Outpouring of Laments
Let Us Meet in the Depths of Our Hearts
A High Place
When I gaze upon the stony outcropping of Joppenburgh,
our ‘mountain’ in Rosendale, NY where I live,
I see the faces of the ancient ones gazing back.
Witnesses as the bones of the earth. Patient, steady, eternal.
I am graced by living close to Joppy, as she is known
so I get to this sacred view in mere minutes.
A high place from which to gain perspective.
We need ‘high places’ from which to proclaim, lament, exult or cast off.
An Outpouring of Laments
As I stood on the Trestle Bridge gazing at Joppy,
I had a vision of the power of lament reaching far and wide
to people of many communities,
that a collective practice could ignite and expand
into a global archive of witness.
As we navigate this historic and volatile moment,
I called for you to join me in the sacred tradition of lamentation.
So many of you wrote with your laments
And deep prayers….an outpouring
As we touch the heart of the heart of the world.
This archive is growing and you are still welcome to send one! I have gathered your responses and invite you to witness each other’s voices here.
A New Collaboration with City Lore
As this outpouring of laments began to flow, among those to respond was City Lore. My production company IgniVox has previously collaborated with them in our Community Arts Work in low income housing in NYC.
I am so honored to once again partner with City Lore, whose mission is to foster New York City’s – and America’s – living cultural heritage through education and public programs in service of cultural equity and social justice.
The Outer Edge and City Lore are beginning to vision further programmatic collaborations through which to expand this call for laments.
Swords into Plowshares
We are now deep in the midst of the journey of this time
when great celebrations of dark and light are held by many sacred traditions. In Advent, the penitential season leading to Christmas,
many of the biblical readings are apocalyptic in nature.
An old order is coming to an end
As we hold fast to the preparation for new life to come.
In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, (reading for the First Sunday of Advent)
‘...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4).
Lament, a Prayer in the Meantime
A lament is an expression of our profound love and hope for the Divine to act in accordance within our relationship as co-creators. A lament, more than a complaint or vent, is an act of intimacy. We dwell with the Divine in solidarity with suffering. It is our prayer in the meantime.
Standing with the Divine in High Places, may we hold fast to a vision of the world where swords become plowshares.