The US is on the verge of implosion. I have felt it coming for a while now and wondered what implosion would look like. We are collapsing violently inward upon ourselves individually and collectively. Our nation has entered into a dark night, whether it is of the soul is yet to be known. In our inability and unwillingness to love our neighbors as ourselves, to do unto others as we would have done unto us, we have lit the fuse that now plays out in front of us. Will we learn and grow through these horrific events or continue to devolve?

Both are possibilities.

As befits my nature and years of practice, my capacity for compassion, sanctified by a newly heightened understanding of the pain our society has inflicted on others, will expand and inform my consciousness in fresh, more enlightened ways. Learning from others will transpire. Listening rather than speaking is called for; white voices have held the mic for too long. Judgment will be withheld. Knowing that I have not walked a mile in another’s shoes, it is clear that I do not know what I would do if I had. Could anyone?

You too will do what it is in your nature to do.

I cannot control the outcome. I cannot not even control my own life. Events unfold as they will, They were set in motion through thoughts, words and deeds that came before. We cannot reign in the whirlwind we created. It will play out. This is our love song, our awakening call, our sacred self-made training ground. It was designed by us, for us, for this precise time. It is not a mistake.

If I remain present, humble, tender and exposed, feeling whatever arises in my experience — speaking how I feel from raw, open, honesty — connected to my vulnerability — respecting and honoring all others — shift happens; miracles abound. I trust this, not simply because I have seen it so many times before, but because the voice within speaks from Presence. When I am present, it is as well.

These times don’t require my opinion. They require my presence … they require the same of us all.

“Guidance is always present. You feel its pull, its sway and tug. Every breath you take is met with a roll of thunder, the crack of love’s delight whether you are empty enough to hear or not.” Card #31, Within — The Wild Child