all of what is happening with our government with Trump in office was predictable & forewarned. history & countless essays & books were/are accessible telling the story of how democracies can fall & fascism can arise. Trump foretold what he would do, Project 2025 laid out a roadmap for doing it, & they are still forecasting what they will do.
none of this had to be this way.
also, most importantly in this moment is that it doesn’t have to continue to be this way. speak up, stand up, call to task Reps & officials, high to low level. if you know people in government, or someone with ICE or HSI, call them to conscience. they all swore an oath to the Constitution. “obeying orders” is no excuse.
may hearts open, may awareness, empathy, wisdom, courage arise, & may love prevail.
these were the first words to the Catholic community & the entire world from Pope Leo XIV. at a time when so many world leaders, including the United States, call for aggression & conflict in targeting migrants, the poor, their neighbors & other marginalized groups, we need leadership – especially perhaps spiritual leadership – who are willing to stand courageously in the truth of love & speak with clarity countering the narrative of fear, indifference, violence & hate.
to see, Pope Leo XIV, who seems to carry the same spirit of openness, grace & compassion that Pope Francis embodied, choose the name Leo XIV as a nod to Leo XIII who wrote the encyclical inviting & prioritizing Catholic Social Justice teaching is incredibly encouraging. to see the College of Cardinals, by & large a conservative slow moving (in regards to progress) body choose a US born, world traveled pope in Pope Leo XIV who centers the poor, the migrant, the marginalized, seems like a strategic rebuff to the current trend towards authoritarianism & kleptocracy we are seeing in the US & elsewhere.
grateful & hopeful for Pope Leo XIV’s voice at this time. may he be blessed & protected.
may all hearts open to love, may we all drum up the courage to stand & speak for love, truth, equity, justice, & peace in this time.
there are so many brilliant #StarWars quotes regarding empire, colonialism, authoritarianism, etc. which would be appropriate right now, but Star Wars has always had a way of lifting me up, so i thought maybe it best to share a bit of hope & encouragement this day, since the forces of cruelty & destruction we are seeing & the speed of it all can feel overwhelming. the dark side may be having its moment, but it won’t last. light & love will prevail. remember you in your love are aligned with life itself. ⭕️♥️🙏🏼
“Is the dark side stronger?”
~ Luke
“No…no…no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.”
~ Yoda
“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings are we…”
we can & should stand in the space of our values & principles. abiding in tender heartedness & fierce compassion. seeing clearly with wisdom through the eyes of love.
sticking with a path & practice of love is something we recommit to everyday. living by vow, is not a one & done deal, but a moment to moment realignment with our values & our integrity of purpose, to reduce harm & bring benefit to the world around us. each moment is an opportunity to begin anew.
The Metta Garden 