Mis estimados queridos, My Esteemed Ones:
Do not lose heart. We were made for these times.1
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.
…I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able crafts in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.
I would like to take your hands for a moment and assure you that you are built well for these times. Despite your stints of doubt, your frustrations in arighting all that needs change right now, or even feeling you have lost the map entirely, you are not without resource, you are not alone.
Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. In your deepest bones, you have always known this is so.
Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a forest greater. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.
… We have been in training for a dark time such as this, since the day we assented to come to Earth. For many decades, worldwide, souls just like us have been felled and left for dead in so many ways over and over — brought down by naiveté, by lack of love, by suddenly realizing one deadly thing or another, by not realizing something else soon enough, by being ambushed and assaulted by various cultural and personal shocks in the extreme.
We all have a heritage and history of being gutted, and yet remember this especially … we have also, of necessity, perfected the knack of resurrection.
Over and over again we have been the living proof that that which has been exiled, lost, or foundered – can be restored to life again. This is as true and sturdy a prognosis for the destroyed worlds around us as it was for our own once mortally wounded selves.
…Though we are not invulnerable, our risibility supports us to laugh in the face of cynics who say “fat chance,” and “management before mercy,” and other evidences of complete absence of soul sense. This, and our having been ‘to Hell and back’ on at least one momentous occasion, makes us seasoned vessels for certain. Even if you do not feel that you are, you are.
Even if your puny little ego wants to contest the enormity of your soul, the smaller self can never for long subordinate the larger Self. In matters of death and rebirth, you have surpassed the benchmarks many times. Believe the evidence of any one of your past testings and trials. Here it is: Are you still standing? The answer is, Yes! (And no adverbs like “barely” are allowed here). If you are still standing, ragged flags or no, you are able. Thus, you have passed the bar. And even raised it. You are seaworthy.
…In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. Do not make yourself ill with overwhelm. There is a tendency too to fall into being weakened by perseverating on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without raising the sails.
We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn’t you say you were a believer? Didn’t you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn’t you ask for grace? Don’t you remember that to be in grace means to submit to the Voice greater? You have all the resource you need to ride any wave, to surface from any trough.
…In the language of aviators and sailors, ours is to sail forward now, all balls out. Understand the paradox: If you study the physics of a waterspout, you will see that the outer vortex whirls far more rapidly than the inner one. To calm the storm means to quiet the outer layer, to cause it, by whatever countervailing means, to swirl much less, to more evenly match the velocity of the inner, far less volatile core – till whatever has been lifted into such a vicious funnel falls back to Earth, lays down, is peaceable again.
One of the most important steps you can take to help calm the storm is to not allow yourself to be taken in a flurry of overwrought emotion or despair – thereby accidentally contributing to the swale and the swirl. Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.
Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely.
It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts – adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take “everyone on Earth” to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.
…One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. 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.
…There will always be times in the midst of “success right around the corner, but as yet still unseen” when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it; I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate.
The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours: They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here.
In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But … that is not what great ships are built for.
…This comes with much love and prayer that you remember Who you came from, and why you came to this beautiful, needful Earth.
1 Do Not Lose Heart, We Were Made for These Times ©2001, 2016,
by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved. The letter may be copied for non-commercial purposes provided it is not added to nor taken from, but run in full as above. Additional Permissions: [email protected]
CODA
The original title is Letter To A Young Activist During Troubled Times: with the subtitle, Do Not Lose Heart, We were Made for These Times. This is the original letter in full as written, unabridged.
This powerful message for our times is reprinted for our New Story Community with the kind permission of Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D. to whom we are deeply grateful.
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
Alex says
5 February 2020 at 17:55Exquisite
Just exquisite.
Many thank yous, wolf sister🙏🏽
Judy Arbic says
9 February 2020 at 14:41Thank you I really needed this today! <3
Marc says
5 February 2020 at 18:30Thank you for this clarifying word! Count me in…
Shirley says
5 February 2020 at 19:16I am so incredibly grateful for this after watching the so-called State of the Union so masterfully full of lies. Thank you for putting it all so beautifully, Clarissa.
