This has been a year. Before this year, I often said I didn't like talking about politics. This year, politics and current events have been so present that it's hard to avoid talking about them, and I have definitely written a lot more this year about things that are going on than I have in the past. And I think I am starting to change my mind...about not talking about or 'staying out' of politics.
We talk a lot about inner work, but rarely do we talk seriously about outer work. If inner work is getting to know your Self, and working with your shadows and becoming the person you want to be, then outer work is about getting to know the World (and what is truly happening), figuring out what the problems are, and helping to create the world you want to live in.
Yes, this sounds pretty radical, and I think that is okay (it's a bit sad that wanting a better world is radical, but hey, we work with what we've got). It may force you to face some ethical issues involving your perceptions of harm, your choice to work magic on others (without their permission), or even how you feel about disrupting 'the natural flow' (or what that even means..).
But, I think we are starting to realize that the world is evolving in ways that many of us are vehemently against. I'm reminded of the quote, "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing." I think that too many of us good people don't want to make waves. And by good people I mean people who honestly want the best for the world, for their neighbors and friends, and even their enemies. Part of respecting others, and respecting other opinions is allowing people to have vastly different ideas than we do.
Where I think the problem lies is that there is something very different from wanting to encourage people to have their own perspectives and opinions...and letting people make choices for others based on their own perspective. This is where I really have issues with some Christian folks. It's not their faith at all, it's the fact that they want to use legal means to force everyone to live by the rules of their faith. It's not longer a belief or an opinion, now it's oppression.
And I think we've somewhat lost sight of what oppression really is. We see all kinds of very privileged people crying out that they are being repressed or that they aren't allowed to believe what they believe in, and yet almost always they are actually upset that other people aren't following what they believe. In their eyes, they don't see a difference between a person who is actually being oppressed, someone who is legitimately not being treated as an equal or who is being denied basic rights, and whatever fluff thing they were told they couldn't do. It's like a toddler crying because they can't eat all the candy in a jar and trying to say it's the same as a starving child crying because they haven't been giving any food in three days.
Now, a lot of people will say that we need to focus on ourselves, that change should start from within. And I fully agree with that. But note that it says change STARTS from within. It doesn't end within. We need to start with our inner work, so we know what we truly believe, we know what things are vital to our being, we know where we stand. But then we need to reach out, because if we only work on inner work, there are plenty of people in the world who have no problem hurting other people just for the heck of it (or because they are selfish and want all the stuff for themselves).
Now, I'm not going to tell anyone they need to start cursing people they don't agree with or any type of aggressive response in any way. There are many, many ways to approach an issue....at least as many ways as there are people, and probably a lot more! If I see someone being attacked, sure, I can try to take out the attacker. I can also try to help the person escape, I can call the authorities, I can rally onlookers to help me intimidate the attacker, I can try to talk the attacker down. Some of these ways do directly effect the attacker, but some don't. We all need to do what we feel comfortable with, but I think we need to do something.
To toss out another quote, "With great power comes great responsibility." I think that every person has power, in different ways, and that we are responsible to each other to use our power to make the world better. We are starting to see just how many problems are created when we treat life as if it were 'every man for themselves' or as if it were a game to see who can hoard the most stuff. We know that what we are doing (and what we have been doing) isn't working, so I think it's time for a change.
We work magic, we create change in the world, change based on our will. And though we may not be strong enough to change the whole world on our own, if we don't try, nothing will change. And the more of us that work to make the world better, the more tiny ripples start shifting...and those ripples can build on each other and become waves.
It is time to join together the inner and outer work of our practice. First, we find our footing, but then we make a stand! Decide what things you are passionate about, what issues you want to work on fixing, and then do the work to figure out how to approach them! Find others who share your passion, who want to change the same things you do, and work together...for we will find strength in numbers. It is time we stop being polite and turning a blind eye to the things we see happening all around us. It is time we stand up for what we believe in. It is time we start witching the world!
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