As I continue to process the election...

Sunday, November 13, 2016

I really do acknowledge there were many reasons Americans voted for President-elect Trump… It wasn’t just about hatred… I really do understand this… The status quo is no longer relevant to the vast majority of Americans… The Clintons represented a very large shadow in regard to the establishment… The Democrats cheated… they rigged the primary… I could see what was coming way back in June… We make our choices… and there is a time… when we’re going to “pay the piper”… Donald Trump’s statements, comments, tweets during the campaigning were incredibly outrageous to many… He, too, is, in many ways, paying the piper via protests and more… For me, the Republican Party is perhaps even more outrageous… If you haven’t done so… take a look at the 2016 Republican Platform – the party agenda for the next 4 years… If you want to understand the protests… the fear… the anger of many people… you will find many answers in this document. That’s not to say there aren’t some reasonable elements in it… but if you really want to understand what’s happening… then you will read this document through the eyes of another… and perhaps get a glimpse of the reason behind the protests…   

For me, the expression of the pain… anger… fear… I felt, and expressed, after the election… was the release of the pain… anger… fear… I have buried for years… I make no apologies for that expression… It has cleared the way for my own empowerment… as I will no longer play “invisible” to any degree for those who find the expression of who I am… uncomfortable… As I stated before, I will stand at my boundary… I will march… I will put my life on the line when my soul demands – as so many patriots have done before me - because I truly believe in the essence of America… I always have…

Life and Liberty are the core essence of my belief system… They are my foundation… And, they are unalienable… they cannot be taken away… To be held hostage by the more narrow-minded beliefs of another (which they have the right to)… is something that might be allowed out of fear… but it is an illusion… These Rights cannot be taken away because, essentially, they are of the Creator… that’s what makes them unalienable.

This being said… I do not have the right to infringe upon another’s life… just as another does not have the right to infringe upon my life… This is a two-way call to action… First, I must stand at my boundary… empowered… safeguarding my right to my own life… I must be my own best representative… and second, I must do my best to not infringe upon another’s life… understanding that when I choose to step into another’s life, uninvited… there are consequences…

This most likely speaks to many – and on many levels – who, for instance, believe the government has far overstepped its bounds in many cases… I don’t disagree… What has come before us is a tangled, complicated, enormous ball of issues and challenges… that can no longer go unaddressed… There is much work ahead... many a heated discussion… and each is called to share their perspective and, just as importantly, listen… We can no longer afford to fight for an “either/or” society… We must find a way to make it a “both/and” if we are to have any hope of peace…

Finally, as far as an individual’s Rights to Life and Liberty are concerned, I really appreciated a comment from a Christian woman… who said, “We all have things we will be judged for. Those things are between us and God. He will judge each one according to His Word.”… She may or may not agree with my expression of life… but she leaves it between me and God.  And as my mother – whom I cherish, respect and admire - said to a minister, who suggested that anyone friends with a gay or lesbian person will also go to hell… “I’ll take my chances with God.” Thanks, Mom… your inherent “goodness”… is a continued light, inspiration, and aspiration in my life…

Desiring the best for all of us… as we make our way through these challenging times… learning to be our own best representative… as well as learning to respect the Rights of another… sharing and listening… creating a new world that works for All of Us…

Much love,

Karrie

A shift has occurred...

Yesterday, I began to notice a shift in my Facebook news feed… Perhaps it was subtle… perhaps not… whichever, I felt it… Less anger and pointing fingers… more love and coming together…

I saw posts of police officers and African Americans hugging… talking… supporting each other… I saw marches – not so much in protest – but as a call for change… (There is a huge difference in the two.) I saw beautiful videos which transcended “color”… (“I’m not a color. I’m me.”)… reclaiming the fact that beneath it all, we’re human beings... This is a shift… more people coming together… regardless of role, race or surface level difference… joining as human beings… joining through love…

One thing, I really love about Facebook is the “evolution” I’m privy to. If I can hang in there long enough… and not only bear the opinions and perspectives vastly different than my own… but listen… really hear where people are coming from… something, many times, shifts within me… I had one of those moments this morning…

I’ve been advertising my book, the Tea Room, on Facebook… and there are times when someone not only clicks on the ad… but likes it… or shares it… Many times, I’m curious about who the person is… This morning, I tapped on the picture of someone who had shared the ad… and up pops the Facebook page of an African-American woman from Detroit, Michigan… I noticed immediately her page was primarily African-Americans… and as I scrolled down the posts… I came across one posted by an African-American male in regard to his son… The child was about 3 (I’m not very good at guessing ages.), sitting cross-legged, his head slightly bowed, and his hands held in front of his face in a prayer position… Evidently, that morning, as his dad was getting ready to leave, the little boy said, “I love you… Please be careful.” This, of course, deeply moved his father… as well as others who responded to the post.

