[Closed] The Great Unraveling and the Great Turning - Rebuilding a Progressive America in the Future

@suspira44

Good for you for blocking that person on facebook! That is a perfectly legitimate response. It's about self-preservation; you don't need to subject yourself to that kind of abuse (which is what it really is). Blocking is self-empowering!

Fear, Anger, Fear, Anger, Fear, Anger. Round and around we go...  It seems that lately these are the states we are all stuck in.  Everything around us seems to be careening out of control and our Fight or Flight instincts are in full on emergency mode.  The thing is, those instincts only belong to part of us, the flesh and blood part.  Our true nature knows nothing of those emotions, only Peace, Love, Courage, Strength, Gratitude, Joy and Connection.  If you are having trouble finding any of these states of being, perhaps stop focusing on the outside world for a second, and bring your focus inward.  In this state of quiet reflection, ask for guidance on what is blocking you from discovering who you really are. ❤️ 

Frank, this is solid, practical, and welcome advice.

Thank you!

@frank

So true, dear Frank .....

Man, am I totally inundated with the stupid MSM and their all-too-obvious agenda of fear-mongering.... it's always more gathering of the mega-$$ mind-set, if you get my drift.....

To go within is to see the truth ....

 ?

Take note friends. I've seen that there's a lot of infections in the WH that were not revealed. Posted this earlier. Felt one of the major players is seriously ill. Saw this a few days ago. Their denial is literally making them sick. @jeanne-mayell 

@Lawrence

When I read "seeking prayers" Penceisillin popped into my head. Twitler has not prayed a day in his life. Thoughts?

@laura-f

Good psychic take Laura. Just texted with my trusted psychic friend. He felt it is Pence. 

@jeanne-mayell

I don't have your faith, but I am still going to fight with every bit of my spirit that is in me.  I will fight for the return of bipartisanship and fairness in the federal government.  I will fight for kindness and compassion to be the norm.  I will fight for racism and all forms of discrimination to be shunned and for any followers of Trump to hide deep in the underbelly of civilization, too ashamed to admit that they once supported him.

It is simply my way to fight even if I worry that I am fighting a lost cause.  But I rather die with my head held high as a light warrior than a participant in Trump's country.

@suspira44

I agree with you completely!  Why should we remain civil to these people when they show no civility to us?  Why should we subject ourselves to being mistreated and disrespected while we listen to their lies?

Your response was eloquent and justified.  The time for being civil to Trump supporters is long gone!  Do we resort to violence?  Of course not, because we are better than them (further, if you fight with trash, you have to get down on their level, and they beat you from experience).  But we don't need to say "well, I respectfully disagree" or stay silent as they spout out lie after lie.  I tried that, and all it does is encourage them to continue.  Only by confronting them strongly (and occasionally following through with the promise to cut them out of your life if they continue to accost you with their Trump-worshipping dogma) can we hope to turn the tide and encourage others who sympathize to stand up for themselves.

Whatever you do, don't feel guilty for sticking to your guns.  The First Amendment merely says that every citizen has a right to speak their peace without government interference.  But it does not say that we, as private citizens, have to subject ourselves to it.  By rejecting their lies, we are exercising our right to free speech too!

Posted by: @allyn

Why should we remain civil to these people when they show no civility to us? 

The question of how we talk to one another when we disagree has been on my mind. Since I teach writing, I spend a good deal of time thinking about HOW we say what we say, and how we can be more intentional and effective with our speech.

We desperately need to find a humane way to engage in discourse when we disagree with one another. Sometimes, that may mean walking away. Boundaries and respect are important and I'm not suggesting anyone allow themselves to remain on the receiving end of verbal abuse. Nor am I advocating for trying to persuade people who are too far gone and not open to different perspectives, which is many times the case with people who have been brainwashed by Fox, Brietbart, Limbaugh, and other right wing media. (Check out the documentary The Brainwashing of My Dad for an excellent look at the mechanisms of this toxic media.)

Yesterday a dear friend of mine shared a post written by someone else that demeaned people who read and believe pseudoscience and conspiracy theories on the internet. The tone belittled these people, rather like other memes and texts I've seen that say things along the lines of "I know you anti-vaxxers are too stupid to understand this, but let me try to explain to you why you're wrong anyway..." Shaming people NEVER works to open their minds or hearts. No one will listen when you talk to them that way. 

