As we are getting ready for our cookouts, fireworks, and s’mores around the fire today, this 4th of July we celebrate an impressive milestone for this daring American experiment. For two hundred and fifty years, we have endeavored to create a more perfect union. It is a place where one can be born into this bold experiment, while others can seek sanctuary on our shores and pledge to become an American. It is a thread that wove its way through two and a half centuries to strengthen the fabric of our nation. That tapestry continues to unfurl each day. It provides a space to explore our unalienable rights and create a more perfect union. It is the spirit that moves through us all, not only upon our land, but throughout the world itself.
I have been reflecting on this milestone and the state and health of our communities, our nation. The weight of suffering, anger, and mourning continues to splash across our screens. It has been difficult to handle. So many of us are worn out, overwhelmed, and frustrated with the constant divisiveness and cruelty. Those with open eyes are witness to this and feel it in our bones. Not only for our family, friends, and neighbors, but for those who bled and died here, most without a voice to help create the change they so desperately craved and deserved.
As a witch, I struggle with what I ‘should’ do. Witches create change. We are able to see patterns and strive to work for the Highest Good, harming none, to the best of our ability. Witches heal. We can see the beauty in all things. We understand that nothing is either black or white. There are colors and scents and tastes and feelings that go beyond what we personally experience and perceive and attempt to bring them into view. We understand that we all have a light within us as well as a shadow. We have a shared story where that history lives within us. It is echoed within our motto, ‘E pluribus unum’, out of many, one. Many people, many voices, many experiences and views, yet we come together as one country, one people. Our shared history, the light and shadow, makes us who we are. It set us upon a path towards a common vision. Not only as a witch, but as a citizen and member of our society I work to mediate and heal the shadow in order for our light to shine that much brighter. Our country, our democracy, is a living and breathing energy. What we put into it will grow and will chart its course accordingly. To dare to dream is a not only a revolutionary act, it is necessary for the health and life of all living things, our country included.
Part of our story is the romanticization of our Founding Fathers in our history books and culture. Over time, we placed them upon a pedestal. Men who defied a king and created a land where ‘all men are created equal’ to share in this American spirit. We know that it took centuries to create the change to make that happen. This is something that we are still working on to this day. I feel that it is important to remember that our Founding Fathers were not always law abiding, high society men. While some held positions of a higher status as lawyers and business men, they were also regular people who dared to dream and put a stop to the abuses handed down by a king removed from his people not just by an ocean, but in act and deed as well. They were flawed. They were men living in a time that had plenty of injustice and division. Yet, they wanted to make changes.
It was here in Massachusetts at the battle of Lexington and Concord that set off the shot heard around the world. Yet, before that, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty took rowboats from Boston to Chelsea under the cover of darkness to plan how they could fight against an unfair and oppressive government. They made their way through the tunnels under Chelsea, listening for the voices of British soldiers in the homes of the colonists during the Quartering Act. If they were heard, the Sons of Liberty would make their way underground until they came upon a safe home to plan out their next attack against the Crown. They were dreamers. They were rebels. They were venturing into something dangerous and they understood it well. For if they failed, they were treasonous and would be hanged. Yet, if they were to succeed, they would be revolutionaries that dared to stand up not only for freedom, but for liberty and justice. And it is up to us to make sure if happens for All.
For two hundred and fifty years, we experienced crossroads on this journey called America. While we can take a sense of pride in what the Soul of our Nation stands for, we must not forget the sins of our collective past. Sunlight is the best disinfectant after all. There are lessons to learn from, truths to be spoken, and hard stories that need to be told and never forgotten because when we turn a blind eye to our mistakes, wrong doings, and imperfections, we are not living and honoring the full story. Instead we exist in half-truths, ignorance, and willful blindness. Our American story is the story of helping our neighbors in times of need. It is the story of our Founding Fathers. It is also the story of our Founding Mothers who proclaimed, ‘Remember the women.’ It is the story of those who did the work not for glory and name recognition but because it was the right thing to do. Their names may be lost to history, but their legacy is felt and appreciated to this day. It is the story of those who fought for the abolition of slavery, for voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and so much more. Each of us who raised their voice, a protest sign or a brick, even if only once, are not only descendants of our Founders, but are the current Founding Mothers and Fathers and Siblings of the American Experiment. We are the spirit of our country. We are a beautiful and unique facet of the Soul of our Nation. What we put into it will grow. It is a daring and rebellious act of magick. It is a love and passion for our country. It is how we can make a more perfect union as we hold steadfast to ideals and dreams not only of our Founders, but for those who do not have the ability to raise their voice themselves. This is the work of a living nation.
May we hold out our hand in friendship, not a closed fist. May we seek out the stranger and welcome them as we continue to build a bigger table. May we feel a sense of pride by witnessing not only our individual stories, but our collective ones. May we celebrate our diversity. May we love freely and often. We have more in common than we can ever know and that is a beautiful thing. It allows us to explore our human experience and share in its beauty, hope, and promise of what can be boundless possibilities. This is magick at work creating a more perfect union for the highest and best good of all. May we continue to dare and dream, holding out a hand in friendship and a heart of love and understanding as we strive to make room for everyone and celebrate our likes and differences.
Be well and take care of yourself and each other.
Renee
The Whispering Crow 