All the posts I read in response to this post were by African-Americans… For me, it was like being a fly on the wall… listening to a conversation I would never be privy to otherwise… It was incredibly authentic… the concerns… the pain… the fear… the confusion over how to handle the circumstances which were no longer bearable… Perhaps for the very first time, I felt it… I felt what they were feeling… and I understood from a totally different place… from a human place… a heart place… This was an incredible gift…

I sense the shift I felt within me… is the same shift I felt in the collective as I perused my Facebook news feed.  This is a shift from fighting for our own perspective as the only truth… to understanding that each of us has a perspective… a perspective created by our own experiences… and therefore, indisputable. We cannot argue or debate another’s experiences. We can only persevere to understand… That’s the only way we can transcend the challenges presented by uniqueness… and move toward real and inclusive solutions, together.

Much love,

Karrie

The Brilliance of Political Chaos

Last night, as with many nights of late, I dreamt politics.  My dreams have been filled with a passionate desire to understand… part of me desires to know, what’s going on?! Last night, after a very long day of travelling… the dreamtime gave me some brilliant answers.

Stepping back from my perspective… looking at the big, big picture… feeling beneath the surface of the political chaos… what we see… is not the whole of it… The chaos… the struggle… the incredible pace at which things are moving… is Consciousness… the flow of the One and Only… commandeering change… Can you feel it?  Politics is the stage on which we get to see all our beliefs displayed… all the starring archetypal forces of old… none of which we may have been aware… This particular election… may be more about what’s to come… than the immediacy of who’s elected president… because the transformation being called forth… will continue to morph, grow and intensify… well beyond November 2016…

Things are changing… and the “traditional”… the “establishment”… the old power structures… are like dams, stressed by the increasingly rising force of flooding waters… The pressure isn’t going to go away… It’s not going to be quelled… It’s only going to grow… and it’s meant to…

My dream last night… had me looking at Donald Trump very differently… Beneath the surface… his character plays the part of the catalyst… a catalyst that can’t be ignored… What he says motivates people… one way or the other… He also shows us what it can be like to be empowered… free… unafraid… owned by no one… He refuses to be “heeled” by the media… a political party… the establishment… He is the catalyst that gets people moving… He’s the hurricane… the wild card… and he’s a force that cannot be denied… Look at what’s happening to the Republican party... openly trying to figure out how to stop him… Good luck… Change… Change… Change… Consciousness moves in mysterious ways… doesn’t it?…

On the other end… we have a similar character in Bernie Sanders… Where Trump is the “hare”… Bernie Sanders is the “tortoise”… Bernie isn’t owned by the media… a political party… or the establishment, either… Though the Democratic party has attempted to barricade the barn doors... the rotting wood is about to give… or those doors may be blown off… Where Trump is the hurricane… blowing up structures… catalyzing people to move, NOW… Bernie represents a slow burn… a growing movement over time… the people reclaiming their empowerment…. His character represents that which will endure… long after each of us is gone… Trump is the “I”… Bernie the “We”… and both are necessary… when it comes to change…

Let’s not forget those we deem to represent the “establishment”… those who we may see as representing the shadows… the outdated… the “way it’s always been”… They have a part too… Humanity changes through oscillation… We oscillate… back and forth… between the old… and the new… what has always been… and what is to be… That’s what we do… Everyone plays a part… We would do well not to judge ourselves…  

It’s also become clear to me… that I’ve had a belief regarding how change should happen… There’s a right way… and a wrong way… There are people who are wrong… and people who are right… I’m finding… that none of this is true… Consciousness moves how Consciousness moves… and none of us really knows how things get done… Our beliefs, many times, have no substantive value when it comes to the workings of Consciousness… most likely because they were never really accurate… Every character plays a part… We’re moved when we’re meant to be moved… And when it’s time to move… no one can stop us… not even ourselves… We may be appalled by how we’re moved… not understanding the sudden shift… the desire to speak… to use our voice… to march… to write… or whatever it may be… And what I’m learning is to pay attention… go with it… enjoy it… don’t judge it… It’s happening to all us… so carry on… however you're called... When we look beneath the surface… seeing the brilliance for perhaps the very first time… it becomes very clear… all is moving as it is meant to… 

With great respect and love,

Karrie

I'm pissed.

I’m pissed.  In fact, I’m outraged.  And I blame Bernie Sanders.  If it weren’t for Bernie Sanders I wouldn’t be able to finally put a finger on the root of my building anger over the last several years.  The system is rigged, folks.  It’s corrupt right down to the root.  Whether it’s the Media… the Democratic National Committee… the insidious takeover by the 1%... the curtain has been pulled back… and I am absolutely furious. Yes, I blame Bernie for waking me up… he has been nailing the rigged system for a very long time… However, because I do support him, I’ve gotten to see the corruptness first hand.

The media has repeatedly done what they can to make him and the movement he speaks to, insignificant.  Thousands of people across the country have marched for Bernie… thousands… (check out some of the larger cities – literally, thousands)  How many people know this?  Each panel on any of the major media outlets is stacked with anyone-other-than-Bernie supporters.  Even the head of Hillary Clinton’s PAC is on the panel.  Bernie has received very little media attention and if he were the insignificant force they want to make him out to be, that would be one thing.  But he isn’t, is he.

The Democratic National Committee is about as corrupt as it gets.  They have rigged the system in favor of their chosen candidate.  Check it out yourself.  The vice-chair of the committee just resigned due to this problem.

And then you have the 1%, the few who control the system with their resources.  Money speaks in politics.  It buys media coverage.  We get to hear the message that “they” want us to hear.

The only reason I’m not mentioning the Republican National Committee is because they have no control over a rogue candidate like Donald Trump.  And the media, jumps at Donald Trump’s finger-snapping. 

People cry out all the time, "don’t speak negatively about the Democratic frontrunner, because we may get Donald Trump in November."  Quite frankly, I may vote for Donald Trump in November.  Are you shocked?  I’m a revolutionary.  I’m a person of integrity.  I’m appalled by the words of Donald Trump.  However, the cancerous root has to be addressed.  The system is rigged.  It’s corrupt.  It has to change.  Hillary Clinton is not going to bite the hands that feed her.  If HRC is the Democratic candidate, the only way I will consider voting for her is if she too, begins to take on the system… speaking out about the corruptness… taking on the media bias… the DNC’s bias… the rigged system.  That is how she will get my vote.  My vote will go to the person that is willing to speak up… shout it out… take it on… the person willing to lead the revolution – which can be passionate and peaceful… or not.  This election is about far more than electing the first woman president.  We can’t afford to be that self-serving.  The denial of what’s been exposed is like a growing cancer.  Eventually, the people will have enough.  Vote for change.  Vote for America. 

With love,

Karrie

The Head... the Heart... and Politics

I find the times we’re in so interesting… one moment celebrating… the next gnashing my teeth in despair… and barely anything between… Overall, it’s exciting… Things are on the move…

For so long, the heart has basically been sidelined when it comes to decision making… It’s laughed off as weak… stupid… not practical… too feminine… And yet… many of us desire a world where love is the underlying law… where people treat each other with a sense of respect… and with dignity… The heart knows these things well… and beneath that hard protective armor most of us have developed… we want what the heart wants… don’t we?

This being said… how do we expect to get there exactly… to the world of which our heart dreams… if we refuse to acknowledge it?... To follow it?... We are presented with opportunities all the time… where the heart says “Yes! Yes! Yes!”… We feel the excitement… the hope… the possibility for something different… then the head bursts in… reminding us of past experiences… of all the things that may happen… things of which we should be afraid… And the heart slowly fades into the background… once again, unheard… disrespected… not given the dignity it deserves…

Without the heart to guide it… the mind creates a world in response to fear… With the heart guiding… the mind creates a world much different… a world based in hope… respect… dignity… a world supporting opportunities for all… while simultaneously encouraging each of us to share what we uniquely have to offer…

It’s interesting… because this battle between head and heart has come to the forefront… Check out the “talking heads” following the political campaigns… debates… town hall meetings… They’re even talking about the head and the heart… One candidate is the heart’s choice… the other, the mind’s… and I’ve found this to be true…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog I didn’t post… It was on my own dilemma between the head and the heart… At that time… one candidate definitely had my heart… the other, my mind… My mind was logical… rational… and fearful… What if the candidate of my heart can’t win the general election, then what?...

