By Gerri Ravyn Stanfield,
I want to speak to the part of you that knew the way we were living wasn’t working. Maybe it was working okay for you personally, but it wasn’t working for the majority of people in your town, and definitely not on this planet. Maybe it wasn’t quite enough not-working to actually leave. Maybe you thought it would change with time.
I want to speak to the part of you that’s been trying to manage your anxiety, or depression, or numbness, and just get through the day for as long as you can remember. I want to speak to the part of you that kept saying “this will all calm down and THEN I’ll take a break”.
I want to speak to the part of you that always suspected there was something missing. That part that kept filling a hole whose origins you didn’t understand. That part of you that could never relax into pleasure, and stop worrying about the past or scoping out the future.
I want to speak to the part of you that has always braced for an emergency. The part that used to wonder what would happen when the not-working-systems unraveled, and how we could all be much happier with less.
I want to whisper: This is the time of change for which you’ve been planning. Nothing was ever certain, we just pretended that it was. You’ve been waiting for someone to tell you when it was time, to give your cue. Here it is! It’s now.
I want to remind you that you’ve got skills that you haven’t even begun to explore. You were quite literally made for these times. Use every tool in your toolkit. Learn something new. This could be the moment to start that meditation practice, give a cause your full attention, or write the letter (or book) you’ve been putting off forever. This could be the moment to prove your resilience to yourself.
I want you to remember you have that thing you do that heals us all just a bit. If you don’t know what that superpower is, ask your friends or family or chosen family or colleagues. Ask them how you make their life more amazing, or more bearable.
I want you to search your heart, your body, and your life experiences. What do you know how to do to help us all get through this?
I want to remind you about the time we all gathered around the fire, told stories, listened to music that made us laugh or cry, comforted each other, and shared visions for the future that seemed impossible back then. That visionary magic matters so much right now. Tap into it. Even if you’re sick or worried or terrified about finances. What do you want to create?
Yes, this hurts. How do you want this to heal? How will you help us through this? Pull out all the stops. Lay it on us. We will only get through it together.
Gerri Ravyn Stanfield is the author of Revolution of the Spirit: Awaken the Healer, a guide to liberate the healing super powers within each of us. She has been published in The Rumpus, Guernica, and Manifest Station, among others. She is the educational director of Acupuncturists Without Borders, a nonprofit organization providing trauma relief in the wake of natural disaster and human conflict. She designs trainings for emerging leaders and healers in the US, Canada, Europe, Nepal, Israel/West Bank, and Australia.
Ravyn is a cultural alchemist, writing to transform the heartbreak of our times and reveal gold in what seems worthless. She uses her background in trauma recovery, neurobiology, psychology, writing, and performance to coax more of the extraordinary into the world through the cracks in Western civilization. www.gerriravynstanfield.com
Fire photo by Kevin Erdvig
