Thanks to everyone who wrote in to help us get this column started! It’s my hope that readers will continue to write in with a variety of queries, short and long – you don’t have to write in with a single sentence in question form. Instead I invite you to wax poetic about what has been written on your heart. Riff on the birds that keep showing up at your window, the old flame that texted during the full moon, the dark goddess whose name you keep hearing on social media. You can even share that strange dream from the other night that you can’t get out of your head. It’s all welcome here. Come add it to the cauldron. Magic happens together!
This edition’s question comes from SN. SN writes, “Everything feels uncertain and scary. So much is happening so fast. How do I stay informed with what’s happening without losing hope or burning out?”
SN, I’m so glad you asked this because if there’s one thing I know for certain right now, it’s that many of us are on the edge of our seat, literally and metaphorically; you are not alone in your feelings. The collective climate has shifted quite a bit in the last few weeks, and it’s absolutely valid to be wondering what to do or what happens next. First of all – and this is coming in loud and clear – it’s so important to let yourself feel your feelings. I mean really feel them. Don’t just intellectualize them, don’t judge them, but feel them. Now is not the time to jedi-mind-trick ourselves into positive thinking (read: avoidance). It’s also not the time to be jedi-mind-tricked away from positive thinking if it’s happening naturally for you. We don’t have to sway our experience with the collective swells of fear. Learn to stay grounded and trust in your intuitive experience.
So many of us are walking around full of tension, doing our best to hover above the weight of our fears or concerns. We tend to worry that if we allow ourselves to surrender to an “undesirable” feeling, we’ll actualize that fear into our reality. Quite the opposite is true. If we look at the rules of alchemy, it’s impossible to shift from one state to another if we aren’t willing to first surrender to and accept the state we’re starting from. If we accept a feeling and trust our capacity to engage with it, we become more present; immediately opening ourselves to a variety of resonant connections and paths forward. Fear and hope are not opposites or enemies. They are pillars illuminating our true desires and thresholds of possibility. It’s the tension/avoidance axis that most often leads us to burnout.
So, give yourself some time to settle into your feelings. Speak from your heart to your community, your loved ones, your cat, your favorite trees, your trusted colleagues. Be in the practice of vocalizing what is scaring you, because trust me, honey – we can relate. Be as truthful and expressive as you can (note: this will probably feel uncomfortable for most of us. If you’re uncomfortable, good job).
From here, we can begin nourishing the inextinguishable channel that connects us all to hope. From this place of acceptance,we also find a deepened connection with our humanity, our community. Together, we can formulate game plans, discuss resources, and create networks. We are the ones who change the lead into gold; first in ourselves, and then beyond. The era of outsourcing our power to those voted into national office is dying. You don’t have to cling to the old ways – can’t you feel yourself beginning to prune? It’s time to turn the page and take up our creative hearts like torches.
When it comes to staying informed, be mindful of who you’re listening to. If you feel compelled to consume media daily, try to do so with intention, and remember it’s okay to take breaks. Your nervous system will love you for it. Make sure you’re taking time to rest and nurture yourself. If your mind is hungry, consume some art or poetry, take a walk, or create something – anything – whether it’s dinner, a playlist, a painting, or a party. Dance with your friends. Host a potluck. Go support local artists, drag queens, burlesque dancers, queer spaces, creative spaces, subversive and benevolent third places.
In a very practical sense, learn how to show up for your community so that you can disengage temporarily from the media and remain in the know. Follow local policy for gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare, look for local actions to express your dissent, learn how to support trans and LGBTQIA+ rights and advocate for their safety, learn how to spread the word about ICE vehicles and how to support your immigrant community in evading them (know your neighbors, but not when the police show up – in that case, you know nothing). If you’re able-bodied and white, use your privilege to make things harder or weirder for authority. Find new ways to stay engaged that make it… interesting.
It’s going to keep getting weirder, folks. And, it’s not wrong to take care of yourself when you navigate these changes. The revolution wants you grounded and resourced. We need your inner fire lit, and if it’s not, bring a torch to the witches, musicians, artists, visionaries, activists – we’re tending to the alchemical fire of hope and possibility for all of us.
Finally – and stamp this on your awareness so you don’t forget it – your dreams and visions are boats in the storm. Now is not the time to let your dreams fall by the wayside. Invest in their actualization and share them with the world. Invest with your imagination, your energy, your time, your resources, your curiosity. Don’t let the fear stop you from investing in your dreams. Let your dreams show you the way home. •
Have questions about your year, your dreams, your life? Write in to Beth Metal for a chance to have your question answered in the new Ask a Witch column. Beth will consult her oracles and draw from her own experience to offer spiritual advice for what ails, intrigues, or mystifies you. Write your questions in to askawitchmag@gmail.com or send some snail mail to Motif Magazine at 545 Pawtucket Ave, Pawtucket, RI 02860. Beth is also available for private sessions and events through her website, www.nearbethexperience.com.
