November 1, 2004
The Good Road
from Starhawk on Election eve
Dear friends,
It's the eve of the elections, and I find myself filled with hope.
I've noticed a strange thing about this election, as I've been traveling around the country this last month or so. I feel much less of a divide than usual between people who consider themselves 'spiritual' and those who consider themselves 'political'. Being so much both myself, it's never easy for me to understand how people can separate the two, but they do. I often hear from 'spiritual' people that they'd rather not have their beautiful rituals sullied with nasty politics, thank you. And from the political side, that they cannot comprehend why anyone would blunt the hard edge of struggle with silly woo-woo new age stuff.
But now it seems that everyone has woken up and realized how deeply those harsh political realities affect us, and how good it is to have the support of community and connection to deep and abiding sources of strength in facing those things that are too hard to face alone.
I've seen people who are not normally activists out canvassing, going to swing states to do poll watching, stepping out and getting involved at a whole new level. Whatever happens tomorrow, something powerful and beautiful has woken up, and it is up to all of us to keep it awake and active and engaged whatever happens with the election. And there are plans across the country for actions as needed on November 3&emdash;to find out what is happening in your area, go to www.nov3.us <http://www.nov3.us/><http://www.nov3.us/> . If Bush wins or steals the election, or if it is in doubt, there will be massive nonviolent civil disobedience. If Kerry wins, we will let him know that we want him to stand for something different, for truth, for an agenda of compassion of human rights and needs and environmental balance, of security through peace not endless war. Whoever wins, we have much work to do.
And I am hopeful. On Saturday, we had our big Spiral Dance in San Francisco, one of the biggest ever, with fifteen hundred to maybe two thousand people gathered in a ritual to turn the wheel of change. We dance the spiral, which came together easily and gracefully&emdash;a perfect double spiral with its two strands twining and untwining like the double spiral of DNA. And when we came together in the center and raised a cone of power, it was like a deep roar from beneath the earth, then like a sweet song, and then a wild, exuberant cheering laced with a few wolf howls. It rose and fell three times&emdash;appropriate for Hecate who likes things in threes. And what many of us saw was the torch of Hecate, the torch of Lady Liberty, the flame of truth, burning so brightly over the land, lies shriveling up and burning away, fresh winds blowing through the heart-shaped portal we've opened between the worlds. The light shining like a beacon, lighting our choices, lighting up the road that leads to a living future.
And when the power was grounded, and the time came for me to lead everyone back out of the trance which had brought us to the crossroads, the words below (or something very like them) came pouring out of my mouth:
We are on a good road&emdash;Yes!
We are on a road with heart
We are on a road of freedom
We are on a road of compassion
We are on a road of love
We are on a good road
We are on a road that leads to a green future
For these beautiful babies that we have named tonight
We are on a healing road
We are on a road of life
We are on a road of balance
We are on a good road
We are on a road of justice
We are on a road of courage
We are on a road of peace.
We are on a good road-Yes!
May it be so. Sleep well. Vote early. Don't lose heart,
Starhawk
www.starhawk.org <http://www.starhawk.org/>