Let us shine light upon injustice.Let us shine light upon grief.Let us shine light upon suffering.Let us shine light upon hatred.Let us shine light upon oppression.Let us shine light upon fear. Let us awaken! Let us rise! Let us quicken into power! Let us become brilliant to each other! Let us love. This longest day may we know our beauty. May we honor one another. May we bless this earth. May we shine! All things on earth require the light of the sun. Even those things that

This morning, I opened curtains onto a gorgeous, sun filled day. My head filled with “What a Wonderful World” as sung by Joey Ramone. I felt filled with joy. Then I flashed on the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, being taken from their fellowship, desperate, hungry, fighting their guards with broom handles. My heart cracked. To the altar I went to sit with both of these. Sun streaming in behind me, I gathered as much of the world into my consciousness as possible. Breathing, I op

. “I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.” – Terry Tempest Williams This week I turned in the final pages for my new book. One whole segment is on the power To Keep Silence. In it, I reveal how I’ve spent a lifetime struggling against listening, and then – realizing it was the best teacher I was ever going to have – learning how to listen better, more deeply, and more clearl

. The above was my status report upon leaving Oakland City Hall yesterday evening. Having been denied entry through the massive doors of the city council hall, some of us sat down on the hard marble floor at the base of the grand stairs, and at the feet of the police designed to keep us away from the rest of the crowd. We sat to meditate and pray. Up above us, people chanted and shouted, shaking the space with raised voices, piercing whistles, and sheer presence. Occasionally

. I honor the ancestors and those who are to come. I honor this moment and the spacious reach of soul. I am placed between the rising and the setting sun, The warm and the cool. I stand between the great above and this firm earth. Here I am. Awakened to this day. The simplest things hold the cosmic order: Water on the boil for tea. Cat washing in the first rays of the sun over these hills. My breath rising in cool air, chest expanding to receive it. The prayers I offer orient

. May we honor the dead. May we bless the living. May we pray for peace. May we learn and teach. May we challenge our assumptions. May we invoke justice with compassion. May we seek understanding instead of vengeance. May we know ourselves, in all our parts. May we love one another. May we love. … I call upon the Gods and Goddesses to be witness to my prayer. I will do my utmost best to uphold the spirit that dwells within these words, and when I fail, I will forgive myself a

Here is the prayer, begun by Tristissima, and added to by myself, for all of those fallen to hatred, fear, and misunderstanding. What is remembered, lives. Prayer for Our Beloved Dead Hermaphroditus, look at the names of the dead. Ardhanarisvara, read the names of the dead. Melek Ta’us, remember the names of the dead. Eris, look at the names of the dead. Antinous, read the names of the dead. Hoor-paar-kraat, remember the names of the dead. Azathoth, look at the names of

It is still Transgender Day of Remembrance in the US, though here in Germany, Nov 20th was yesterday already. Nonetheless, here is the prayer, begun by Tristissima, and added to by myself, for all of those fallen to hatred, fear, and misunderstanding. What is remembered, lives. Hermaphroditus, look at the names of the dead. Ardhanarisvara, read the names of the dead. Melek Ta’us, remember the names of the dead. Eris, look at the names of the dead. Antinous, read the names

We are the coming together of disparate things. We are the opening dawn of a new spring. Oh radiant light that burns in each heart, fill us with the power of desire. Oh radiant light, that burns in each mind, teach us to know, clearly, what we seek. Oh radiant light that burns in each now, show us how to lead the way to justice and to beauty. Let us be on fire, like burning suns and stars. Let us shine, giving glimmering hope to that which has been heretofore obscured. The fe