Witches Alchemizing Outrage & Hatred into Tiny Acts of Kindness & Love

join me!

The hatred and base cruelty of the last weeks is taking a toll on me — my left eye won’t stop twitching, I’m wide awake at 2 am, my memory is shot.

My body is saying enough with the outrage and yes, the hatred I am feeling at what’s happening in my country.

I’m all in for women’s rage — it helps me take political action, like sounding the alarm about the The Save Act which has the potential to disenfranchise up to 69 million women!! Read this post for excellent ideas on how to fight it — but the rest of the emotions I’ve been stewing in, aren’t so helpful.

the only point of this picture of my dog when she was a puppy is make you feel good

Hatred and outrage make me sick. They steals my creativity. They exhaust me which is part of the ruling party’s plan — grind me down so I feel powerless and give up.

Hatred erodes everything I hold sacred. It changes me into someone I don’t want to be.

But my gosh, my rancor is always just below the surface these days, ready to flare into jaw grinding rants, at the drop of another news story or after I hug a friend while she cries over the impact of this administration’s bullshit on her kids or her parents or herself.

Because witches are good at changing one thing into another this is the alchemy I’m trying, and hopefully having more success at the original alchemists.

When I feel the boil of malice, I do something kind. Right then and there if I can.

Text a struggling friend.

Call my Senators and my House rep (it’s kind toward others and myself to take political action). I always end by saying something kind to the young aide on the phone.

Cheering another writer on.

Donating money.

Sending a book to someone who needs it. (If you need a copy of Why Bother? I have a five copies I can give away to U.S. readers — ask in the comments, you can have it sent to someone else too.)

EDIT: ALL FREE COPIES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED but if you want to buy one from me directly, I have a few more. I’m happy to sign and mail it to you at my cost - $12 including shipping.

Taking a wonder break in the middle of a run to listen to the grackles chattering in the cottonwoods.

Repeat a loving kindness mantra (this one is good for walking by my Trump neighbors).

This is witchy alchemy: taking the outrage and turning into something life giving.

I don’t want to help make a world of sharp elbows, vicious retaliation, and creeping distrust. A world where we see each other as less than real. We are not AI generated avatars! We are each precious human souls, carrying immense burdens and ordinary dreams. Every single one of us. I want to remember that more often.

I know my little acts of kindness will make no difference in the big world but it will make a big difference to me. And that’s enough.

Join me in refusing to let hate corrode our hearts. To warp our brains with fear, fear that others try to profit off. Let’s refuse to reduce ourselves to being less than human, and everybody else as well.

Thank you for reading and being here. I appreciate it so much.

Love,

Jen