While the super moon was rising over the mountain above our house last Sunday, it also rose large and colorful over the Capitol. Can’t resist seeing the metaphor. The moon is usually connected to all that is feminine. And the feminine is definitely rising over the Capitol—in a large and colorful way. Of course the obvious way the feminine …
As Trump Reduces Wilderness, I Dare to Dream…
Behind the smoke screen of daily drama in the media, you may have noticed that our President is busy dismantling protection for our wild lands. He has approved a recommendation to reduce protection for Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah—part of the vast land that became protected by the stroke of Clinton’s pen. It just …
Do Dreamers from Tucson Dare Dream?
I felt acutely aware of being one of the only clearly Anglo faces in the room. The Pueblo High School cafeteria was crowded and hot; lack of air conditioning on a summer evening in Tucson is….challenging. But this was not the moment for first world complaints. My husband Jon and I were there to serve as volunteers for this …
Three Lessons for Now from an Ancient First Nations Culture
Taking off in a small Turboprop from Vancouver, we left urban life for the Haida Gwaii, a cluster of islands 60 miles west of mainland B.C., and about the same distance from the Alaskan panhandle. Named the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1798, the Haida Nation ceremonially returned the name to the British Crown in 2010. “Haida Gwaii” means “the …
5 Lessons for Surfing the Waves of Change
When my breasts were just buds, my Dad taught me how to be a surfer girl. I grew up in Southern California, and we spent our family vacations at San Clemente, camping every day by the Trestle, still a well-known surfing spot. We’d set up an umbrella, get out the Coppertone oil (yep, I had the darkest tan in …
Bringing Billy Home: A Tribute to a Fallen Marine
Some families appear to be elected, even ordained, to teach the rest of us about loss and suffering, and about the love and resilience that helps us bear the unbearable. I met one of these families this week during an emotional reunion of the 3 Marine squadrons where Lt. William Ryan served in Viet Nam. My husband, Jon Trachta, served …
The Secrets in a Rose
What do you see when you look at the center of this rose? What emotions do you feel? When it appeared as one of spring’s first offerings in my garden, I marveled at the perfection of the folds and their graceful sweep. And, I am drawn to the center, wondering in awe at the source of this creation. The center …
How We Can Fuel Ourselves for Political Action
Virtually all my close relatives and women friends joined the Women’s March and were encouraged and fired up to keep on acting. With all the nightmare actions coming out of Washington, clearly meditating is not enough. And yet, as a spiritual seeker, my question remains, what energy do I want to fuel my actions, and how do I maintain that? …
