Open Letter

I have been thinking about writing to the Rattle for months, but now is the time. To begin with, let me give you a brief history. All my life I've had these beliefs about the fact that everything deserves respect. The rocks, the trees, the animals, everything. I'd also found myself rebelling against all of the organized religions to which I'd been exposed because all of them tell everyone how awful they are and that nothing they do can really make up for it. Well, for a long time, I let those prejudices be what guided me in my beliefs. I simply chose not to believe anything because everything seemed to be negative. However, I felt like I needed some kind of real philosophy other than this vague belief that everything deserved respect. Well, once I stopped spending lots of my time with a devout Christian, and a lapsed Catholic, I found myself exploring other belief systems. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that not only were there people who believed what I had subconsciously believed all this time, but that there were names to all of my experiences when I was younger. I am no longer rebelling against the vague notions and mysogeny of Judaism (my family are Moldovan Jewish immigrants) and the guilt of Christianity. I guess it's some kind of affirmation to know that I am not crazy in my beliefs that the earth and the animals are really important and that we should not take them or anything else for granted. I'm trying to live my life that way, but not because I feel guilty if I don't. I'm trying to do it because I think that we are all a part of a living breathing universe and that we can all contribute to it in a vital way.

It's funny, whenever I talk to my mother about this stuff, she says that she really wants to learn more about it. Unfortunately, she still hangs on to the idea that when she needs strength, that it has to come from outside of herself; she gets her strength from an external god because she doesn't think or believe that she is strong enough to stand up for herself. I simply believe that we all possess the strength t o stand up for ourselves and that we should be allowed to take the blame when we screw up and the credit when we accomplish things in our lives. A lot of people believe that when they mess up, god is punishing them because they did something wrong or are sinners, but they give all the credit to god when something good happens to them. Can you imagine how that must eat away at their self-esteem? They're screw-ups when things are bad, and god has chosen to reward them when things are good. How unfair not to be able to credit for your own strength and accomplishments.

Anyway, all of that stuff is important, but I really do think that I was going on and on for a little too long. I'm not a preacher nor do I want to be one. I would never try to convince anyone that they have to believe what I believe. It's just that this is becoming more and more important to me, and I am trying to find new ways to help.

On Winter Solstice [a few years back now], I, and members of the group I work with went out to feed the homeless. We made about 120 bag lunches containing a sandwich, an apple, some chips, potato salad and apple cider. It cost us about 5.00 each and the U of MD food co-op donated some food wholesale so that we were able to serve a number of DC's homeless with a healthy and satisfying lunch. When we got to Lafayette Park, we quickly ran out of lunches, but I still had some cide r left. I approached a homeless woman and I noticed that she was standing with her eyes closed, facing the sunset. She looked timeless and her rags fell away to reveal her shining spirit to me for an instant. I no longer had food left, but I asked her if she would like some cider. Her eyes opened and I saw that she was Asian, Vietnamese or Thai, probably. She gave me the sweetest, saddest smile I had ever seen and accepted. I poured her some cider, and when she accepted it I saw that there were tears in her eyes. I cried with her for a while and then I left her with the sunset. I went back the next day to see her and see if perhaps I could buy her some lunch. She was gone. (I've written a song about this called, "Seeds of Change."

This wonderful woman has a meager existence at best, and she really brought home to me that I have a responsibility not just to myself, or my friends, or my familiars, but to the earth and all those who live upon her. I guess this is my longwinded plea for help. I believe that since we as spiritual, goddess-loving, earth-loving people have accepted the divinity within ourselves and the earth herself, we have a responsibility to care for her. If everything has a life force and everything is sacred don't we owe it to ourselves and each other? You're probably thinking that I'm "preaching to the choir." I realize th at you're probably out there doing your part to help the earth, the animals, women, and all of the other burning issues out there. But just in case you're not, or you haven't because of time constraints, or whatever, I urge you to use some of the incredible energy you have and give it to the earth. There are so many ways to get involved. As my friend Tina says, wearing a "No means No!" button is a political act. There are animal rescue leagues, and rape crisis centers and homeless or battered women's shelters and so many other places that could use helping hands. Please find them and use your healing power and energy to help.

I have a friend who casts circle and visualizes world peace, and I think that it is a beautiful and perfectly valid way to work. However, I don't think that it is enough. It's kind of like casting a spell to quit smoking while lighting up. The one won't work without the other. We need to get out there and do something. There are so many terrible things happening every day. But we can change that. Together we can accomplish amazing things and we can bring beauty back into the world.

If you live in the DC area and want to network and come up with ways to get involved, please get in touch with me. I can be reached at PO Box 1133, Greenbelt, MD 20768 or email me at izolda@wild-moon.com

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