All of my life I have been a good girl. Being a good girl means not rocking the boat, not questioning, not speaking out about injustice – in short being a quiet little mouse who is afraid of any kind of controversy, who is afraid of taking a stand. No matter what I thought internally, I would not speak out on controversial subjects. I still struggle with the fear that voicing my opinion will lead to ostracism by those that I care about.
I abandoned the religion of my childhood many years ago and replaced it, not with religion and dogma, but with a spirituality based on love, compassion, empathy, and kindness. As I move deeper into my spiritual practices, I am asking myself the questions, “When does the spiritual become political and when am I called to speak out?”
What does spirituality have to do with politics? When do the two intersect? Those are big questions for me – especially if the answers require more of me than spending time in meditation. What if I am actually called to speak out in a group that doesn’t agree with me? My fear almost made me bury these questions, but fortunately, my spiritual journey wouldn’t allow me to let go of such an important inquiry.
I wrote a blog in October 2021 entitled “My Heart is Cracked Open,” and I included it in my book, WomanSpiritSpeaks: 52 Weeks with the Divine Feminine (Balboa Press, 2022). At that time, I was beginning to feel the deep stirring that was encouraging me to speak out about injustice, to be firm in my convictions, and to become more involved in doing my part to bring about change. What I continue to realize is that injustice, in whatever form it takes, becomes political. Lack – of housing, medical care, education, food, respect, bodily autonomy – is injustice. The -isms – racism, ageism, sexism – are all injustices. Jesus himself called for what we now label as political – radical love and acceptance for all.
If my spirituality is based on love and compassion for all of the earth, then I am called to speak out against these injustices. If it is political to call for justice, then so be it. If I raise my voice in protest or if I raise my voice calling for change, and it is labeled political, then so be it. It is my Source, the bedrock of my soul, that is calling for me to be the change in the world that I want to see. So I am choosing to speak out for justice, to support those who follow the way of love and peace, to support those who live lives of integrity and those who put others above their own interests. I invite you to join me in speaking up for the changes we want to see in the world. When our hearts are cracked open, what will we do next to make a difference?
