The Train Blew Through the Station....

Communion on the Water                                                                                                          Catherine Al-Meten Meyers

What was that? After a very contentious election campaign in this country, and several years of political upset and conflict in many other parts of the world, the train of change roared into and through the station here. Almost no one expected the results or the aftermath, and nearly everyone was affected in one way or another. There is a palpable, visceral experience that many are being affected by. Where do I go when I'm blindsided by events or conditions in either my personal or the collective realm? To poets and authors and artists of course. And to my craft--writing.

One way that I relieve stress or deal with overwhelming emotions, event, or crisis is to write. My writing lately has been for me, the spiritual practice that helps me ground, process, and alleviate elevated levels of stress hormone, that have been running wild for the last few weeks. Our art, our writing, and our other spiritual practices as well as daily habits all help us maintain a sense of equilibrium. Author, Toni Morrison said it best perhaps when she said that "this is precisely the times when artists go to work". And so it is. When times are crisis-ridden and in political turmoil as they are now, it is also the time when artists need to get political. And by that I mean, they need to operate our of their principled reflections on how they view and understand the world. We need to be the reflecting mirror for what is affecting others besides ourselves. We need to listen to what our body, mind, spirit, and life conditions say to us about what we're needed for. We need to give voice or vision to that which is cracked or broken or bleeding. And we each have to do this within the context of the life, gifts, resources,  and privileges we are fortunate enough to have. And for artists, musicians,  and writers, this includes vision, imagination, sensitivity to the world around within and around us, and a sense of the whole and our place in relation to that.

For we have ways of connecting people and soothing souls. We have ways of expressing what we hope for or fear in ways that connect to the truth within others. And we often have experiences and knowledge of how to survive through connecting to the flicker, the small flame, the tiniest seed of light and truth that can only be found when we are not intent on reacting to illusions and distortions and lies that cloud our minds and world. So whatever that pathway is for you, get on it as soon as you can, and keep staying on that path. Even when you get distracted, keep knowing the light is there to be found, if only we keep pushing forward and  keep lifting ourselves and each other up.

It amazes me when I see how connected people are to one another now, despite some of the most upsetting and disturbing things going on in their own lives. There is never an outside event that doesn't send ripples if not tsunamis of change in all directions in its aftermath. And what is changing and transforming in our own world, in many of our cultures, nations, families, and indeed in ourselves, is truly astounding. What has transformed us is not your everyday change of clothes type of situation. Instead our entire perspectives and identities have been turned inside out and upside down.

For the past few weeks I have heard people describe not understanding who they were anymore. As I have watched the sea changes taking place over the last few years, it has become clear to me that we have been going through a significant transformative experience that is calling us each to reexamine who we are, what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what we need to do to adjust or adapt to the new reality?  Regardless of what your experience or thoughts about how change is taking place, the element of stress caused by all the reactions and responses to this shift, has activated some pretty significant stress reactions and triggered a lot of chronic stress reactions among many. This results in a large number of people being in heightened states of alert and hypervigilaince and shock. Feeling the cortisol and adrenaline levels shooting sky high in our bodies as we live in a constant state of elevated stress, is not good for anyone's health and well being. And it certainly is not healthy for what  remains to be created and dealt with.

So as I write today, my own stress hormones reminding me of how my body responds to threats or upset, I also am reminded that my art, my craft, and my experience hold the key to how to bring some equilibrium into my life. And knowing, as I do, that the balance is never static, but instead rests on the ever-moving fulcrum of dynamic change, I also know that the more I can stay in awareness of the shifts in and around me, and the more I can move into my art as a way to release, express, and search for meaning and answers, the better I'll feel.  The more I'll be able to create something of meaning out of confusion chaos, upset, or negativity. And so that is where I find myself this afternoon.  Keeping warm as the weather chill bites and penetrates the window barriers. Attended to by a loving, compassionate, purring cat who seems to sense my need for comfort and I for his. Resting on the page for a few minutes before heading back to wrap up dishes, dreams, and my life so that I can relocate to a safer, kinder, shelter from the storms that have risen up around not only me but also around so many. What was hidden, is out in force, rapping at the windows, spewing in unrelenting rage, or barreling over whatever is in the way to wipe out the good that has been done in favor of that which benefits the selfish interests of a few who use their power and authority for their own ends. And everyone is caught up in the maelstrom, even those who seem to be oblivious or satisfied with life that has not changed for them in any way.

Artists, musicians and writers, take times like these---significant, earth-shaking, mind blowing, and surreal times--to create their art, to do their work, and to do their part in helping heal, explain, critique, or point out what needs our attention. As a pain in our back or shoulder or head may signify a need for sleep or nutrition, so too does the pain, frustration, anger, or fear we feel point us in the direction where we need not to run away but to dive into through the ways we use to create beauty, harmony, peace, or commentary on the truth of what we observe, what we feel, and of what we plant our hope in. One beautiful writer, Karen Berg, wrote yesterday that the time of sitting Shiva on the death of the election has ended. Time to stand up, shake ourselves off, arm ourselves with our best care and intentions, and proceed to get to work.

Whether you are living an artist's life or not, we all have been woken up and called to take steps to work together to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, those in need, those who need healing, those who have become targets of hate, and for our entire way of life. We need to continue providing support for those who need help resisting and trying to protect our lives, our earth, and one another. So we begin the hard work ahead, knowing that what we do now is part of the ongoing healing needed in the ongoing creation of life. We have been tasked with doing our part now. And so we go on, awake, aware, and determined.

While the train of change and the shifts of both the Earth and its inhabitants has begun, we have yet to know what will get off that train. We must be vigilant, courageous, willing, and steady in our determination to speak truth to power, to stand for and work for what is right and just for all people, and we must work with all to be one as we live together on this planet. In this moment in time, we have choices to make. Choose life. Choose art. Choose to take a path of light and stand by those who need your help.