We're not going to "win" by stooping to base behavior, and I'd argue that there's no "victory" to be found if we keep approaching this discourse like it is a battle. Arguing, even with all the best evidence, reason, science, etc. is going to be futile. We need to move beyond a winners/losers dynamic.

I don't have the answers and don't imagine there is one right way. I teach writing, but I stumble trying to get my words right all. the. time.

But I have learned a few things, and one that is most clear for me is to start with mindfulness. That can mean a pause--waiting, even an awkward amount of time--before you respond. Notice what you're feeling: in your body and your emotions. What thoughts circulate around those feelings? Are you feeling threatened? Afraid for your safety? Disgusted? Angry? Hostile? Wanting to protect yourself or what you believe? Just notice that. I am in no way saying what to feel or to not have these feelings. We're human. But I will say that when we speak out in the initial moment of anger or fear we don't always act from our better selves, nor do these words tend to promote constructive discourse. Often, they feed the fight itself.

The organization Showing Up for Racial Justice asks members to "call in" instead of "call out" when speaking to others to promote awareness of racism and social justice issues. Race is a topic that is highly provocative--people often get defensive, and when you're in defense mode, you're stuck in that "battle discourse" and unlikely to really hear what others are saying. "Calling in" is invitational--and really, that's the best we can do is to invite others to see things differently. We need to de-escalate and get to that invitational space first. NOT EASY. But not impossible, and I imagine this gets better with practice. (I'm no expert! Just someone who is trying.)

Here are a couple examples. (And neither have to do with T or his supporters. For many of them it will take the waning of his power for them to be open to our invitations for discourse.)

My mom works as an account clerk for her county's heath department. She and I usually disagree on political issues and generally avoid difficult conversations since we live far away and don't get to connect much. She was talking about her work trying to get COVID-19 testing supplies and stated that she didn't agree with the push to get data on race with testing. To her mind, what difference could it possibly make what race a person infected is? COVID-19 doesn't discriminate, so she suspected some political agenda. (We are both white.) Now my immediate response was to bristle and feel defensive. I've been following calls for this demographic data by Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and others, and because I have read about issues related to racism, from environmental, historic, and personal perspectives, I'm aware that structural inequities and a history of trauma make racial minorities more likely to have chronic health issues which make them more vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. Also, because of economic inequality, there are more people of color in essential & high risk professions. My mother didn't have the same opportunity for higher education as I did; she also is not much of a reader and just isn't getting the same information--we were coming at this from very different places. But I felt it would be wrong to just ignore the comment, so I picked up the thread that was most likely to connect us: her words indicated that she believes race shouldn't matter because we are all the same. And that is true! Race is an artificial construct. So I said I agreed with her that it really shouldn't matter because we are all human beings. But I see the legacy of racism and how that is still very much at work in our lives today, as much as we'd like it not to be. Because I live in the south, I was able to draw on examples of some of the worst, most explicit examples of racism--this worked to keep her from feeling attacked and to remain open and invited in the conversation. (Honestly, I think her area is highly racist, but saying so then would not have served my purpose and would have shut her down. I didn't use the term "white supremacy" for the same reason--she's not in a place to understand what that means, especially having come from a blue collar background.) We had the most open, engaging talk on race, and while I don't know if she changed her mind or not, she was considering the points I made. And we left the conversation feeling connected and not oppositional.

Before we went into shut down this semester I had my first set of student conferences--I meet with each student individually to discuss their research topics and offer instructional support in the process. One student, "D," had a topic that was still pretty vague and I was trying to help him get a clearer sense of where he wanted to go. He was interested in understanding whether or not climate change was real. He explained that where he comes from (his words) not everyone believes in climate change, and he talked about global warming and climate change as though they were totally different things and one is real and the other isn't. Now, this wasn't easy because even though I don't hold science as the pinnacle of knowledge that many people do, there's just so much evidence that our climate is changing because of human activity and the only "arguments" against that position tend to come from conservative media at the behest of the fossil fuel industry. Anyway, I was this young man's teacher, and my whole purpose was not to tell him what to think but to offer models for ways to think and invite him into learning to engage with the world in a more complex way. For him to be open to that he needed to feel safe and encouraged and in no way belittled or ridiculed. Because his experience and understanding was so very different from mine, even down to what we meant by the words we used for what we were talking about--"Climate change" and "global warming" had totally different meanings for him. Because I was in a position of relative power, I has to be extra careful to not shut him down, so rather than saying "this is what you need to know..." I positioned my understanding as relative to his (which was humbling and not easy because these positions are not equal--the planet is warming!) and explained that it was hard for me to understand what he meant because in my own research I've not encountered the same definition of these terms he has--could he tell me more about that to help me understand...? Phew, it was not an easy conversation at all, and he got plenty frustrated with me, while inside myself I kept taking deep breaths and pausing and trying to be patient as well. I wish I had a happy ending to tell you, that he learned more from his research and developed his own perspective on the topic, but stupid COVID-19 happened and he never replied to any of my emails when we transitioned to online classes. 

