Compassion and Suffering...

I had a sad little lesson in the tenderness of life the other day, involving a very small adorable animal.

You see, a couple of my houseplants had been dug-thru recently – uprooting my baby basil and goji berry plants I was overwintering inside. Nibbled 'em right up, digging up their roots even!

Having seen a friend deal with mice before, I knew they can be trouble – and immensely hard to eradicate if you've got a family of 'em… So I went right out and bought some traps and peanut butter. Yup, the death kind. Snap.

Only thing, , I didn't actually hear it when it went off at 5 in the morning – not until there was a strange scratching sound on the wall only a foot away from my bed, that is. Puzzled, I listened, and then bolted up to turn on the light. And yes, right behind one of my bedside books is a frazzled little mouse dragging a trap along…!!

Oh dear, not dead?! This presents a whole new spin – now what?! So I quickly catch him up in a large tupperware and proceed to look at the poor little thing. Whatever should I do?! He'll probably die soon, but can I know that? Should I…? I can't imagine drowning him, or otherwise doing the deed…

I finally decide to simply throw him in the trash in the alleyway outside – it's freezing out, and I'm sure he'll pass quickly. I hope.

All this time, one of my songs, "Kali's Army," is running through my head. Kali, of course, being the liberator – often tied to death. But usually when we pray to her, we think of death metaphorically – death of the ego liberating us from our suffering…

Kali, bless her heart, probably would have bludgeoned the little beast – liberating him quickly so he could be at peace.

I fall asleep, restlessly, and awake to check on 'im – yup, he's passed – thank f*c%in God! And my little home is safe from pests, for now…

Later that night, I'm at a friend's concert. He chants to Tara, goddess of Compassion. My heart fills with the thought of the little mouse, saddened at his untimely end. But it is this sadness, this filling my heart with his being, and accepting the depth of my deed, that allows me to release it. In loving, comes freedom…

Beginning the day with Kali, the liberator, ending with Tara, a heart full of compassion…

Equanimity.

I had a dream some months back that McCain won the election. As a longtime democrat/green, of course this raised my eyebrows. At that point, I had not been following the race too closely...

As the months passed, I began watching more closely, following the speeches, the polls, just listening... I grew appreciative of the candidates, and especially the Democratic platform. I even found an appreciation in my heart for the man McCain - though I didn't necessarily jibe with his agenda. In all this time, it has been clear to me how I would vote - for a peaceful planet, for a sustainable land. But this whole time I was surprised not to get swept away on that wave of "hope," and "change" that inspired so many. Though both are beautiful sentiments, the dream set in me a practice of equanimity.

You see, that dream asked me, "what if this happened, instead of what you might hope?" After that dream I had to ask myself many times, "how would I respond if McCain were elected?" And the answer has always been, "with the same love, hopefulness, dedication and gratitude as always." In no way would it deter my sense of devotion to the betterment of the planet. It has been, and perhaps will continue to be, a hard road for humankind – finding our harmonious place on this earth and with each other.

I am, verily it must be said, deeply moved by the outcome. I almost did not expect it. I believe it reflects greatly on the psyche of the American people - perhaps we really are evolving! I am overjoyed to see the joy of the people so embodied in this election. It is moving to see the vibrant and creative energy of people who care so much manifested in the election of this great man. I do feel he is a steady beacon of truth, integrity, and dare I say, "hopefulness" for humankind.

And still – I see even him approach this office with a sense of steadiness that remembers the solemn state of world affairs with equanimity and dignity. It is from this place of reverence – mingled with the joy of this hopeful change – that we may set about restoring beauty and balance to our world.

I am grateful the people have spoken so strongly – of our love for this planet, for peace, for each other. And I am grateful we have a great man at the helm – may we help uplift his vision every day, in our very lives.

As a special gift, here is a song I wrote the other night, in its raw and humble form...

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(If you visit my website, you'll notice that I've added a streaming audio player - now you can listen to my music offerings anytime you're online!)