From the Archdruid of ADF, regarding the atrocities of ICE in the USA

Hey y’all.  I recorded this as an internal message as Archdruid for my ADF folk, but I know that many in my various communities look to me as their Priest/Spiritual Leader regardless of whether or not they’re part of ADF. It’s taken me awhile to find the words as I’m struggling with my own horror, but I wanted to reach out to folks and offer what I can.

I’ve cleaned up and expanded the transcript for this post, but initially I needed the authenticity that comes with actually speaking, and not trying to write.  Also, I think actually hearing someone verbally say these things can carry more weight than the written word alone right now.  So have a listen, and then read the expanded bit below:

(The link is unlisted, since I was mostly addressing the ADF community in this, though you are welcome to share it with whoever you think needs to hear it)

Together we can shoulder this heaviness, share the load, and survive.

Hey y’all. Rev. Jan here. So many of us are hurting and scared and angry right now. Especially the people in Minneapolis and Minnesota, but also generally the rest of us here in the US, who know that we could be next, who are watching just with horror about what’s happening in our in our homes. And, you know, humanity’s all connected, so I know that people in other parts of the world, from Canada to Europe to Australia, they’re also watching with a different kind of horror.

In the wake of this second public murder that ICE has committed, I just want to be very clear: this is wrong. This terrorizing that they’re doing: the brutal tactics, the blatant and clear human rights violations… it’s wrong. Unequivocally. This is not who we want to be as humanity.

So I find myself trying to figure out how to get through this. It’s hard.  I feel the freeze response, and the dread.  But I think the way we get through is community. As Druids, we value sacred hospitality. We value ghosti, right relationship. We lead from these virtues to help us make meaning of what’s happening. To try and understand and decide who we are, and who we need to be in this moment in history. Our strength as a community is in our own diversity.

A good ecosystem has creatures filling every niche, filling different roles. And there are so many ways that we, as this Druid community, can come together.  We can show up how we are, with our own strengths and skillsets and personalities, and be ourselves as we serve and embed into community. We wouldn’t survive without all of us. So yes, right now some people are at the front lines of protests, and that is absolutely needed. But so is the care of those people protesting, and all the others who are hurting from this horror. We need to care for their physical hurts, their emotional hurts, their spiritual hurts. We need people to write letters and call their leaders. We need people to bring their scared neighbors food, and to walk their kids to school. We need people to make music and art to keep us from giving up right now. There are so many roles in this resistance. There are so many roles that we can each take to be part of this community.

We’re each a small part of this larger whole and doing what we need to to get through. Community can carry heavier burdens than one person alone can carry. When we share the load, when we band together, we survive. Community is what supports us, feeds us when we give to it, and cares for us when we have nothing left. And so, I think we each need to find where we are in that ghosti, in that give and take relationship, to find that value of hospitality that we share. To let it fill us and help us remember that we’re not alone in all of this. We can shoulder this burden, this fear, this terror together and we can make it through.

Like many, I’m scared right now. I’m hurting right now. And yeah, I’m leaning into my community, but I also have my allies that I call on for support when times gets hard.  Right now I find myself calling a variety of spirits & deities. 

• I have Anahita, she who crushes down the hates of injustice. I’m calling on her to be present where ever injustice occurs and be with those who are protecting human rights.
• I’m calling on Beaver, the ecosystem engineer who cultivates diversity and builds spaces where all can thrive.
• I’m calling on Sucellos, the good and fierce striker. In the depths of winter (and metaphorical winter) he brings communities together for common purpose.  He also helps us to set and maintain boundaries, both physical and emotions.
• I’m calling on Teutates, the steadfast tender of the tribe, who I often look to when trying to figure out how I can best care for my communities so they survive and thrive. 
• I’m calling on Athena Polias, the protector of the city. I need her in Minneapolis right now, and I need her in all of our cities.
• I’m calling on Zeus Xenios, the protector of the foreigner, the protector of immigrants. We all carry the spark of divinity in us.  Every human.  Every creature.  Zeus Xenios reminds us of that, and demands that we care for each other with that knowledge.

So, Children of Earth, in the face of all these atrocities: we are not alone. We have each other. We have our allies. May right relationship and hospitality guide our actions. May we be granted wisdom and courage and perseverance to get through this. Go with this blessing, my friends, my folk: Find rest and solace and peace where you can. Find connection to your community wherever possible. We’ll make it through.