I'm not saying every conversation deserves this level of care and effort, but personally, I find benefit from practicing mindfulness and a willingness to be open and engage in difficult conversations when possible. Minds are not souls. If we ignore or demean others whose minds are clouded, we do nothing that might possibly bring light to darkness. We also close ourselves off from that potential for the growth that can come from forging connections and understanding. It is a humbling practice, because we have to open ourselves to vulnerability and accept that we may not be right about everything we think we know. I think of the visions of lightworkers, especially @Baba's recent one, and while there are many ways to share your light, I think it is always invitational. We open ourselves to share our light with others, but the light is within them as well, and unless we can connect with one another, we lose the potential for the light that ignites in our recognition and appreciation of our mutual humanity and divine interconnectedness. 

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.

Rumi

@allyn. Thank you, I know you are a powerful force, and I would always want you on my team in any contest. I used to coach youth soccer and I'd put you in as lead striker if we had a crucial game. You have strong will and belief in your cause and that makes you a fierce contender. Five years ago, my colleagues and I in our local town won an impossible victory for holding onto a local democracy because, like you, we were so driven by the fervor for justice. 

What I was writing about earlier is Active Hope,  hope as something you do, not something you just have.  I learned it from my beloved teacher eco philosopher Joanna Macy. We push the hope.  People who have this kind of optimism see the solutions more readily than people who are fatalistic.

It's been validated in research that optimists are more successful. They don't give up and their optimism helps them see more opportunities to push through.  I see my own darker visions of these times -- the evil tricks the GOP uses behind the scenes to continue in power --  as spirit's assessment of what we are up against, not that the dark will win.  

I also heard in your tone that you believe as I do that the arc of the world bends towards justice. So the lightworkers will prevail sooner or later. I pray we will prevail sooner, so I am pushing the hope.  Still even if you can't push the hope, your fervor for justice will do just fine!

On another but related topic -- Someone here posted recently that he was sad to realize that evil won't die. I agree, evil will always be among us.  It is part of what makes us human. But neither will love and goodness and justice die.  The human race evolves in a spiral - we come full circle but further ahead throughout time. We are evolving. 

In reading this thread posting today (I was not reading this thread all weekend - so WOW I had a lot to catch up on) I have a few thoughts.

It's human to want to see T gone - period. However that happens it's not necessarily completely negative. This is not "I hate this or that person so I wish them harm" type of energy. This is SURVIVAL. We are ALLOWED to survive and we should. If this were WWII and you wished that Hitler was suddenly sick and gone that would not be negative. Humankind, the country, etc. is at stake - we are at war in a sense. I don't send out negative energy hoping T would suffer, but I hope and pray that the Universe/God decides to strike them down in one way or another. I pray for justice! Whether it's being in literal prison or natural causes. T and his minions in government right now are responsible for thousands of deaths and it could be thousands more. The GOP in office right now is also complicit - especially Barr and Moscow Mitch. At the same time I hope they are gone and are eliminated, however that may happen I don't care -  I also send light. Sounds crazy right? But that's what I do. Self preservation and eliminating the enemy for the greater good were done in the bible by honorable men and women. You are allowed to defend yourself.

I don't judge anyone here. One of the most favorite things in the teachings of Jesus was "judge ye not lest ye be judged". I love how he protected the harlot from stoning. We must capture love as our driving force into this war and world. That doesn't mean we can't be honest and want the enemy of it all to be removed when we are actively threatened.

I am also not an astrologer but my "spidey sense"  or intuitive side felt like those aspects are the astrological triggers of the downfall of the evil in the White House right now and the exposure of the US's own karma. This country has a wonderful side and it should be celebrated, but our history has also had some bad energy and Karma comes for the correction of those flaws too.

I sensed when we were looking at the virus in the beginning that it would be caught by those in the White house. I also saw T and Pence having it - maybe even twice. It makes me wonder if he's being treated/was treated somehow for it already.

