I’ve been pondering this. So many beautiful women that I know are going to the Womens March this weekend. I had an opportunity to go myself, and did not feel a pull to do so. So today I have concentrated on the beauty of things. Of finding things I love and can build on. Of reflecting on what I need to do from now on.
What comes up is holding the light, of holding the line. And an analogy appeared….of cleaning house.
Today is Inaugaration Day in the US. We’re cleaning house. But not in the way that many of us have been focusing on. I am not talking about a political house cleaning, but an energetic one. Something that is far older than the current divide that we have.
In searching for what I needed to be doing about all this upcoming change, I looked at the different ways to take action, and kept coming back to “Holding the Light” Holding the space for the light to shine and light everything up. When I am cleaning my house, I turn the lights on. It’s much easier to find all the cobwebs, and dirt and areas that need more attention. With the lights off, it’s not so apparent. Things can easily be overlooked under cover of dim lighting.
When I’ve been cleaning a really dirty area, I tend to keep the doors shut, so that I don’t spread the grime around. That’s a way of holding the line.
And then there’s the professional housekeeping crew…with all their knowledge of the best ways to clean the microwave, or the windows, or the best products to clean various things.
So what happens if we take this analogy to the US…to who we are, who we want to be, and who needs to do what? Are we united as a community and country BEFORE we are an individual, or are we an individual BEFORE we are a community/country? Or can we be both? Can we ALL want the country to be a better place and approach this from different angles?
I was given the analogy of light holder/line holder/housekeeping crew. We are all a member of the bigger community wanting our country to thrive, AND we are individuals with different strengths and talents that we can use to help move us forward collectively.
We are in the process of turning the lights on. Of seeing the mess for what it IS, not what we think it is. Also for seeing what is already good and not needing tending. Lights on help us to see what we have in common.
We are in the process of holding the line, not letting the dirt, the grime and lack of connection to one another spread. There are so many great examples of holding the line out there. If you are a line holder, you are doing an important task!
We are starting the process of cleaning the house. The American House. And there are many different crews on site, and they don’t agree on how to do this. Do we work to help all people? What works to raise us all up? Is it community building, economy building, something else?
So I ask you to decide: are you a Light Holder? A Line Holder? Some of the Clean up crew? Do you have a strength in finding solutions for tangled situations? For me…I am a LIGHT HOLDER. And when called to, will help as a line holder, or clean up crew. But my strength is in holding the light.
If this sparks some ideas for you, I’d love to hear them. The solution to our divisions has to come from ALL of us, or we will miss points of view that we haven’t seen/heard yet.