Gulf of Mexico while we distract ourselves from it and power grid failures by vowing to plow more money into building a border wall. Goodness knows we need to keep brown skinned people out of our country while 12 story walls of condominiums crush their inhabitants because (and we all know this is true) it was going to cost too much money to make the necessary repairs.

Every day it feels like our fundamental values are growing further and further apart. I worried last year that we might not even be celebrating “Independence Day” this year. While technically we still are, would any of us have believed we’d be here, right now, with the memory of January 6th seared into our hearts and minds?

Haunting Questions

How many more of those can our 245 year old republic weather? What can we do to rekindle (or kindle in the first place) a true and sincere respect, if not love, for those with whom we share this country and this planet?

Maybe, as many find themselves resuming their old traditions of family gatherings (because Covid-19 is being taken seriously and hopefully they’ve been vaccinated) we’ll be inspired to find answers to these haunting questions and find unity in our diversity.

Storm Before the Rainbow – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-146)

Overload – Day 793

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Falcon (Kestrel) – Photo: L. Weikel

Overload

Honestly, I’m struggling to come up with something to write about that has nothing to do with either the votes I see taking place on the floor of the House of Representatives tonight, or the insurrection that took place just six short days ago. It’s hard; let me tell you. I’m on overload.

From the looks of things, it appears that the House is first voting to urge Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment in order to effectively remove DT from office. Pence has pre-emptively sent Congress a letter advising that he has no intentions of doing so. Thus it is expected that tomorrow the House will vote to impeach Donald Trump for his part in inciting the insurrection we witnessed take place last Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

Reasons

There are myriad reasons why Congress is moving forward with this action so quickly. Not least of these reasons is that we probably came within five minutes or so of the mob of thousands of Trump supporters not only storming the Capitol at the urging and instigation of Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and others, but also taking hostages and possibly killing those in the line of succession to Donald Trump.

We’ve seen videos, heard chants, and read posts that establish these intentions. And we’ve witnessed DT telling these people, “We love you.” The outrage is not in an expression of unconditional love (which would have had to be coupled with a swift and harsh rebuke to stop the violence) but rather from the tacit implication, “We love your behavior.”

The behavior of the mob was, in a word, deplorable. Not to mention illegal. And utterly immoral and diametrically opposed to the fundamentals of democracy.

As DT is wont to do, he deliberately says something that means one thing but in actuality intends the opposite. It’s a trick of rhetoric that he constantly employs yet is probably unconscious of and unaware that he does it. He talks out of both sides of his mouth.

A Different Messenger Today

Given the manner in which events are unfolding, including the credible reports of (admittedly incredible) additional attacks on both the inauguration ceremony and state capitols around the country over the coming days, our country is on high alert. We are being placed in the stance and mindset of imminent threat.

All of this reminds me of the quite unexpected visitor that swooped and looped over my back yard and above my head this afternoon: a gorgeous falcon. Specifically, I believe it was a kestrel; also known as a sparrow hawk.

While I might be inclined to try to apply the attributes of Falcon to myself or my life, I actually feel this might be more of a confirmation of the best manner in which to deal with DT’s actions.

For instance, Ted Andrews, in his book Animal Speak*, states:

“The kestrel will usually plunge down upon its prey from a perch, or hover above it about twenty feet up before the plunge. This is unique among birds of prey, but also among most birds. (…) For those with a kestrel as a totem, this is very significant. It allows the movement to be performed with great speed and precision. It gives the kestrel a gracefulness. It implies the ability to stop and use the flight to its fullest advantage.

The kestrel teaches control of speed and movement. It teaches patience. The kestrel is often a symbol for recognizing opportunities and acting upon them at only the correct moment. It teaches speed and accuracy of action. (…) The kestrel and any falcon can teach us to know when to act but to fully commit to our actions for the greatest success.”

Accountability

All of this reminds me once again of how essential it is that those who participated in the attempted coup on our government be held accountable – swiftly and without equivocation. It is a sad testament to our current predicament that because accountability has been delayed, denied, or deflected up to this point, the infractions against our country and our people have only become more egregious.

We need to act quickly; we need to act decisively; and we need to hold all those who would rip apart our democratic republic through treachery and violence accountable.

Falcon reminds us.

*affiliate link

(T-318)