transform (Newsletter)

I jumped online to give my reflections of what’s going on both politically and psychologically. Much to think about as the days unfold…

Incoming as well as incumbent Democrats are busy preparing for the 2027 Congress. People are already scrambling for everything from committee assignments to staff to Capitol office space. Investigations have been announced into Trump’s “tentacles of corruption.” and promises have been made to undo, as much as possible, the economic and other damage that has been perpetrated upon the American people. It’s very tempting to take a deep breath, say a prayer of gratitude and think, “Great.

A political rocket ship is lifting off, with an entirely new Congress about to take power in Washington. And it’s not just a new Congress; it’s also a new us. The American people have gotten the message that nothing will ever again be as it was. And that’s not all bad news. The pain we’ve experienced over the last two years has caused many of us to do some very deep thinking, about who we were that things could have gotten so bad and who we need to be to set things right.

Yesterday was more than a political backlash. It was a moral impulse turned into political force. Yes, it was the fact that people can’t afford groceries, but it’s more than that. It’s the fact that while roughly a third of all Americans are regularly skipping meals in order to make ends meet, Trump and his family are making illicit billions. It’s the fact that while people can’t afford healthcare for their own sick children, Donald Trump builds arches and ballrooms in homage to himself.

Tomorrow is Voting Day! Let’s pray that the election be peaceful … that all who have the right to vote have a fair chance to do so, and to have their votes be counted… that the will of the people be done… and that the angels of our better nature be on full display. Dear God, Please protect our democracy. May no weapon formed against it stand. Please bless our midterm elections. May they be fair and peaceful and all be well. Amen God bless you, everyone. And God bless America.

Photo: David L. Ryan, The Boston Globe All the scuttlebutt today is the Pentagon’s proposed plan to restart kinetic action in Iran - including a possible ground invasion - right after Tuesday’s election. In the view of Senator Chris Murphy, who was briefed at a classified meeting, the plan is “insane.” He said it would lead to a “devastating escalation” and “likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law.” So there you have it. It’s sort of the worst kind of thing imaginable.

A great American has died. Dolores Huerta, co-founder with Ceasar Chavez of the United Farmworkers movement in the 1960’s, was someone whose story should be told and passed on to every generation. It’s important to remember the people and events that got it right, those who changed people’s lives for the better, who fought injustice and actually won. Dolores lived to the age of 96, and there has never been a more powerful example of a life well lived.

Hi, everyone. Here’s the video from my Substack Live with author Sarah Wilson today. Sarah is in Paris and gave us a great overview of what’s happening over there. Then we moved into a discussion of her bestselling book I EAT THE STARS: How to live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World. Sarah is wise and powerful and I enjoyed our conversation. I hope you do too. Website: SarahWilson.com Sarah’s Substack: SarahWilson.Substack.com x Marianne

I’ll be going live on Substack with New York Times bestselling author and social philosopher Sarah Wilson tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21 at 12pm ET / 9am PT. Sarah’s latest book, I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World, was released this year. Wilson lays out a path for living fully, meaningfully, and beautifully through these troubled times. Our predicament, she argues, is ultimately an urgent call to us all to realize more fully our own humanity.

Painting on the dome of the US Capitol. Credit: Kyle Kempf Traditional Christian concepts in A Course in Miracles are used in decidedly non-traditional, psychotherapeutically oriented ways. It is not a religion, but rather a psychological training in releasing a fear-based thought system and replacing it with love. Spiritual dynamics are psychological ones, key to both our enduring and transforming the world in which we live.