Let’s stop pretending everything is okay.

It takes so much energy to keep it all bottled up, packed down tight. It takes consistent concerted effort to know we’re in the midst of climate crisis, while ignoring we’re in the midst of climate crisis. It requires constantly shoring up the walls of denial to remain unmoved by the forces conspiring to end democracy, while simultaneously watching our rights erode, while placing orders on Amazon for headphones. It takes agreeing to live in a state of continuous cognitive dissonance to grind for upholding a lifestyle, while watching the world burn-flood- and quake.

It takes a tremendous energy to cling to capitalism, our jobs, wages, apartments, loans, percentage rates, grocery bills while it’s collapsing all around us.

It takes a special kind of purposeful cognitive dissonance to blame ourselves – our mental health, our neuro-diversity, our poverty . . . . . in a world gone mad, at the edge of apocalypse.

It takes a kind of schizophrenic effort to set aside the grief we’re undergoing to be dealt with when there’s time for it, space for it. That time/space is not coming.

Falling apart is okay.

Let’s drop the performance.

Let’s take off the masks, the costumes, the false-belief that if we just (fill in the blank), we’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.

Let’s make a space for the grief for the world that’s coming to an end

Let’s acknowledge the terror of being in free-fall without an assured soft place to land.

Let’s recognize that no matter how many resources we hoard, it won’t matter where we’re headed.

This space is vast. When the heart breaks in grief–it breaks open so everything can enter.

When we let go denial, release pretense, refuse to perform normalcy, our realness attracts and invokes grace. In the relief that rushes in when we un-costume , we remember love. We embody hope.

Dance here, in this spaciousness. Laugh at the old performative measures. Create. Make magic. Dare to engage in hopefulness so generative that the future becomes gorgeous.

When you’re naked in your grief, you can hear this secret: You’re already okay.

We’re all going through this together.

We needn’t do this alone.

Let us hold one another in our grieving. Let us uplift each other in our openness. Let us support one another as we dream into being a future where our naked humanity is the norm.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

Our home is on fire

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

Somewhere, lovers are moaning.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

The sea is so hot ten thousand dead fish washed up on the shore

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death.

A newborn is taking her first breath.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

The glaciers are melting.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

Crowds gather at dawn to watch the sun rise.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death.

The coral reefs are dying.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

Someone is whispering a prayer

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

The Joshua trees are dead.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

Someone is dancing blessing into the broken world.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death.

The Bees are endangered.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death

Yoyo MA is practicing cello.

A sharp knife slices through ripe tomato.

A salmon arrives at the spawning ground

Stars whirl in the heavens on this, their 49 billionth birthday

You and I are connected through these words.

Stand we now at the crossroad between life and death.

We are woven of star and river, of sinew and birdsong, of entwined limbs and salt water, and ecstasy and wisdom, salmon fin and story, drum and sweat. We are blessed, Holy, whole, and radiant. We are human, wild, divine. We are children in this place, and we are as old as Time turning in upon itself.

We were there at the Beginning. We ARE The Beginning. We are creators, builders, mechanics, inventors, innovators, priestesses, healers, elders, artists, musicians, bards, dancers, spinners, weavers, potters, writers. We are ritualists, mothers, fathers, lovers, children, sisters, brothers, grands, cousins, covenmates, cohorts, friends.

We are culture makers– here to hold hope for a future. And from that hope weave Vision. And from that vision weave daring, magic, and action. And from those, Create the future sustainably, equitably, abundantly.