This talisman on my hearth will remind me to let fear guard me, but not rule me, and when I feel fear, let it be tempered with love so that I make the right decision.
How could we “gather” if we could not all be in the same place, holding hands while we danced the Lord of the Dance and hearing one another sing?
This particular chant is one that often comes to me when I am feeling quiet and introspective, which is how I want to feel at the winter solstice.
I’m tempted to look for silver linings in rough days, being a natural optimist, but this has been a lot. A lot. Apart from the pandemic quarantine and the fires and the election and the general malaise of depression among just about everyone, not to mention (not to mention?) death all around, there is the sheer crushing dailiness of just going on, through uncertainty and fear and loss. Here are some of my lifelines.