Let Us Hold the Space for Love
Here’s how we can use our magic to dissolve discord and de-escalate tensions.
“According to one ancient Egyptian creation myth, the Creator, contemplating the freshly completed Creation, foresaw that all would not be good. Feeling remorseful, the Creator created one last thing: magical energy, or heka, as the Egyptians called it.”
~ Judika Illes in Magic Spells Oracle
My dear fellow Witches and magical people, we are at a critical point.
Polarization is ramping up, fueled by a flammable cocktail of algorithms, dogma, greed, and the human ego. And our instincts to get meaner and yell louder are only making things worse.
I propose that we use our magic to hold the space for love.
(It may sound like a small thing, but it isn’t. And even if it is, what’s wrong with that?)
Recharge Outside
Especially lately, it’s been a lifesaver for me to take walks and to do my daily spiritual work outside.
That’s because magic lives in the earth, the sky, the plants, the birds, and the entire natural world. When we pay attention to the living wisdom and beauty of the great outdoors, we soak in that magic and recharge our spiritual batteries.
Send and receive love and positive intentions
After you soak that magical energy in, light a candle if you’d like, and direct the magic outward.
First toward your neighbors and community members, then toward your loved ones who live elsewhere, then across your entire state, country, region, and world.
You might envision sending golden light across the surface of the planet, and then feel it coming back to you in waves. Repeat both these steps multiple times until you sense them as two sides of the same coin: an endless cycle of giving and receiving that perpetually recharges itself.
Say a prayer to the Goddess, Spirit, the Universe, or the Divine (whatever name you use) for peace. Ask for and envision and trust that you are spreading the energy of peace and harmony throughout humanity and the globe.
Banish or restrict social media and limit exposure to news
The average person spends three hours a day on social media, and social media algorithms are literally proven to sow discord, division, and rage. Not only that, but they steal our attention and siphon away our joy.
Similarly, most news organizations say what they need to say to get you to be in a state of anger or fear, because that’s what will keep your eyes glued to their content. In the process, they plant the seeds of extremism and rage.
It’s up to us to limit our exposure to these things. Magic requires presence and attention. We must protect these vital resources at all costs.
(Here’s where you can read about my decision to deactivate my social media accounts.)
Rise up, Rise Above, and Focus on Love
At my first anti-Trump demonstration back in April, I felt enraged when drivers would drive by while flipping us off. I’ll be honest: I repaid them in kind.
But at the most recent demonstration, on Labor Day, my response was different. This time, I continued to hold my sign high over my head – it said “Liberty and Justice for All” – and gazed at the furious drivers with a genuine feeling of compassion. After all, they are wounded and confused like all of us are. And who knows! They may change their minds one day.
Sort of like Charlie Kirk. I disagreed with so much that he said, but he was young. He had plenty of time to evolve and change. You never know! He could have woken up one day and decided to use his charisma and platform to spread love instead of hate. Anything was possible for him. But not anymore.
So, my dears, of course, let us stand up, speak out, and let our voices be heard.
At the same time, for all those who are still alive on this earth, let us hold the space for love. Let us wake up every morning and soak in the magic of the earth and sky. And let us use that magic to send out beautiful intentions and hold the vision of peace.
Are you in? Will you join me? How will you start? Please chime in below.
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Sorry for the late reply. Thank you, Tess, for your wise words. Sending love and compassion out into the Universe is more productive than returning hate with hate. I find your words inspiring and comforting in these dark times filled with despair.
❤️
Tess, thank you for this post. The last few days I’ve been living in anger and fear because I can’t believe so many people are making Charlie Kirk a martyr, when he spread so much hate. So I have been trying not to watch the media and keep my social media down and got rid of people in my social media who keeps spreading hate about the Democrats, the LGBT community and people who don’t fit into their beliefs, trying to blame everything on them. I just hope one day this country will get together and start spreading love instead of hate. Is this. So starting a day I will hold on to the space of love. Thank you for letting me vent. Love your postings, take care
Alicia
Alicia, I hope the same! Thank you for holding the space for love with me. ❤️
Beautiful message. Thank you Tess. Agree wholeheartedly.
Thank you for reading and connecting, Margot.
I watched Terminator 2 last night, these were the final words of the movie, narrated by Sarah Connor: “The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too.” Hindsight being what it is, the words felt bittersweet. Nevertheless: Hope. Peace. Love. I’ll strive to maintain these in my life and actions.
Thanks for this prompt, Tess.
Eve, OMG! Sci-fi can be so prescient. Thank you for sharing this perspective!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Tess. On the same day Charlie Kirk was shot there was a shooting at Evergreen High School, here in Colorado. Two students were shot, and the shooter took his life.