Ange says
10 February 2020 at 21:29We need to remind ourselves that we are here for a purpose. Winter can be long but spring always arrives. Faith and hope. Thank you.
Tracy T says
5 February 2020 at 20:54Beautiful, thank you!
Annie Coleman says
6 February 2020 at 04:59I have been so in turmoil, this amazing piece graced my newsfeed, and I read it aloud to my partner…………count us both in…………… <3
A Janine Burka says
7 February 2020 at 15:15Ditto💜
Donna Monroe says
6 February 2020 at 12:18Such encouraging words to bring us back to our brightest selves! Many thanks
Janet Laufenberg says
6 February 2020 at 12:38A profound and powerful reminder of who we are and an inspiration that both supports and guides us back to the true path.
Terri says
11 February 2020 at 03:15You always could put powerful words to pen! Thank you Permission to come aboard Captain.
Vittoria says
6 February 2020 at 12:50I was awakened three times overnight when my 63 year old body should have slept soundly, recovering from the physical and emotional wounds of the day. The devil in the White House on one front, and the DNC who would take down The People’s only hope and counterbalance to Wall Street on the other; neither allowed me to escape into badly needed sleep. Then a friend shared a link to this piece, and I read it through cathartic tears. I will share this with others who need to take heart. Thank you, thank you.
Lynn says
10 February 2020 at 17:28“Emotional processing” may help you !
To look within when we are triggered by people and situations
Asking yourself when have “I “ been a tyrant ?
Carolyn Shaw says
6 February 2020 at 13:14Your beautiful sentiments so resonate. I first read them years ago when they were first written, immediately adding their comfort to my home altar. We need hope and perspective more than ever today. I have forwarded them to many friends around the country, Blessings…
Penelope Coberly says
10 February 2020 at 15:06👍♥️🌹🐒🦎
Sue says
6 February 2020 at 16:36Thank you so much.
Amy Elizabeth says
6 February 2020 at 16:56Beautiful, soul satisfied, hope renewed, completely understood when most the of the time l feel like an outsider. Gracious words of deep love…. found me in the nick of time. Source reaching out through another…. you are not alone. Music to my soul. Thank you.
Jen says
6 February 2020 at 18:43I really needed this today. Thank you for this beautifully written reminder.
Shann VanderLeek says
6 February 2020 at 23:13Deep bow. Thank you. This is just what I needed to read right now.
Barbara says
7 February 2020 at 03:56This is just what I needed to hear at this time. Thank you for restoring balanced thinking to my troubled mind.
Laura says
7 February 2020 at 04:01So It Is, So It Knows. So It Wills. So It Shines. Through Us. Through Us. Through Us. With my gratitude immense for your words! Makes my every breath more real to me.
Linda says
7 February 2020 at 07:07Cher – Thanks for sharing these beautiful thoughts & words from this beautiful person. I’ve needed that! Hearing the purpose, the inspiration, the steadfastness is reassuring. Perhaps if we believe & pull together more can happen for the common good.💞
Satya Shepherd says
7 February 2020 at 07:34Dear Soul thank you for standing up on the deck of. This great vessel, Golden, igniting enlightening through words, heart and Great Spirit. These embers deep in my Being have been breathed and caught alight… Thank You…
Jesuis Laplume says
7 February 2020 at 11:19We have been falsely taught that this is a random universe and that we have no meaning within it. This is in error, as this universe is a sentient one and has selected, from a myriad of options, first for live and then for such as humans.
We do not have to listen to and accept errors, no matter how many sources tell us incorrect statements that are NOT Truths.
This universe selected those options that favor Love over those that are anti-like, like Fear-based approaches.
We are falsely taught to just barely survive in Fear so that others, who also live in Fear, can control us.
Choose pro-life things like Love, not anti-life things like Fear.
