Everything is different, and everything is the same. One year ago, I wanted to reflect on the goings-on of the time. I have always fantasized about writing weekly reviews, and last year I wanted to start, but I never finished it. I want to share it here to see how everything is different, and everything is the same. Last year, I reflected in a dystopian way. This year, I see. We are neglecting our responsibilities. Walk with me in this review… Let us begin with what I started last year.

A Week In Review, c 2021

• Trump siege
• Blocked from social media
• Parler being shut down on devices
• Moon magick
• Vision boards
• Will school go back? 

It’s incredible how much changes and yet, how little does. Though we had no siege on January 6, 2022, many discussed it – from those living in Washington D.C., who felt their effects personally to those who lived further away and, from a distance, watched a version of fraying democracy or those standing up for their rights – depending on what view you believe in. 

I think I recall some headlines about various pundits and celebrity politicians being blocked from social media, and I think I saw a headline where Trump tried to start his own. Everything is different, and everything is the same.  

My friend Michelle and I started our Moon Circles with a New Moon in Capricorn Vision Board Workshop to kick off our second year of co-hosting and facilitating Moon Magick for 11 lucky sisters. 

And, today, we got an email from Levi’s school that school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday to prepare for distance learning. 29% were absent on Friday, many from COVID. So, the decision was made to finish the semester with distance/virtual learning. Everything is different, and everything is the same. 

Further Reflection … More From the 2021 Draft

This was the first week back to distance learning after the holiday break. And, boy, did the news deliver this week. Before I got on a call with a client, I glanced at a headline that people were storming the Capitol. 

I will grant that Jefferson said that the tree of liberty needs to be watered with bloodshed every twenty years. I don’t know how you want to take this idea. But, as a thought exercise, I doubt our American Liberty Tree has been watered since the Civil War. We have had meaningful declarations – the Civil Rights movement, Women’s Suffrage, for example, but we have not had a war between sides since the Civil War. I am not considering violence against each other, such as the Oklahoma Bombing of 1995 or small groups … and that’s where I stopped.

And, Today

Let’s start again. HAPPY NEW YEAR. It is now 2022. We are into our third year of a global pandemic. In this global pandemic, our schools have shown incredible agility in serving their teachers, students, and parents quickly to respond to the changing winds of said global pandemic. 

In this global pandemic, because of our lack of trust and our lack of love, we have fueled ever-increasing politicization, a public health crisis has become another breeding ground of distrust and misinformation. Granted, our institutions have shown a terrible job of listening to people over the years, so significant trust-building is overdue. Because we have not worked to build that trust, to build that love, we have as a society agreed to a certain level of deaths related to the global pandemic, stressed health care workers, and ongoing shifts in “will we have school or won’t we send our kids to school.” We are doing this to ourselves. Not the politicians, though they have a role. Not the other, though they have a part, no matter what side of the “other” you sit on. We are doing this to ourselves. 

We are enabling crime in our cities. We are allowing houseless populations to exist. We are allowing global warming to create erratic weather patterns with disastrous results. We are allowing any destruction or devastation we see in the world. 

There are a lot of problems. And it’s challenging to tackle all of them at once. Yet, it occurs to me that we are collectively passing the buck. 

So, I reprise this week in review, one year later, noting how everything is different and everything is the same. And, in this difference/sameness, I invite you to register where you can take responsibility in your life. Where can you stop blaming the “other” and own your truth?