I hope you all understand my point and that it's ok to relay it here. ❤️ 

Personlly I am sick of being scared so I choose not to be.  I firmly believe that there are more normal smart, kind, caring people in this world than the haters.  Look at it this way, those of us who care about our fellow man are doing everything we can to stay safe and help others stay safe.  Those out screaming about not being able to get a haircut or go to a restaurant are more than likely rump supporters.  Who is more likely to get the virus?  They are willing to die for Red Lobster!?  Rump and his minions are arrogant, ignorant and scared.  They think they can get away with anything.  The problem is they don't know the law and they underestimate the "little people"like us.  There is power in good.  I know I kid a lot about Karma but I truly believe in it.  If you put out negative thoughts you will receive negative action back.  Now don't get me wrong I'm not little Mary Sunshine, I  have my down moments, I just let them happen and then get thru them as best I can.  But I do truly believe rump and his minions were  elected as a warning to us that we have let our government get out of hand.  Time to go back and reform.  I don't think it wil be as all sweeping as the BernieBots would like but there will be reform in taxes and regulations.  I see all of Rumps "laws" being reversed.  As for his pardening all his criminal friends there are repercusions from that too.  I'm not a lawyer but I have studied the Constitution and government to know enough to be knowledgeable.  I also have a good BS monitor!  Another thing, in the last election we weren't prepared for the Rusian interference, this time we know what can happen and we have our "warriors" to fight for us and with us.  I just read a piece on the internet about the rise of Republicans against Trump movement.  Yes there are     those who are so far into enabling him that they can't pull back and be believed.  (McConnell, Graham,Paul, Cruz, etc)  but there are others who are silent and are beginning to realize they can lose everything if the remain silent.

I know I sound a little simplistic but my basic beliefs are simplistic.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Simple but true.

As for the WH infected, I too believe it is typhod Pence.  Watch out for Miller and crew also.  Whoever it is Rump will use them as a scape goat.

Stay safe and carry the light my friends!

Posted by: @herondreams

while there are many ways to share your light, I think it is always invitational.

@jeanne-mayell @herondreams

Jeanne, your post yesterday and this post today by @herondreams need to be hung on the Post Wall of Fame. Wow! The lighthouses (the term used by Andean spiritual leader Antocal Nesdi for light workers) are cutting through the darkness with the might and intensity of a thousand light sabers! Thank you both for these elevating posts - renewal  is not just a whispered hope, it’s already starting! 

@herondreams Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for your insight and tips.

I have always needed help with how to disagree and I have been learning from this beautiful community.  Your post opens up a simple path to just start with a pause and use mindfulness.  

When I have been in a meditation retreat for a few days, practicing mindfulness buffers my brain like a soft cushion.  I was driving home from a loving kindness retreat a few years ago, my brain so soft and safe from a week of meditation,  when I accidentally got in the wrong lane and got blasted by a guy in a pick-up truck with MAGA stickers on the front bumper. The blast from his horn went through me and I jumped.  But as soon as I got out of his way, my mind looked at him in the rear view mirror with utter compassion.  I thought, seriously, I really thought, "May he find joy and peace. May he be well." I actually felt sorry for him to be so stressed and aggressive. 

That was what a week with Sharon Salzberg and a hundred yogis did to my brain.  Perhaps, a moment of pause, as you suggest, will help train the mind over time, to feel kindness first, then make one's point as well. 

I wrote about this in a different thread, but it seems like more people need to hear this. We are in the territory of phase shifts, where  change will follow exponential (nonlinear) curves. Which means that change for the better, after gathering steam for decades, will start bursting into view in front of our eyes. Meanwhile, the old dark energy will be losing equal force. This is what the insights of systems science and physics tell us; as one form of energy circles the drain, another energy will be ascending in the opposite direction (3-dimensional representations of the yin-yang dynamic illustrate this). And right now, the light is the ascending force. The change agents are working at the margins and moving closer to center stage at an ever-quickening pace. Soon, we'll be waking up in the morning and realizing that things really are different for the better.

It's hard to recognize the ascending light or its nonlinear nature because of the current overriding collective fear but also because global civilization is built on the assumption of linearity. Our meta-narratives, including the stories crafted by our news outlets, are linear. But the natural world doesn't work that way, and suddenly the exponential movements of Gaia are tearing to shreds our assumptions. (Who could have guessed that in the matter of a few weeks, global commerce would come grinding to a halt because of a virus?) 

