Water Connects Us
Whenever you are ready, I invite you to hold the bowl of water you have in your hands. Or spend some time with your eyes closed and visualizing. I invite you to imagine your heart producing an electrical field of energy. This field can expand and contract with your intentions and desires. You can imagine this field of energy starting to expand to hold you and all your complexities. The parts of you that you love and admire about yourself and the parts of you that feel difficult to sit with or that you might even dislike. Imagine the water acting like an amplifying element, helping you expand and grow.
When you’re ready, imagine this field of compassionate caring energy starting to expand beyond your body and touching all those who are in your circle. The crystals, ancestors, plant kin, and other participants who are in this circle with you. Let your field of energy encompass them in all their complexities. Embracing and holding them.
From the circle, you will now imagine this force of love emanating outward from the circle. Touching your neighbors and their loved ones, touching those in your neighborhood, in your city, in your country. Let yourself envision this field of energy reaching out, moving at the speed of love, and touching, holding, and embracing, all those who need this energy right now. Let yourself embrace all living and non-living beings in all their complexity. Tune into your heart. Take deep breaths here.
Once you feel your energy field expand to connect with your whole country, imagine your field of compassionate care reaching out and touching other people in other countries. Countries that may be filled with joy, grief, pain, celebration, shock, and hope. Let your compassionate care touch this country and the living and non-living beings residing there. Let yourself hold everything you encounter in its fullness. In all its complexity. Share care. Share love. Breathe. Come back to your heart.
For the last part of this visualization, you can imagine your empathic field of energy expanding out to hold the entire planet and all its living and non-living beings in all their grand complexity and wholeness. Taking another deep breath, you can imagine this field of energy moving out to touch all the planets in our solar system as well as all the stars, meteors, comets, space trash, and dark matter that exists in this space. And, if you’re able to, you can envision this field expanding out from beyond the solar system and touching all the other galaxies and living and non-living beings that exist in our universe.
Grounding Your Care
Take a few more deep breaths. Let yourself come back to your body and being. Perhaps touch the floor or rub your hands together. Do something to let yourself know that you’re back. Spend a moment writing any reflections you have about that experience, any intentions, or prayers you want to share or remember.
I am a big believer in the fact that all things are spiritual. Spiritual practice is done in ceremony and it’s done every time we offer our love, attention, and care to others. Spiritual practice is washing your dishes, donating to an organization you support, and advocating for peace out on the street with others.
Below I offer a few options for groundign your spiritual practice with specific actions that demonstrate care. Please feel free to choose one that resonates with you and/or create your own!
Craft Art & Stories for Change - Use art and narratives to expose truths, challenge misinformation, and counter disinformation campaigns by powerful entities. As artists and storytellers, unite against the manipulation of truth and amplify silenced voices. Imagine alternative worlds through your creations, resisting the status quo and demanding accountability. Your creative power is a force for change, shaping a narrative that advocates for justice and equity. Remember that there are MILLIONS of dollars (if not more) being spent on paying creatives to promote war and justify it. Check out this great conversation starter article What Roles Does Art Play In Protest by Art 21.
Sustain Awareness and Engagement - Make a commitment to stay vigilant and engaged with the evolving situation in Palestine. Align yourself with credible news outlets to stay abreast of developments. In this ongoing lunar cycle of awareness, continue to advocate for change, ensuring your efforts remain tethered to the evolving needs of those affected by the conflict. Check out this video by Travelgrrl which shares some people and organizations to follow for up-to-date information about the ongoing situation Gaza. You can also visit Genocide Watch to learn about other unfortunate situations unfolding around the globe.
Nurture Economic Empathy - Plant the seeds of support by championing Palestinian businesses. Seek out and patronize Palestinian-owned enterprises, nurturing local economies and fostering growth within the region. Whether online or within the vibrant tapestry of local markets, your conscious consumerism becomes a beacon of solidarity. Here’s a list of 24 Palestinian-owned Brands to support.
Champion Transformation - With newfound awareness, become a catalyst for change in Palestine. Channel your energy into advocating for political reform—penned letters to elected representatives, the resonance of your signature on petitions, and active support for campaigns echoing the call for peace and justice. Elevate your voice to illuminate the plight of the Palestinians, contributing to the positive transformation of their circumstances. Check out this blog entry by Haute Hijab on how to contact your representatives and what to say.
Tax Magick - A lot of people are angry that we don’t get to decide if we want our tax dollars to be going toward funding war and genocide or towards basic needs we have both here in this country and elsewhere. I have definitely seen a lot more people talking about protest via Tax withholding or writing official letters of complaint. While this is not financial advice this is meant to get you to start thinking about this as a strategy/practice/tactic and for you to see how and if it makes sense for you and your situation. Check out this great resource from the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. I have also seen some very interesting conversations happening on TikTok and Reddit that have gotten my gears going. I’m definitely doing my research on this one and would love to hear any thoughts you have!
Illuminate with Generosity - Let the glow of the hidden new moon inspire a gesture of generosity. Cast your contribution towards reputable organizations dedicated to providing humanitarian aid. Click here for a list of reputable places to donate to from NPR. Donate directly to Doctors Without Borders here.
Publicly Promote Harmony & Ceasefire - Traverse the city streets with a collective heartbeat resonating in unison for peace. Join the assembly of compassionate voices, echoing a fervent plea for an immediate ceasefire and a resolute commitment to diplomatic solutions. Let the streets become a canvas for peace, where your advocacy paints a compelling picture of a world united against the ravages of war. Find a protest near you here (this list has been getting updated frequently). Here are some protest tips & resources from NYU Law.
Conclusion & Future Offering
I cannot stress enough that protest & spellwork are creative spiritual practices! They are also emergent ones. Meaning that we can sometimes receive messages from within or without that share information about our next steps. That inspires us to dream and experiment with the ways in which our spellwork and protest take forms. I am hoping this New Moon spell can guide you in connecting with your own intuition and that you are able to explore and create the perfect containers and creations that you need at this moment. Remember there is no wrong or right way to do this. Listen to your intuition and ask for help and/or support if you need it!