I decided at that time… it was time for me to put my vote where my heart is… If I desire a different world… then I have to choose differently… in everyday life… in politics… in everything… And if there’s one thing I’m certain… at least for me… it’s the heart’s time, baby!... And I’m excited about it. J

Much love,

Karrie  

I don't even know where to begin...

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

I don't even know where to begin...

Shall I begin with Indiana’s new law?  The one which legalizes discrimination of gays and lesbians?  Or shall I begin with a proposed ballot initiative – “Kill the Gays” - in California that has qualified for signature collecting?  Or maybe I could continue with the horrors of racism still bubbling to the surface?

Two things are coming to mind for me… both from the Declaration of Independence…

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

and

“…accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

When exactly is enough actually ENOUGH?  When will we actually reach a point where evils are no longer sufferable?  When will freedom and equality truly be the foundation of America… and not just a legend we some share with their grandchildren?

I support these founding principles whole-heartedly… and may very well give my life for them if “Kill the Gays” actually makes the ballot and passes.  However, there is a line that must be drawn which cannot be crossed without consequences… and when this line is violated… via discrimination of any type… we cannot stand idly by.  Consciousness must take a stand.  It’s time.  For the sake of the “Land of the Free”… it’s time.

Quite frankly, I’m tired of “religious freedom” being used as a permission slip to bully others who believe differently.  I support “religious freedom” as in each of us has the right to worship as we feel called… but “religious freedom” is no greater than any other personal freedom… “Religious freedom” doesn’t trump my freedom to be “me”… and quite frankly, I’m no longer willing to pretend it does. And to go one step further… I will say this: I know God just as well as any other… and I’m no longer willing to give that power away, either.

For me, God is freedom… God is equality.  God is every perspective counts.  And as far as “religion” goes… this is as “high” as it gets.  In fact, this is the One that trumps all others… This is the One that allows all others. 

I have reached a point where my love for freedom and equality… my love for myself… is greater than my fear of being harmed.  I am willing to take a stand for something different.  I am willing to support the freedom and equality of those I can’t stand… those whose beliefs I may find reprehensible… AND I’m willing to take a stand for my own.  I may not carry any material weapons… but my big hug and kiss can be just as powerful.

United We Stand.  Divided We Fall.  It’s time.

Much love,

Karrie

Love does what love does...

Saturday, November 29, 2014

For the last few months, I feel like I’ve been in a state of silence.  I watch the world around me – especially the political realm – and I only feel frustration.  I’d like to help… I’d like to be able to assist our representatives in moving beyond the stalemate… the rock throwing… the complaining… the blaming… the unwillingness to create something new… I listen to the President speak… and I feel his frustration… almost begging Congress to do something… yet to no avail… as it’s still more acceptable to complain and throw rocks… than it is to work together creating solutions… I find this frustrating… as well as depressing… Honestly, I’m not sure they know how to transcend the patterning… Perhaps many of our representatives would really like to be a part of something different… but have no idea how to make it happen?…

This morning, I realized that there’s really only one transformative force… and that’s love.  Perhaps, it’s too many Hallmark movies (tis the season!)… but the message is clear… when it comes to moving hardened hearts… or softening blockages between souls… love is the only answer.  Nothing can withstand the force of love… There’s nothing more persevering… more tenacious… more irresistible… more healing… than love... And anything that love has a hand in… is always spectacular!

I also realize… that love is uncontrollable… What happens… what it brings about… is beyond my control… Love does what love does… and whatever it does… is always in alignment with love… So perhaps I can calm my anxiousness… and feel like I’m doing something… by lighting up the ethers with love… no strings attached… Trusting… knowing… that love is going to do what love does… and there’s nothing better than that.

Much love,

Karrie