Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
Dec. 6, 2023
“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing.” Pema Chödrön
Friends,
For the past month or so, I’ve found myself frequently saying, “It seems that Coyote is afoot.” Lately, it feels like every day brings a new disruption. Minor things. Like the heat in my office not working properly, the internet at church going out, a leaking water meter in Morgan House, (the building that houses the church’s religious education program,) and staff out sick with minor illnesses, the usual bugs and viruses that circulate in winter. Thankfully, the building issues have been resolved, thanks to Charlie Almquist, Operations Council chair. Anyone of these alone would be considered business as usual, but when they happen all at once, that’s when I invoke the name of Coyote.
Coyote, for me, is shorthand for “trickster spirit.” Tricksters are common in myths from all around the world. Coyote appears frequently in Native American myths and stories. Tricksters are known for their love of mischief and creating havoc. Some scholars attribute benevolent intent to the pranks of tricksters, using their pranks to teach a lesson. Other scholars believe the mischief is intended only for the pleasure of the trickster. Either way, when a trickster is afoot, disruption is sure to follow. What is agreed upon is that there is no appeasing a trickster spirit. They are simply going to do what they want to do and there is no stopping them or the disruption they create.
Disruption, whatever its cause, forces a reordering of priorities. Plans need to be adapted, changed, or set aside; energies and resources reallocated. It forces a focus on what is most important. When Coyote is afoot, there is no choice but to wake up and pay attention.
Tricksters have a way of disrupting the status quo. Sometimes the status quo needs to be disrupted, especially if the status quo is oppressive. When I find myself invoking the name of Coyote, I consider it an invitation to mindfulness, to stop and ask myself what is most important in the moment, to make choices mindfully.
The winter holidays have a certain kind of trickster spirit. They arrive and disrupt the day-to-day patterns of life, a sacred interruption, if you will. Hope, love, peace, and joy take center stage. Imagine if these fundamental values were central throughout the year. Now that would disrupt the status quo!
Whatever holidays you recognize and however you celebrate this season, may you experience a sacred interruption, a time to focus on what is truly important in life.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane