Be The Light

These rainbows shower the very place where Metzli was born in my bedroom, on the floor right in front of her birth altar. They also dance upon the wall that holds a framed photo above the altar. The photo is of her two sisters a few years ago walking along a pathway at a hotspring we loved that was later burnt and destroyed in the Thomas Fire. Atop the frame is a selenite wand, Metzli's newborn footprint and an affirmation card that reads, "I Am The Light." I am. And so are you.

I see people saying they don't know what to do in these times. That they feel helpless and drained, especially after conversations with people they disagree with. To them and all people who want to shift the energy from fear and stress into love and gratitude but don't know where to start, I say: go help new mothers. You cannot go wrong when you are helping new mothers. It is an "essential" job, as they say, and it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to make sure that new mothers and their infants are taken care of. 

You can deliver homemade healthy food to a new mother. Ask her how she's feeling and if there's anything she needs to talk about, and then listen with an open heart and mind. Buy her groceries and drop them off. If she wants people in her home, go be in her home with her. Fold her laundry. Hold her baby while she takes a long bath. Make her an herbal tea and share a conversation in the sun. Make sure she has a good water filter and, if she doesn't, buy her one. Join her for a walk by the ocean. Lead her through a meditation. Give her a massage. Hold space for her to grieve - when caring for a newborn 24/7 there is little time at all to process all that is changing and disappearing before our eyes.

We need to hear each other crying. We need our crying to be heard.

We need to see each other's smiles. We need our smiles to be seen.

We need to witness each other's rites of passage and transformations. We need our rites of passage and transformations to be witnessed.

There is no existence in which these needs no longer are needed. They are always needed. It is time to fulfill these needs once more and continue living our beloved lives.

Please show the mothers, especially those caring for infants, young children and teens, some love. They are forgotten and not considered at this time, and they desperately need to be seen and held by the collective. Some have given up entire careers that they invested tens of thousands of dollars into because their children must stay home from school. Some can't afford to feed their children. Some are beaten. Some have had their homes blown to pieces. Some are suicidal. Some have already taken their own lives. 

Please, show the mothers real, human love.

And also, please hear this. I tried the soapbox thing and the screaming from rooftops thing. It didn't really work to affect real change. It only serves to feed the same energy monster - the one filled with righteous rage. It's just as they say, which wolf do you choose to feed? Because the one you choose, is the one that lives.

I choose the one filled with light. I am the light. The light feels amazing, and I plan to live in it always and to share it with all who are ready and willing to see for themselves what is life, and what is death.

Mothers and infants are life. Fear and isolation are death. Let us serve LIFE.

Be The Village

Originally published by TRIBE de MAMA in October of 2016

As our generation of women begins birthing children, we are collectively realizing that we crave a real in-person village. Having a village provides our families with lives that are less stressful and more livable. Tasks like going to the grocery store and doing laundry become much less overwhelming when a fellow sister is by our side, helping us maintain a comfortable home and happy children.

In order to bring about the village and make it a true reality, we must first BE the village. We must be the women who offer help to others. We must be the women who subtly educate the people in our lives about the benefits of living naturally and compassionately. We must be the women whose confidence inspires. We must be the women whose children stand tall with gratitude and befriend all - never desiring to bring down another.

Doing this is quite simple, and it will add countless incredible facets to your own life experience on this earth. The trick is to offer authentic help before the person in need finally builds up the courage to ask for it themselves. Fortunately, there are many ways to do this.

Offer a new mother a home cooked meal and a long shower, during which you will hold and comfort her baby. Surprise your grandmother with a lunch date. Call your own mother just to say hello, and ask if she needs anything from the store since you're going anyway. If you know a family that is struggling financially, send them an anonymous gift card to Whole Foods or a local store with similar offerings. The benefits of taking such action will be profound, for both the recipient and the giver.

The village is within us, lying in wait. Let us share it. Let us trust our innate intuitiveness to guide us as we navigate our personal relationships and the barriers in our communities that encourage us to remain quietly independent in our homes. Let us bring more goodness into our world for the benefit of our children and the children of others. It is important, and it is doable.