And of course that’s where I’ve been.

But the question Aphrodite just posed to me was: “what does it mean to be a priest of Love in a time of hate?”

And it pulled me up by the reins and I had to think - and am still thinking - about what this could mean. Yes, it’s about to get bad for those of us in the so-called united states, and eventually from there the awfulness will flow out into the world, so everyone will get a little bit of colonialized suffering and bullshit and I’m sorry about that.

What does it mean to be a priest of Love in a time of hate?

One would think that it would call you to the defense of Love, that you would then fight hate with all you’ve got and then a little more. But beloveds, I have been fighting this fight for longer than I care to admit to, and I had expected that things would be in place for a blissful existence. I am, or perhaps was, a naïve person. I had hope that we as a collective could make good choices. We did not. We failed. I’m so sorry about that, too.

I am numb and I am in shock and I am overwhelmed by disgust that my country chose this, willingly chose this.

But what does it mean to be a priest of Love in a time of hate?

Things are going to get rough. We have to be there for each other, in whatever way we can. Even if we are a ghostly yet ever-present figment in someone’s life, we must be there for them. We must consider pooling resources. We must consider this like the aftermath of a great hurricane that has flattened a city. We have to come together in some way and carry forward together. I think it is the only way.

I remember when I lived through Hurricane Andrew in 1992, in Miami. After the storm was gone, the community came together and began to heal the wounds left behind. We fed each other, we watched each other’s kids, we cleaned up everyone’s trash together. Of course, wounds should not be made in the first place, at all, ever. But let me be clear: wounds are inevitable with this particular storm, and we have a couple of months to develop an antibody system to protect ourselves as best we can.

I encourage you to get active - when you’re ready, when you feel capable - in some cause that is local that matters to you. Reach out to them. See what they’re doing and how you can get involved. It starts in small patches that grow to touch until a great field of light covers the country, and rises to attack the lying rapist at its head.

What does it mean to be a priest of Love in a time of hate?

It does not mean to love your enemies. Aphrodite is clear on that. Areia hungers for justice in ways you might not believe. Androphonos trembles to rise and slay those who would hurt women, trans people, queer people, sex workers. It means to love yourself enough to fight for yourself and those you love, lift them up so that the Gods can see and know them. We have to be selective with our expression now, we have to be selective in a lot of ways. But let that not diminish ourselves in any fashion.

We have to be free in ourselves to fight fascism.

I apologize that this is short, and that there is no tarot. I simply cannot find my way to the cards. But know this: you are loved immensely, and somehow we will make it through.

In Her Name,

J