As Pagans We Must Take A Stand Against The Separation Of Immigrant Children From Their Parents

Right now the US government is sliding perilously close to genocide.

(Here’s where you, Dear Reader, freak out a bit and tell me it’s not so. It’s okay, go for it. I can wait.)

We’re not killing anyone right? Not yet, but we are taking children away from their parents in ways that returning them will be incredibly difficult. Let me say that again. We are taking an entire generation of children away from people who were escaping civil war and violence. We are putting them in homes where they don’t speak the language, where the culture is ours not theirs. This is called cultural genocide. We have done this before.

I see a lot of people raising up their metaphorical arms in shock. I hear words about how these actions are un-American. I see many people acting as if our government will come to their senses any day now. But this is merely a repetition of what was done to the indigenous people who live here already. The native people were forcibly moved to places where they could not easily survive, their children were taken from them and put in schools where they were not allowed to speak their indigenous language. These actions may not be moral, but they are unequivocally American.

I wish I could be writing a post about death work, preparing the soul, and preparing community for someone to pass. (Which is something I just did) I wish I could be writing about how within the pagan community there are emergent groups aligned with nature spirits, such as Cat Clan or Dog Clan. (Which is something I’ve been experiencing a lot recently) I will write about those things. It’s on my list. But right now I need to get political, because my values require this as right action.

We talk a lot about what it means to be pagan and how to practice as a pagan. We talk about being in alignment with the earth and about living in harmony. But what does that actually mean for each of us?

For me, today, it means finding ways to take action. I love that we as pagans do magic, I want that magic to be useful. I love that we pray and I want that prayer to be meaningful. My challenge has been to find ways to unite thoughts and prayers with real action. So right now I am raising funds for RAICES, a non-profit group that provides lawyers and legal services to people seeking asylum at our border (also known as illegal immigrants) This work is deeply important, and it’s work I can’t do, but I can leverage my priesthood to help raise funds. I am doing a week long push, where I record a prayer a day on this topic to raise funds and awareness. Here is the first prayer I recorded:

Please Donate Here!

I’m on day five now and I’m still asking people to donate.

Please consider this simple way to get involved. Consider taking action by calling your representatives, staying informed, or protesting, in one of the many local protests.

It is time for us to stand up and make our voices heard. Eventually I will write that post about workings to help people pass on, but today I have other work to do, and I hope that all of you will help me in that work.