After these past challenging months, we now stand at the threshold of the new moon of Adar, the Hebrew month that celebrates the qualities of joy and laughter, so essential to our healing from this time of division and foreboding. With a new administration in place and vaccines becoming more available, many of us can begin to breath more deeply, release our built-up tension, and enter a time we can more fully experience the energy of Spirit in every part of our material world.      

I had my first vaccination last week after spending days of early mornings sitting in front of a computer screen, waiting impatiently to be granted access to the inner sanctum of the Publix Pharmacy’s website. The physical and mental relief I feel is palpable. I can inhabit my body more fully, more joyfully. We all yearn for joy with our bodies, our hearts, our souls. Joy is an energetic expression that lifts our spirits and allows us to see the beauty and humor around us. In this time of confusion and conflict, of dissolution of consensus, it is critical for each one of us to find what gives us joy, to find our unique purpose for being alive at this pivotal moment of human history when critical decisions are being made that affect the future of humanity and our planet.

Adar invites us, once again, to smile and embrace the miracle of life with gratitude and delight. It’s time to put down the seemingly constant angst that we have been carrying with us like a heavy burden this whole year and embrace the more playful energy that the celebration of Purim this month exemplifies. Costumes, imbibing spirits, singing, dancing, gift giving are the hallmarks of this holiday that celebrates the courage of Queen Esther in daring to speak the truth in the face of mortal danger to herself, actions that could inspire some of our leaders as they face the challenges of today.  

Each one of us is responsible for creating our own reality within the larger cultural and political context in which we reside. If we can embody within ourselves the energetic vibration of harmony through our own experience of joy and satisfaction, we can radiate that energy and help shift the larger structure that is stuck in a divisive either/or imbalance. Finding joy in our own unfolding potential, in our families, in the glory of the natural world, in the beauty of the sunlight reflected through a passing cloud, allows us to see all life as sacred, as imbued with the energy of Creation. While fulfilling our sacred obligation of tikkum olam, repair of the world, we need to stay grounded and centered, not caught up in the churning chaos around us, and residing in the deep and abiding calm and harmony within.

May we experience our material world as a reflection of the love and bounty of the One despite the suffering and trials we confront, and bask in the joy of just being alive on this glorious planet Earth.  

Blessings, 

Lucinda