Do Not Lose Heart: A Letter from Clarissa Pinkola Estes

[wildflower]

Do Not Lose Heart: A Letter To A Young Activist During Troubled Times

by Clarissa Pinkola Estés (author of _Women Who Run with the Wolves_)

Do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world right now. It is true, one has to have strong cojones and ovarios to withstand much of what passes for "good" in our culture today. Abject disregard of what the soul finds most precious and irreplaceable and the corruption of principled ideals have become, in some large societal arenas, "the new normal," the grotesquerie of the week. It is hard to say which one of the current egregious matters has rocked people's worlds and beliefs more. Ours is a time of almost daily jaw-dropping astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.

...You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet ... I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is — we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement. I cannot tell you often enough that we are definitely the leaders we have been waiting for, and that we have been raised since childhood for this time precisely.

the rest at

http://www.creationsmagazine.com/articles/C93/Estes.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Thank you for the link

It is timely to remember that God doesn't give us that which we aren't ready for....though I would rather this cup pass by my lips, I will submit to the will of God. This and continuous remembrance is the way to peace.

[shelley806]

4. Both the letter and your response brought tears...Thanks for the post! n/t

[ismnotwasm]

2. God I love her

Some find her writing too cumbersome, but she speaks straight to my feminist heart.

[wildflower]

5. to mine too.

:hi:

We were made for these times!

-wildflower

[noiretextatique]

6. she is a wonderful writer

i love the language she uses...it's very powerful.

[Malva Zebrina]

3. Women who run with the wolves

one of my favorite books in my library.

Thanks for posting this

[Mandate My Ass]

7. I read that book 7 or 8 years ago

when I was working through a traumatic event and it helped tremendously. I didn't know she was an activist but I guess I should have known.

What a great article.

[ismnotwasm]

9. I pick up copies at second hand stores

And give it to every woman I know who I think would be receptive. I've read parts out loud to my husband. I can no longer read "The ugly duckling without crying at the end. Funny what just a little different perspective can do

[SummerGrace]

8. Thanks

I like this:
Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires ... causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these – to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both– are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.

[riverwalker]

10. her tapes are wonderful

she has a soothing delicious voice, and tells stories. Her voice makes you feel like you are wrapped in a blanket and sipping hot chocolate on your grandmothers lap. :) She is a Cantadora (sp?) "storyteller" and tells old mythological tales and explains the symbolic meaning. I listen to them on my commute sometimes.

[wildflower]

12. Thanks for the information about the tapes...I'd love to get one.

Which one would you recommend as the best?

-wildflower

[proud patriot]

11. Simply Sublime

Thank you so much for posting this .