In phase shifts, because there's so much disequilibrium, one tiny alteration can change the entire outcome markedly. What this means is that each of us as individuals has it in our agency to further empower the light so that the future really will be so much better. Each of our small decisions makes a difference for the collective. So turn off the news if you must, stop paying so much attention to social media. Basically, stop letting the assholes and pessimists write the story. The Great Turning will not come into being on its own; success is not guaranteed. Yet the critical mass of awakened souls needed to effect systemic change isn't very large (maybe 1% of humanity), and my guides tell me we are rapidly approaching the longed for tipping point. 

I'm going to call this the "Parable of the The PACMAN"

Imagine one morning you wake up in a strange place. You have no memory of who you are or what has come before that moment. You look around at your surroundings. You have a lovely home with all kinds of nice things.  Outside, is a wonderful world, bright and lively, with an abundance of everything you need.  After exploring your surroundings for a bit, the newness of the environment slowly wears off and you become accustomed to a daily routine.  You go out each day gathering and eating food, which literally grows everywhere you look, coming back home in the evening to a restful night of sleep. You continue on like this for sometime, living a comfortable, if somewhat mundane, life. 

One day, however, as you are out gathering food, you suddenly feel something you've never felt before: Fear.  You turn around and see these horrific, glowing, monsters coming straight for you.  All of a sudden, your bucolic life is turned upside down. You're thrust into a constant battle for survival against these evil creatures.  Each day, you must go out and find food, but also, must now dodge these monsters or they will do unspeakable things to you and probably even kill you.  Even though the struggle is difficult, you know, that all you need to do is continue fighting and eventually you will vanquish this evil from the world.

This continues for what seems like forever. After two close encounters with the monsters, you have been injured, but have always fully recovered and have been able to return to the struggle.  Now, however, something has changed.  The weapon you have searched for has finally been found, a magical fruit that renders the monsters weak and defenseless.  You will finally be able to end this war forever.  You set your trap and wait.  The monsters close in, thinking that they have you trapped,  suddenly, you wield the weapon and begin the onslaught.  You are destroying monsters left and right, dealing your righteous vengeance onto the darkness.  Just as you are about to finish off the final group of monsters, something goes terribly wrong, your power begins to fade.  You are trapped, surrounded. The realization comes to you that this is the end.  As the monsters close in, you think to yourself, if only I had found another way.... and then, everything goes.... BLACK.

DARKNESS.

NOTHINGNESS.

OBLIVION.

Wait....

What?.... 

What's going on? If it's over, why am I still aware? How am I still here?... 

You realize that you are wearing something that is covering your eyes.  As you pull off the head set, you are engulfed in a blinding light and the memories flood back to you.  You look around and see all your best friends pulling off their headsets as well.  You all look at each other in joyful astonishment and just exclaim "WOW! That was intense!"  

Your friends look at you and start to tell you about how afraid they were of you.  You came in and started eating all the food in the land.  They were terrified that if they didn't get rid of you, everything, they knew and cared about would disappear.  You start laughing and exclaim "No Way! That's exactly what I thought about you guys!"

After reminiscing for awhile about all the crazy things that happened in the game, someone suggests you all play again, but this time "lets see if we can overcome the fear and figure out a way to work together"

You say: "Great idea! And after that, I've got a new game we can try.  It's called "Being Human"

❤️

@jeanne-mayell I'm not sure where to put this, but I had a vision a few days ago while meditating.  This is the first vision I've posted, and anyone who reads it should know that I do not get visions routinely.  Having said that, I've been very concerned about Putin attacking our elections and GOP members looking the other way while Barr and Trump welcome their interference.  The vision: I saw Putin walking at the front of a group of men.  They were walking toward our country in the shape of a V (the way geese fly) with Putin at the forward point.  He and the other men were all dressed very neatly in gray suits.  He looked satisfied and confident as he approached.  However, a thick gray cement barrier suddenly appeared before him, and he looked startled.  (Ended there).  

@seeker4

Welcome. This is a good spot for that vision. There is also a thread called "Random Predictions..." I suggest duplicating it there, as it will make it easier to locate it in future.

Also, great vision! May it be so.

@seeker4. Thank you. I have felt it too. Known it.  It is our reality. When you say the republicans are looking the other way, I would say more than just looking the other way. Some of them are actively involved.  Something is afoot and I feel that wall too.