I have a newsletter that I put out every month-ish. Of course, I’ll also be posting about all of the things here on Patreon throughout the month, including my letter to Sovereign Souls, this month. ⬇️
Compassion Is the Countercurrent
My Dear Sovereign Souls,
The collective field feels tender right now. Many of us in the US are watching basic lifelines, like SNAP and healthcare benefits, being cut away; pockets of violence and volatility are expanding across the globe. It’s impossible not to feel the fear, frustration, and anger rippling through the greater web of humanity.
I raised my child with the help of food stamps, food banks, free lunches, affordable healthcare subsidies, and kind people who understood what community truly means, so these recent events are hitting very close to home.
The internet is flooded with voices casting judgment and shame on people who are simply trying to eat and stay healthy, and it’s disheartening to say the least. Yet moments like these, the ones that test the limits of our humanity, can also remind us of our interdependence. They reveal the resounding truth that none of us rises alone, and that resistance is the precursor to revolution. As the old structures crumble under the weight of their own imbalance, may we resist the urge to cling to them in fear.
The collapse of outdated systems is not the end. It is the clearing, the preparation of fertile ground from which something more humane, more connected, and more attuned can grow. We are not here to recreate Western norms, capitalist objectives, imperial ambitions, or hierarchies of power. We are here to remember what love, reciprocity, and care for one another look like in practice.
In the face of wars and genocides that seek to fracture our faith and drown us in fear and despair, we are called to be the countercurrent, the living proof of compassion that refuses to turn away. Flood the food banks. Feed a friend. Shop at small, local businesses so your dollars have more impact. Dive deeper in your studies of alternative healing modalities. Express your vision for community care. Help someone else have a win today with a kind word or gesture.
As we move into this holiday season, perhaps the greatest gift we can offer is our witness.
May we witness each other’s humanity and divinity.
May we witness with tender hearts and generous spirits.
May we meet one another as channels of peace and universal love.
Because radical, embodied, unflinching love is the only way through to the other side.
Love be with us, in us, and all around us on our journey,
Janine
P.S. I’ve got a centuries old black-eyed peas recipe that will feed your family for a whole week for less than $20… It slaps. Let me know if you want it. Or just come get you a bowl. 💗