Beloved community,
A meditation for those of us feeling rocked by the news the past few weeks:
Join me in the ocean. We're in the warm water right on the shore, the sand is squishy below you, and your whole self is being rocked by the tides. You smell of salt and sweat and sunscreen. You close your eyes, and feel the next wave lap your ankles. Your face is warmed by the sun, and you are able to anticipate the next wave as it comes. Your bend at the knees, or shift your weight, to brace against the tide as it rolls in.
This is the heartbeat of the world, this ocean.
You notice the sound of gulls, or children running and playing, and wave by wave, the tide rolls in. Not so powerful you are knocked over, not so weak it dies out before it reaches us as we stand at the shore.
Beloved community, the ocean waves are getting stronger. In the past week, we have mobilized, organized, shown up, and been bereft reading the terrifying news coming out of the Supreme Court, orchestrated by the president of this country, enacted by border patrol, ICE, the police.
Beloved community, with each day we fear that what we see ahead of us is a great big wave. One that won't just lap our ankles, but will crash upon us, all who we love, all who are most vulnerable.
Let the waves wash over me/
let the waves wash over me/
I am already under/
Let the waves wash over me.
My dear friend taught me the words of this song by the band Miner as a chant, and we'll sing it this Friday at Shabbat services. I invite you to listen to this song, to let the wave of this music be the one that crashes down upon you.
We are braced for another giant ocean wave, and we know that waves have come through that have hurt and destroyed and separated families with borders, jail, travel bans. We see how the rising tide is all connected. We feel it in our bodies.
Come back to the calm ocean with me. The sun is warm, the water is too. A cool breeze comes by and ripples across the sand. You are free. You are safe. The people near you on the beach are free and safe. The water is calm again.
In these times we are not sure what is ahead, but we fear the worst. In these times the only way we see out is to split the entire sea, or something just as miraculous.
In these times when our whole bodies are anticipating the next wave, when we're unsure what comes next, what we have is each other, the communities we are a part of, the kinship that buoys us. Look around, see who else is standing on the shore with you. We will keep organizing, keep fighting, keep keeping each other as safe as we can.
Let the waves wash over me/
let the waves wash over me/
I am already under/
Let the waves wash over me.
If you are feeling alone on the shore, seeing these waves rush in, please reach out.
With love,
Rabbi Ariana