A more harmonious future

For the dreamers and the realists, and all those in between.

(Not) Normal.

It should not be normal for so much illness and discord to be present in our society. But, here we are, no longer able to avoid looking at the myriad places where humans and the earth are hurting.

Collective awareness of this pervasive suffering does seem to be growing, with more people waking up to the knowledge that the actions we take today are what creates tomorrow.

I am a relentless and realistic optimist. I will not give up holding the potential for a more harmonic future. I trust that love is stronger than fear, and I believe in the guidance systems built into our bodies and the earth.

A better future requires more people to reconnect to who they really are and what they really want. A brighter future asks us to trust ourselves, love ourselves, and choose to courageously live in pursuit of our higher values. A more peaceful future asks us to remember our interconnectedness, and work with, rather than against, each other and the earth.

Here now for the sake of there then.

The present moment is often hard to endure and easy to escape. It makes sense that societally it is now ‘normal’ to compulsively distract ourselves from the present moment and try to be somewhere else.

And yet, this moment is the only place we can operate from. It is where our power lies. We must be here if we want to build something better, for ourselves and for everyone.

And, it is not only about being present in this moment; it is about how this moment affects the next. How can we make the future moments more easeful by what we do and think right now? How can we build a healthier tomorrow, starting by accepting the full truth of today?

Rachel Brathen speaks in her latest podcast episode about approaching any kind of activism with more than one foot anchored in the good. She describes that the only way she can conceivably create positive change in her home country is by standing in the old-growth woods of Sweden, looking out at the deforestation — not the other way around.

We won’t get anywhere better with our feet planted in what has already been done. What is wrong, what has been causing harm, is to be acknowledged and accepted. Only then can it change. Lasting transformation is fueled by being grounded in what is good and right.

We cannot go backwards, but we can move forward with the memories and scars of the past. We can wrap up old cycles, tend to and heal old wounds, and study what worked and what didn’t work. We can move forward with the lessons and the blessings of what used to be.

While longing for something good that is gone will not bring it back, despairing about what may come is also futile. The world is how it is, now. This is what we’ve been given. Things are changing regardless, and we have the opportunity to bring more intentionality and consciousness into the changes.

It requires courage to face what is out of sync around and within us, while remaining centered in the goodness that still, always, exists.

How can we act right now with love for our future and respect for the past?

What to do, what to do.

The question of what to do can only be answered by listening. These answers will not come in states of frenzy or righteousness. These ‘answers’ will come through the wisdom of your body and of the earth.

Let the not knowing humble and open you. When you surrender to what you don’t know, you may discover all of the answers you need for right now.

Holding space for the potential — and expectation — of a better future is the kind of attitude that will change systemic issues, environmental tragedies, and the crises that affect all of us.

We do have access to the answers we need, all we must do is listen for them.

May you find freedom in learning, and act from a knowing of being already whole.

xx, maggie

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