The River of our Soul

This weary earth we walk upon
She will endure when we are gone
While kingdoms come and kingdoms go
Rivers run and rivers flow…

Chorus:
And if the river should ever run dry
Somewhere the rain will still fall
Will still fall from the sky

When I’m beguiled by the fear
That darker days are drawing near
My darling, you seduce the sun
Rivers flow and rivers run.

This wounded earth we walk upon
She will endure when we are gone
But still I pray that you may know
How rivers run and rivers flow…

Karina Polwart (Scottish folk singer/songwriter)

Don’t forget these truths, even as the immune system of our body politic is direly ill, a cancer of power, bloated with money and sickened by self serving interest. The soul of this country needs healing.

We see it leaking out into our life together in a very connected world. Wars upon wars. Genocides. The rise of the authoritarian right in this country and around the world. Recently, in this society, a CEO from United Healthcare is shot by a young man who feels his only recourse for attention about a health system that no longer works for those who need it. This CEO is part of a cadre of CEO’s who run healthcare for profit, the highest paid being Andrew Witty at $23.5 million. The man whose job cost him his life wasn’t even the highest paid for his trouble at $10 million a year in bonuses and stock returns. The fuse of the country ignites and writhes with rage at the injustice. Bloodletting is not only for the gunned down CEO, but social media breaks loose with the masses cheering on the mis-handling of injustice by murdering another in cold blood.

Men drive vehicles into common and public spaces in suicidal and violent missions, intent on waking us up to their particular message of suffering.

And then there is the wee issue of a national inauguration on January 20 of someone who celebrates and elevates destruction of justice, stealing, lying and cheating to a new level. All for personal gain.

This is what we have come to, my friends. We are in for a rough ride.

What is the state of your soul these days? How do you handle the free floating rage that exists, and the dread rising up like a choking foul air in our society? How will you withstand the challenge of a society straining and breaking apart at its seams?

One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Carrie Newcomer, writes in her blog post today as she reflects on the fact of the irony that trump will be sworn into office the very day this country celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.. She writes:

Dr. King wrote,  “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” We decide the kind of power we choose to believe in, and the power we hope to build upon each in our own way, through our own daily actions. 

There will be another very different story presented on Monday January 20th. There will be a new president who has based his entire life and political career on self serving opportunism, a man who has used fear, hate, division and deceit as simply a way of grasping and holding power. This is a man who promotes a story that would deepen and strengthen the worst “isms” of our society.

Dear readers, stay close to your soul and your loved ones. Find community and stay connected. Become active in your local grassroots organizing chapters in the ways that you can care about this weary planet and her inhabitants.

Rivers will run dry. Let the soul of your river find its flow. Let your rivers co-mingle with other river-souls. Seek the rain.

All we can do is take care of the bodies of our loved ones, our earth, our human communities and ourselves in these times. Let your soul remain resilient and hopeful. Find joy wherever you can.

Here’s a few of my favorite photos reminding me that beauty is found in ordinary daily life.