I was angry and sad. How could this continue? I posted on FB that even though I disagreed with almost everything he said, no one deserves this and no more students, parishioner praying or anyone living their lives deserves to be shot. I live in the area where Charis is located, and much of what Charlie spouted off about the support. I used to wear my pentagram but after being accosted a couple of time and told that now someone is back in power that they will be able to get rid of people like me, I no longer wear it.
I seek to be a voice of reason. A voice of charity and love. When confronted by someone I will blow them a kiss. Now some that angers them more, but others just turn away.
Every morning, when I close out my meditation, I offer a version of a Buddhist sentiment. It is simple but as words can be magic, I infuse them with that magic.
So, for all of you a simple practice that can mean a lot for yourself and others. You start with yourself and then offer it to others.
I am Happy
I am Healthy
I am Safe
I am at Peace
May all beings be Happy
May all beings be Healthy
May all beings be Safe
May all beings be at Peace
Blessings to all.
Barbara, what a beautiful sentiment and practice. Thank you for sharing it!
I definitely needed to see this! My first honest reaction to the assassination was “He lived by the sword, he died by the sword”, which was what was being fed to me by my IG algorithm. To be honest…I don’t think I paid attention to anything Charlie Kirk said or did before he died…I never even gave him a thought. He wasn’t on my radar at all.
But its sad and scary that my first reaction after he died was apathy. He was only 31. He had a family and friends. His children now have no father.
We didn’t hold the same views, but I have people in my life that I care about that don’t hold the same views, so why should he be any different from those I care about?
This whole thing has made me take a break from all social media (except YouTube. I have that algorithm set to suggesting cozy Fall vids!). I definitely need to take a step back and not let the internet dictate how I should feel.
Thank you for putting things in a better perspective.
Wendy, thank you for this comment. It’s such a great example of how social media can skew our perception! We are all susceptible. Thank you for illustrating how we can notice and reject this negative framing.
Wonderful words, Tess! Thank you for this post. Like others here, I am politically active, and practice magic / spirituality. I do a little ritual before my weekly “Sign Wave” (aka protest) event. I’ve changed the wording on my banner to be more positive, and in the spirt of all.
And that’s what magic is all about, yes? Creating positive energy & dispersing it into the world. Each of us, doing one small positive action, creates ripples.
Neita, exactly! It’s interesting that you and I have had a similar journey with our wording on our signs. Mine started out snarky and now I find the whole enterprise to be about bringing more love.
Wishing I could get rid of my allergies, all year round, from mold to ragweed. Have tried everything. To me nature can be more of any enemy than a friend….even in the “good” old days people suffered. I’m try ing to stay positive.
Cynthia, you are an extra sensitive soul. I hope you find some peace and healing. ❤️
Today I am visiting magical Avebury and will choose a crystal that feels supportive of this idea. Then I will come home to my garden, a few miles away in North Wiltshire, UK, and start there – by tending the plants and native trees that I have planted and chatting to the birds. x
Claire, so much magic in these activities. Working in the garden always charges me up.
Peace is my “why?”
My “how?” is “alone in nature”
And my strength is confidence.
I have been focusing on this again recently. I have the confidence that i can have peace as the basis for my life. It feels doable. It’s the foundation. When I’m at peace a feel free and then I can have joy and love. I put it together with the seasons and elements. Earth/winter foundation is peace. Then freedom/air comes in spring then joy/fire and finally the ability to give and receive love- water/harvest season! This post is spot on. Getting out alone in nature is the number one thing i can do to foster peace, or even sitting alone in the morning looking out my window at the sky!
Brooke, yes! Love the elemental wisdom and you’re right, even looking out the window can be magical when we do it with presence.
Thank you Tess for the inspiration to send out love across the world and let it come back in waves. That kind of love has the power to wash away fear that fuels hate and misunderstanding. Love is the most powerful force in the world after all!
I will make a larger effort to keep my practice going, outside before I leave for work in the mornings, connected to the earth and the heavens, knowing I’m not really alone out there. 🙂
Maya, beautiful! Yes, it’s great to know many of us are holding this space. ❤️
I am politically active and magically active and I never practiced both at once until recently. Time outside in nature seems the sanest choice in crazy times like this and I will be working whatever magic I can towards peace and understanding.
Sarah, nice to know we’re on the same page.
Absolutely on board with this. I shall support this effort from afar! (Southern hemisphere- New Zealand)
Excellent! Thank you.
Yes!!!
I will be sending/posting Love. Making a love grid as well!
💫✨️💛✨️💫 thank you, Tess!
Great idea, Ellia.
I’m in! The alternative is miserable and does not improve the quality of anyone’s life. Thank you for this tonight. 🙏🏻✨🌀
Great point, Karen! And glad you’re in.
Lovely. ”They may change their minds one day”. made me laugh. Thanks for your newsletters, Marie
😁
Thank you so much for these words, Tess.❤️
Thank you for reading, Mandy. ❤️