Rev. Karen Armina’s message for this month…

• Living Love through the Practice of Repair

  Dear Ones, 

  It’s the week before election day, hate and division are sown with every rally, genocide and war rage on, and intensified weather events continue.  Many of us are having big feelings, with good reason.  As a woman and as a parent and as someone who loves people whose identities put them into various marginalized groups, I find myself, in turns, incredulous, sad, angry, and afraid.  I find myself bouncing around a spectrum of responses to those feelings, from intense action to protective escapism.  How are you doing?

  I have a few practices that help me when I’m having intense reactions and big feelings.  Most of them have to do with grounding – literally and metaphorically, finding solid ground.  I take off my shoes and feel the solidity of the earth beneath me (yesterday, I got to do this on actual earth in my yard).  I walk – in woods or prairies if I can, but on sidewalks works too.  I choose yoga poses that feel solid and strong, like mountain and warrior.  I eat foods that come from the earth, like carrots and rutabagas and potatoes (mashed potatoes especially!).  Other practices have to do with connection with living beings.  I talk with my kid.  I get out of the house and spend time with my people.  I snuggle my dog.  I listen for birdsong.  And the third kind of practice is focused on this election – I talk with people about values and history and democracy and what’s at stake.

  With all of this in mind, I offer you an invitation and a prayer.  The invitation is to ground and connect – come to the watch party on Tuesday night, come to the sharing circle next Wednesday, call or text or email me to set up a time to talk.  Let’s journey into and through this week together.

  Oh Holy Spirit of Life and of Love, that arises within and between us,
  We hold so much in our hearts and our lives,
  Joy and sorrow, pain and healing,
  Courage and fear, anger and love.

  We are grateful for all the blessings we have known:
  The solidity of Earth, the inspiration of Air, the power of Fire, the healing depths of Water,
  And the companionship of human and other beings in our lives.
  And, even as we are grateful, we know that all is not well with our beloved Earth and our beloved people.

  We witness and pray for all of us who live together in this community, on this planet,
  And share common desires for peace, and freedom, and safety.
  We witness the devastating storms and other impacts of climate change, and we pray for comfort and aid for people and beings impacted by them.
  We witness war and genocide and other violence, and we pray for peace in our nations.
  We witness the tearing apart of our connections with each other and of our beautiful and fragile Earth home, and we pray for peace in our relations.

  May we remember always that we are connected to each other in deep and unbreakable ways, despite differences in how we think or act or believe.
  May we strive to treat each other with the care and compassion that come with that remembering.
  May we seek to learn about the systems that work to keep us separated, and push back against them, knowing ourselves and each other as equal, and good, and worthy, and loved.
  May we bring what we learn to our participation in our democratic process.
  May we do all we can to bring the beloved community into being.

  May it be so.  May we be so.

  In faith and love, Karen

  [October 30, 2024]