Lane Arolla says
7 February 2020 at 12:10This spoke to me personally. What a troublesome time we are in. Thank you for this message of light, healing and faith to restore some strength in continuing on in the path of righteousness and good for this world.
Tuhina Kapoor says
7 February 2020 at 13:24God Bless You, Clarissa.
I heard my Divine speak through your beautifully articulated message. This is Profound, Overwhelming, Stupendous.
Keep Inspiring !
Mark Mitchko says
7 February 2020 at 17:28Wow!!! That struck many cords and emotions!!! Incredible delivery. What a way to be reminded! Thank you Clarissa!!!
Bruce Swan says
7 February 2020 at 21:39Though our hulls may be bruised and barnacled…
our masts reach for the sky.
Bobbi Rubinstein says
8 February 2020 at 02:17Thank you so much for this piece. A friend posted it on Facebook. I’m reading it while I watch the Dems New Hampshire debate, watch them tear each other apart for no reason. This essay is something for me to save and reread. I’ve been working with friends since the 2016 election to save our country, democracy and the world. We’re all so exhausted and disheartened. But you’re right. I’ve survived a lot when I didn’t know how to. I can do this again and I’m not alone. Bless you.
Carl says
8 February 2020 at 02:17Amen – I sooooo needed this encouragement right now.
Aysha Star Cougar says
8 February 2020 at 13:00Thank you so much and what an important beautiful message for me in these challenging times. I have been traveling through dark storms for months now and I am just returning to the light. The one thing I noticed on this journey is that I grew even longer, stronger roots. Into the Earth, into my ancestral lineage and wisdom. Our boats are made of the strongest trees indeed. We are the boat, the tree, the ones crafting the boat and steering it as well.
What a wonderful powerful reminder beloved elder sister. Thank you and thank you to all my brothers and sisters present here.
Shankar says
8 February 2020 at 16:28Such a wonderful heartfelt yet powerful post . Thank you Clarissa . This is exactly what i needed
Jared Howe says
8 February 2020 at 17:10A deep and profound bow to you for these words and the grace that they bring.
Doreen Petros says
8 February 2020 at 21:35Thank you for raising our sails once again in these troubling times. My husband and I are One with everyone here in this great endeavor we all share in together for the sake of this poor Earth and its inhabitants. Peace be with you.
Susan Cutsforth says
8 February 2020 at 22:59Hi,
I’m a freelance editor in Australia and I was hoping that someone would please be able to help me with how to message Dr Estes. I would like to ask her permission to use a quote from her in the book that I’m currently editing.
I hope that someone can give me a lead in the right direction!
Thanks so much. Susan J Cutsforth
Mattie Porte says
9 February 2020 at 09:39Dear Sue,
Thank you for connecting. You may contact Dr Estes through her website here:
http://www.clarissapinkolaestes.com/
Warmly,
Mattie (for the New Story Team at Findhorn)
David Niccolls says
8 February 2020 at 23:57Meaningful words for a trying time thank you
David Hoag says
9 February 2020 at 00:45As I was reading this, I was constantly reminded of my favorite classical music composers and their compositions. They would invariably begin with a prelude, and include many variations, always leaving the listener thir.sting for more
What you have written in the finest English that could be poetry is one of the greatest lessons in philosophy for modern times that I have read.
John "Yohan" Morgan says
28 March 2020 at 08:59thank you, Brother, for naming part of what her letter let me feel
Juanderer says
9 February 2020 at 01:49Thank you for sharing this timeless message. It helps to remind me of what has sustained me over the decades: my dharma is to love the whole of creation without judgement or fear. Especially when it seems that the darkness is creeping ever closer, I am here to remember and remind others that there’s light creating these shadowy states. We will all get through this and the many other dark nights that our souls (collectively and individually) will, no doubt, endure. Whether our democracy is restored or we sink into a despot’s dictatorial urges, we are all still light beings and will prevail.
To paraphrase Neem Karoli Baba:
Love all beings.
