This Morning I Had an Epiphany

 "I tell you this

to break your heart,

by which I mean only 

that it break open and never close again

to the rest of the world."

— Mary Oliver

This morning I had an epiphany. I was reading from my newest book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, with tears streaming down my cheeks. And I was suddenly once again catapulted into a larger conscious awareness. 

I glanced over to some of my many books that I am reading, or have read, and got it what they all have in common. Each and every author is a human being who has allowed their hearts to break open to the world and brought us the wisdom and gifts of what they have learned and embraced as their veils have been lifted.

For a long time I have understood that those who I am drawn to each hold and illuminate larger pictures which are interconnected. But I have never before until now recognized that, without exception, the depth of wisdom of these courageous souls has come to them because they have opened to allowing their hearts to break open to the world. And, without exception, each holds wisdom which I have found invaluable in my own journey in lifting the veils of my great forgetting, of my ignorance and illusions — illusions which have kept me stuck in obstacles which have blocked my ever deepening capacity for consciousness, healing, compassionate awareness and action, and love.

And I am so grateful! Grateful for these teachers who each hold keys to my evolution and that of countless others. Deep bow to those I have pictured above — Mary Oliver, Henry Giroux, Nancy McLean, Chris Hedges, Joanna Macy, Pema Chödrön, Bernie Sanders, Theodore Roszak, Dahr Jamail, Bill McKibben, Riane Eisler, Naomi Klein, and Francis Weller. And they are but a glimpse into the countless authors and activists, poets and painters, teachers and visionaries, healers and spiritual guides, and other wisdom-keepers and truth-tellers who have in some way acted as midwives to the journey of my heart breaking open to the world.

It is my belief that humankind will evolve as we each assume responsibility for seeking that which will serve to break our hearts open to the world. This is an ongoing and incredibly courageous journey. We need the support of one another, of courageous and compassionate teachers, and of wise resources of support as we open to face, grieve, embrace, and transform our own personal losses and the larger losses of our world. I believe that we all have roles to play and that every ripple which we send outward from our hearts and souls matters, and matters deeply.

As I look now upon the huge fir tree and blue skies out my window, as I feel the warmth of my purring kitty in my lap, and as I look upon the pictures of our children and grandchildren and of Wild Places and my husband on our wall, I am reminded of all that I love and cherish and which brings me joy. At the same time, I am also reminded of why I need to not turn away but instead consciously choose to look, as best as I possibly can, with my eyes and heart wide open upon both the beauty and the suffering of our world. This is the path I choose each and every day — one of working to alleviate the suffering within myself and our world.

What I have discovered is that we can only alleviate this suffering if we do not turn away from what is happening. This includes, but is not limited to...

Wildfires in California. Mr. Trump occupying the White House. Millions at risk of starvation in Africa. The ecological and climate crises ravishing our planet. Death in Yemen. Apartheid in Gaza. Homelessness, hunger, mental illness, and mass shootings here in America. Epidemics of suicides, addiction, depression, anxiety, despair. Thousands dying and going bankrupt every year due to lack of healthcare or adequate insurance. Rampant child abuse and neglect. Lack of funding for critical supports for social, environmental, medical and mental health, and other services. Income inequality and the vast redistribution of wealth upwards. Greed, narcissism, apathy. Immigrant and refuges families separated from their children at the border. Racism and Islamophobia and countless other forms of dehumanization. Ignorance, fear, and propaganda. Endless wars and millions displaced and dying. Hatred and demonetization. Droughts and floods and rising seas. The sixth mass extinction. Trophy hunting. Crackdown on whistle-blowers. Deaths by drones. Voting disenfranchisement, Citizens United, and the takeover of our political system by elites and wealthy multinational interests. Corporate funded mainstream media who habitually act as mouthpieces for the powerful rather than hold the powerful accountable, who report opinions rather than facts, and who distract, mislead, and misinform on behalf of their large financial donors. Fracking. Fukushima. Brazil and Keystone pipeline spills. Grief and death phobias. Denial and minimization. Numbing. Wall Street and "too big to fail" banks. The military and prison industrial complexes. The insurance and pharmaceutical industries. The fossil fuel industry. Greta Thunberg, AOC and the "squad," the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion. Black Lives Matter and Me Too. Bernie Sanders and Not Me, Us. Standing Rock.  Juliana versus the U.S. The Green New Deal versus the late stage neoliberal capitalist system. Mass protests worldwide for equality and justice. Civil disobedience. Old Stories and New Stories. And the list goes on of what is both hopeful and emerging and what is painful, frightening, and deeply disturbing.

And this is where we all come in. In isolation, it is simply too much to bear what is happening today in our hearts, our nation, and on this beautiful hurting planet that we share. We need to come together and join with the transformative movements which are growing in our country and globally. We truly do need each other to be courageous enough to allow our hearts to break open to the world and to deeply connect as a human family. Humanity can evolve and we are capable of birthing a humane society, one rooted in partnership rather than domination.

This has been a long, long process bringing us to the brink we find ourselves at today where there is so much suffering, violence, and rampant harm of humans, other beings, and our Earth. Among my ongoing prayers is that our numbers will grow and grow as we courageously explore our part in where we are, how we got here, and connect the dots between seemingly separate issues. Because it is all connected. And we are all connected and all needed.

May we allow our hearts to break open to the world.

— Molly
 

 "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the

wonders and realities of the universe about us,

the less taste we shall have for destruction."

— Rachel Carson