Sacred Grief + Rage + Action
how to work through the spinning in scary times
Friends,
Yesterday on Instagram I shared a reel encouraging folks to notice the spinning that is happening in the face of tragedy, whether it’s honoring Indigenous boarding school survivors, paying attention to catastrophic flooding and natural disasters around the globe, or the realities of genocide, war, and the funding of war here and abroad.
Do you know the kind of spinning I’m talking about? The sense of hopelessness as we watch reel after reel of violence, oppression, trauma, and disaster? That feeling of being totally frozen because there is no possible way to solve this, at least not right now? That feeling of impending doom, a looming election, and cycles of intergenerational trauma?
This is where I come to offer three things to help us move through the spinning, because it doesn’t do anyone any good for us to stay there.
Sacred Grief
Sacred Rage
Sacred Action
First, sacred grief:
We can take moment to feel our way through the things happening. Maybe this is just taking a second to light a candle, to use your medicine and ceremony, to honor the grief and hold the heartbreak of catastrophe and loss. If you’re the praying type, maybe you pray, and let your sacred tears flow in prayer. However that grief shows up, honor it. Grief is individual and collective. We are part of this world, and so we grieve together.
Next sacred rage:
It is part of our calling as humans to pay attention to how we got here, to the institutions that control us, the colonization, the cycles of trauma, and the ways that our governments have not shown up for people and planet. Now, in this moment, we acknowledge that it’s okay to hold the sacred rage and ask how we got here and who we want to be for future generations.
And lastly, sacred action.
Maybe we make a list: what is one thing we can do this week? What is one thing we can do next week, in the coming weeks? How can we make a plan aside from the overwhelm of the news cycle and what’s happening? Maybe you research climate change, or donate, or check in on people, or show up in some other way. Whatever it is, know that this is sacred work, and we’ve got to stop spinning in order to achieve it.
As far as the historic flooding in the Asheville area, see below:
Local Verified Groups in Asheville area according to Blue Ridge Public Radio:
Local Verified Groups
Hearts With Hands (Swannanoa/Asheville)
A local-based organization that has been supplying food and essentials to Buncombe County shelters.
The group asks that you do not deliver supplies unannounced to their Swannanoa warehouse (they had to evacuate and are restoring services).
The request is for financial donations online.
https://www.heartswithhands.org/
Trucks with large loads of supplies (water, food, and more are listed here) should email info@heartswithhands.org to coordinate warehouse drop-off.
Manna FoodBank in Asheville
The organization is distributing food, water, and more at the Asheville Farmers Market.
On Oct. 1, donations will be accepted between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. On Oct. 2 through 5, donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The following items are requested:
Shelf-stable food (pop-top cans preferred, not requiring a can opener)
Bottled water
Baby and toddler formula and food
Diapers
Updates will be made available via the FoodBank’s website.
There are many ways to get involved, volunteer, and donate - including online. Go here to give money to the Manna FoodBank online.
BeLoved Asheville
On-the-ground volunteers are collecting and distributing a wide array of supplies.
Cash donations can be sent via:
Venmo: BeLoved-Asheville
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/belovedashevilleSpecific items are needed, including: food, bottled water, contractor-size trash bags, blankets, first aid supplies, feminine hygiene products, diapers and baby clothes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, paper towels, bleach, shovels, brooms, gloves, coolers, propane, cook stoves, flashlights, batteries, fans, dehumidifiers, and generators.
Volunteers are needed to help deliver supplies. Truck owners and truck drivers are needed.
Drop-off and staging updates are available on the organization's social media pages. BeLoved Asheville is located at 32 Old Charlotte Hwy, Asheville, NC 28803.
For volunteer info and more, visit the organization's website.
Diaper Bank: Babies Need Bottoms - Asheville
Donations of wipes, diapers, and rash cream are needed immediately.
The organization is on the ground already and distributes to local families plus partner charities that serve families and babies.
You can donate online or use the non-profit's Amazon Wish List here.
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
The organization itself saw its facility destroyed in the disaster. All animals are with foster families.
The group is fundraising to help provide animals in foster with essential supplies and more.
To learn more and donate, go here.
Please check their website for updates.
Believe me when I say this is a daily practice. This morning I’ve already spent my fair share of time scrolling reels and newsfeeds, bearing witness. We must bear witness to tragedy. And then, I had to step away to do this other work, to show up in the ways I know how, to stop the spinning and lean into the liminal space where we find kinship and belonging.
Keep showing up, friends.
Today I drew winners for the book giveaway! If you won, you’ll receive an email with a request for a mailing address. Thank you all for being here, for subscribing and being part of this community!
Today I begin the first big round of edits on my new book, and will be working steadily through October on them.
Below is photo of me in bed last, reading through edits with my dog Blaze by my side:
Thank you for the resources, Kaitlin. I have a good friend who lives in Tennessee and she was telling about some of the devastation that they knew of locally. I have had two shelter kitties so thank you for including the animal shelter!
Thank you for this wonderful and powerful call to grief, rage and action. Your writing is some of the most very improtant things for my own well being in these days and times. Thank you Kaitlin.