Serve everyone.
Remember that we are all one…
Namaste 🙏🏼
Sandra Fain says
9 February 2020 at 02:06You could not have written both soothing and a call for Action better, than you wrote. You are right. We must rebalance this weight of despair we are allowing ourselves to carry now. My soul needed this call for both calm and action. Thank you.
Marina Salazar says
9 February 2020 at 04:02THIS! I am grateful that you have made this very timely statement, Dr. Pinkola-Estes. I was brought back to that moment when I heard you reading Women Who Run With the Wolves with a carload of girlfriends while we were stuck in traffic on the #405 in SoCal. When traffic started to move, we collectively moaned, “Nooooo.!” We ended up in the parking lot of our destination (Universal Studios), riveted as we continued to listen to your message. We left that car changed women, eager to answer your then-call to action to know and appreciate ourselves in ways we had never before dared to imagine.
Jill says
9 February 2020 at 17:37Thank you dearest Clarissa. I so very Much needed this reminder. And encouragement. You are spot-on. Thank you for the full bright fire of your burning soul song. I’m all in.
Denise says
9 February 2020 at 18:05This made my soul and spirt smile
Cathy Sky says
9 February 2020 at 18:50Just the medicine I needed today! Thank you.
Robin Gregory says
9 February 2020 at 19:39Mille gracias, querida Clarrissita. Your words radiate love and wisdom that is so needed right now. If we are going to rise out of victimhood, our perceptions must be educated by the soul, not the mind. We need to stop gorging on newsfeeds and dark movies & books, and return to the inner kingdom … to draw out the new world vision. In this, each and every one of us is a divine instrument, capable of overcoming the world. Not through resistance or reaction, but through “being” the lighthouse through which Grace can shine. Yes, I agree, we were born for this moment. Your lovely, intelligent message is inspired. I plan to share it with everyone I know. Heaps of love to you.
Thea says
12 February 2020 at 15:44Your words, always goes straight to my soul and stokes my inner flames. Your works have been sturdy rudders. Soul on deck, Captain!
Beverly Coomes says
12 February 2020 at 18:04Thank you I truly believe in this
Suzie E says
13 February 2020 at 15:52Thank you so much. Truly brilliant! “Do not lose heart. We were made for these times.” will have a place of honor in my life forever. (And I hope you see this soon and delete it, after reading this: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/enormity?s=t “Enormity” threw me right out of what I was reading, and I thought you would want to know.)
Marie says
14 February 2020 at 14:15Thank you.! A message we all need to meditate
on every day and be grateful for the opportunity of sharing your positive and powerful message with others.
Lief says
16 February 2020 at 15:32The simpel Words like…do something for your fellow men is all there is…
Mayo says
21 February 2020 at 08:58My love to you and big thanks for remembering me. US in just this time
MAYO
Kathleen Yasuda says
26 February 2020 at 17:15Thank you. Each of us are a shining light and together we will vanquish the dark. Spread hope and joy. Take time to observe a flower, a leaf, a cloud… Send someone you love a flower, one is enough… Let’s all keep each other afloat!
Ron Knabb says
22 March 2020 at 12:28These are words and thoughts for starting any and every day. This sharing, this day, full proof.
John "Yohan" Morgan says
28 March 2020 at 09:12How deeply these words resonate on this day as this plague settles into the bones of America.
These are indeed dark and perilous times and we need to recall our heritage and our purpose. And our knowing that it is this great uncertainty that also opens a space for all who dream to stand for our dreams,
for it is in the dreams of all that we will find the way to the Garden of which we dream.
And lead the way from the nightmares we all endure.
What treasure for this day… March 28 2020, Saturday, Sheltered in Place at 2307 Floral Way in Santa Rosa, CA. !
May all feel safe, no matter what.
Yohan
Mattie Porte says
28 March 2020 at 09:24Thank you Yohan for your beautiful message. Blessings of safety, wellness connection and nourishment to you. 🙏