FALL NEWSLETTER

August 3, 2007

August 3 – November 6
Element of Metal
Separation, letting go
Structure
Integrity

The collapse of the 35W Freeway bridge in Minneapolis last night rearranged my previous newsletter. It seems relevant at this time to talk about integrity, messages from the universe and metaphors. Fall is the season that governs structures and integrity. It is a mighty metaphor indeed, the most traveled bridge in the Twin Cities collapsing 2 days before the season of Metal begins.

This morning I received the following article: "The Rich are making the Poor Poorer". The headline reads, “A bloated overclass can drag down a society as surely as a swelling underclass. A great deal of the wealth at the top is built on the low-wage labor of the poor.” Now, let me make one thing very clear. I am a firm believer in capitalism. It is a self-regulating system, but only if the rules are the same for everyone! We are NOT living in a capitalistic society; we are still living in a monarchy, where the peasants do the work and the nobility hand out titles and wealth they did not earn. Honestly, I don’t think there are more than a dozen people in our entire government that could make it on their own intelligence and drive in the real world of small business, farming, teaching, or any of the other jobs that make up the infrastructure of this country.

The bridge collapse is a signal that our structures are rotting and need attention. The things that support our way of life are fast approaching their breaking point.

"Democratic senators expressed concern about the poor state of the nation's infrastructure" was a headline in the news yesterday. And Nick Coleman wrote in today's column: "Both political parties have tried to govern on the cheap, and both have dithered and dallied and spent public wealth on stadiums while scrimping on the basics...At the federal level, the parsimony is worse, and so is the negligence. A trillion spend in Iraq, while schools crumble, not enough cops on the streets and bridges decay while our leaders cross their fingers and ignore the rising chances of disaster".

Change is demanded. We can either meet it halfway and ease into a new structure, or we can ignore it until it crashes around us. So what can we do? What power do we have to change the way things are going?

According to Hopi legend, the years between 1987 and 2012 are a special time. Like a cell splitting in two, our world is calving. One of those worlds will continue down the road of ruin. The overclass, hoping to be safely ensconced behind guarded walls such as Palm Island, will continue to rape and pillage the worlds resources until the earth herself rebels and shakes humans off like a bad case of head lice. The other world is a world where people come together to live in relationships. A world where nature is respected for the gracious abundance we are given each day. A world where balance and equality are valued above all else. A world where we are taught how to be in relationships, to examine our judgments, and to champion the dreamers who see a better way.

This means beginning now, today, we have a choice each and every moment about which world we end up in. These choices may be ever so subtle - acknowledging the person ringing up your groceries for their speed and efficiency - or they may be loud and obvious - such as choosing to confront the office bigot on their constant diatribes. We can make choices to confront our own lack of structural integrity - where do we break our word? Where do we tell white lies? Where do our actions fall short of our professed beliefs? Where do we ignore confrontation, or need to make someone else wrong so we can be right? All of these things affect the structural integrity of our life, and if we can get the repair crews out now, our transition can be smooth and graceful. Fall is the season of letting go. Why not let go of the behaviors that no longer serve you? Let go of judgment (and by this I mean let go of thinking you know anything about what is motivating another person). Let go of the addiction of watching the news. Pick one person you trust and practice speaking about your deepest fears. Master the art of communication.

I encourage you to take the rest of the warm weather, cancel anything that is not critically necessary to life, and do some inner surfing. Be honest. Ask for feedback from loved ones. Demand to be held accountable for your words and actions. Look in the mirror often and see who is looking out (you might be surprised more than once!). Talk to the people you have been dreading to confront. If this scares you, just start with "I have been so afraid to talk to you about this...". Compassion is quickly engaged when we speak honestly from our fears. And please, take the time to tell someone when they have done a good job. You never know what your recognition may bring. Turn off your television and walk around focusing on what is RIGHT in your world. Closely examine flowers and be amazed at their sacred geometry. Notice the beauty of your neighbor's garden. Appreciate the goodness of your children, or your neighbors' children. FOCUS ON WHAT WORKS.

The more we practice these behaviors, the more personal power we accumulate. The more personal power we accumulate, the less power the Power Elite has to work with. Balance is restored. We the People govern ourselves because We the People are in relationship with each other. Good, solid, honest, respectful relationships. Learn how to argue well. Learn how to fight without hurting. Learn to transform hatred into fierce love, so that love gains the power of passion.

We are all creating this world together. Let's bring our wild imaginations, our fierce passion and our love of fun together and restore this world of ours to the paradise it once was. I'll be looking forward to sharing a glass of wine with you there.

"For one human being to love another is the most difficult task. It's the work for which all other work is preparation"

Rainer Maria Rilke