Dreaming the World

It’s a bit more than a week before the winter solstice and the slow return of the light. Today is a dark, dreary day in between storms. There is no coyote, nose to the scent, in the field, where there will likely soon be a new house, next to us. Outside my window there are three men working to repair our porch roof.

Among many persons I know there is a dark and dreary mood. Many of us share a sense that evil is rising and the immediate future heralds much ill. For those truly watching there seems a great rift between TV commercials filled with snow, people merrily shopping, the cascade of sporting events, and the gathering threats we all face.

For many at this Christmastide there is the growing question, “How can anyone who has read, and taken to heart, the Sermon on the Mount, abide the growing hatred and bigotry here, and in countries around the world?”

Perchance, like you, I find myself fretting about the future and being largely unable to take comfort from knowing that I have lots of company. I find it difficult to find much hope as I look forward into the next several years. Somehow the promises offered by technology seem empty when viewed in the context of the many existential treats and brazen greed that marks this epoch.

At the same time, it seems to me that the spirits and ancestors, the Ancient Ones, are coming closer. Sometimes I seek them out; other times they just appear, whispering in my ears. They remind us they are with us and that whatever we face is natural. They encourage us to remember that the rise and fall of what humans call “evil” is just the cycles of nature and that we have limited influence over the great tides of history.

Not that we should give up. Rather, we should keep in mind that times such as these have come and gone throughout the life of Mother Earth. They say that even in the darkest moments we may find connection and joy if we will only focus on the beauty all around us, help one another, and remain creative.

I am reminded of my family and teachers who often said that in dangerous times one gathers with others, keeps one’s head down, and works for change. They would advise us to remember that they survived worse.