Channeling Sacred Anger

Dear friends, I’ve missed you.  I’ve been busy doing lately and am realizing I need to invest more energy in being.  Apparently this is a lesson I need to keep learning.  😊.  As I get ready to wind down my year, I am struck by how good this year has been for me.  That must seem a crazy thing to say, in a year with coronavirus, stay-at-home orders, blatant racism being exposed in our country, widespread protests and (sadly) riots, the most divisive election this country has ever seen, and more.   

I found myself this year, in the midst of all of these horrific events.  In the enforced stillness of the lockdowns, I feel like I have journeyed to the core of my being and am finding my soul’s purpose for this life.  That’s a big thing to say and I don’t say it lightly.  It’s not completely clear, ready to lay out in a 12-point position paper.  The soul doesn’t speak in position papers, apparently. 

One element of what I’m discovering is that it’s OK for me to be angry.  In fact, channeling sacred anger seems to be part of my purpose.  This runs counter to everything I’ve read or heard about the “vibration” that’s needed right now in humanity.  And yet, my inner being (as my dear friend Gayle refers to the soul) often joins me when I channel sacred anger.  You might be wondering what “sacred anger” means.  It’s a term that I made up to describe this deep anger I feel about the destruction of our Earth and the callous disregard for the impact of humans on animals, the unchecked greed in our world that is increasing human suffering, and the blatant self-interest and/or cowardice that is leading many elected officials to betray their oaths and the people they are supposed to represent. 

At the same time I am angry, I am also joyful, hopeful, and – most times – able to believe in the goodness of humanity.  Those are the vibrations I want to send out, and yet this sacred anger isn’t going away.  Maybe this anger is part of what is necessary for people to wake up to the harm we (humanity) are doing.  Maybe this is what needs to come out before we can change our trajectory as a species. 

So, I guess I’m writing today to tell you it’s OK to let sacred anger motivate you to action, with a couple of caveats attached.  I’m trying to stay in relationship with the people I’m angry at.  One of the CO senators, a Republican, has been the particular focus of my energy and political activism this year.  I may have written about this before.  Even while I sometimes yell at him, I try to hold onto the idea that there is goodness in him and he could be an ally.  It’s a hard line to walk.  I’m learning that it’s right to be angry about all the boundaries that have been crossed and the fine line is still to come from a place of love.  Here are a few equations I just made up to help express what I’m feeling. 

Anger + Hate = Othering. 

Anger + Love = Quest for Justice.

So, friends, I’m trying to figure out how to hold anger, with love, and how to care for myself as I do that.  Holding anger can be toxic for us, burning a hole in our most tender places.  So, the second caveat is that channeling sacred anger is OK as long as you have practices to care for yourself.  Qi Gong, a very old practice that comes out of Chinese medicine, seems to be the medicine my soul needs now.  That and watching videos of babies laughing, reading good news stories, and anything that inspires me. 

I hope as you close this year, you can uncover something good you experienced as a result of this extraordinary year and that you have learned something about how to care for yourself through these crazy times.  I would love to hear from you with your learnings. 

With Love, Hope, and Action for a Better World,

Colleen