Where Do We Go From Here?
the weight of uncertainty.
A monthly community newsletter: The Altar Within—notes on life, magic, and liberation.(Exclusive offering for paid subscribers: learn more here)
Opening prayer.
My spirituality is my weapon against all that seeks to harm me. A ceremony of those who came before me embedded in my blood. It is political. It is ancient. It is the Ashe in my bones where the magic of my Ancestors live. It is the fire on my tongue sharpened by tobacco and rum. - so with each breath I take I am reminded that I am not walking alone.
The other day, I shared a grounding ritual on social media. Within ten minutes, someone commented, “STFU you cunt! What we need is to burn down the empire!!!”
I’ve been doing this work—activism, decolonial, and liberatory work—for over 25 years, not to mention my lived experience as an Indigenous Taíno and first-generation Cuban American. I’m also a mother, bisexual, neurodivergent, and living with a chronic illness. I know what it feels like to rage against a system that was built to work against you. I know what it’s like to react instead of respond, especially when you begin to see things for what they really are. So let me be clear… I’m not judging your emotions. They are valid.
I’ve learned the hard way not to be consumed by the fear and chaos these oppressors feed us. They want us to feel lost, to lose our humanity, and our focus. They want us exhausted, worried, and divided. They want us to fight each other instead of coming together to do the real work—both the internal and with our communities.
I’ve learned from my ancestors and elders how to survive, thrive, and grow in a world that sees me as “other.” My spirituality and existence are acts of resistance. Sharing a grounding ritual when I see my community panicking is resistance. It’s reading the room and offering medicine to bring us back to one another, to Spirit, and to the wisdom of those who came before us. It’s about reconnecting to our intuition and humanity so that we can quiet the noise and move with intention. The veils are down and those distractions are there to keep you from seeing what has been revealed.
Collective liberation can only exist when we liberate ourselves from the oppressor within.
“Burn down the empire.” I see this phrase often, and I understand the sentiment. But I wonder: Have we explored what it truly takes to dismantle systems while protecting the people we’re fighting for? The question remains—when the fires of rebellion burn brightest, what rises from the ash? Will it be liberation?
It is not enough to destroy. To dismantle is to be deliberate. To dream of liberation is to plan for it. And perhaps, the hardest truth of all - to fight for the people we claim to love, we must first unlearn the ways the empire has shaped us.
I want these systems to fall just as much as anyone, but destruction without a solid foundation—within ourselves or our communities—can unintentionally work against the liberation we’re striving for.
What does that foundation look like? It means:
• Creating our own systems.
• Prioritizing mutual aid.
• Building community in real life (or online, if that’s more accessible).
• Unlearning the lies and beliefs embedded by the oppressors.
• Centering healing & care as a collective practice.
It also means listening to the Indigenous peoples who have been teaching this for generations, honoring the wisdom and medicine of those who have suffered under colonization, and integrating their guidance to give us a fighting chance at reimagining and rebuilding a better world.
You can’t build a world rooted in collective liberation using a colonial mindset or the tools of the oppressor.
Am I all-knowing? No. Do I have all the answers? Absolutely not. But I’m not afraid.
I have faith in our collective humanity. I believe it will awaken something ancient in us—a remembering of who we are and the power we hold when we come together.
If we stopped asking, “What will become of me?” and instead asked, “What will become of us?” we’d shift our perspective to one of community. That’s where we create an unbreakable armor of radical love for one another.
So where do we go from here?
As the layers of illusion fall and the world begins to feel increasingly uncertain and unrecognizable, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The weight of uncertainty and the constant exposure to injustice can make it seem as though we are spiraling into chaos. But remember this… hopelessness is exactly what oppressive systems rely on. They thrive when we give in to cynicism, believing there’s nothing we can do.
Instead, seek out those who move with purpose and intention, who show up when it’s hard, who dream and build even in the face of adversity. They remind us that community isn’t just a refuge—it’s the foundation of our collective strength.
Even now, even here, hold fast to the belief that another way is not only possible but within reach. It starts with a vision, nurtured by deliberate action. One step at a time, we can create what we’ve been told is impossible.
This year won’t be merciful. But they will not take what’s ours to keep—our love, our humanity, our will to resist. They will not have it. We will endure and we will do so together. Now is the time to ground ourselves, protect our energy, and prioritize our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The work must continue.
Our ancestors are witnessing their prayers come alive through us. Listen closely and you’ll feel their songs echoing within your bones, moving through you like rivers of honey. - the balm of our existence.
Your part in it all.
It is easy to feel lost in times like these —in the wreckage of the familiar, we stand still, waiting. Who will show me the way? Who will tell me what to do?
No one. Or at least, no one can.
You can seek inspiration, guidance, and direction from others, but the real work—the sacred, liberatory work must come from within. Somewhere along the way, you forgot who you are. You forgot the power woven into your marrow, the gifts etched into your existence before you ever took your first breath. You are magic. A force carved from earth and stars, carried by the rhythm of the seasons, the pulse of the universe, the prayers and songs of ancestors.
You are not lost. You are simply being called to remember.
Many of us stand at this crossroads now —not just as individuals but as communities who must reimagine how we exist, how we serve, how we care for both ourselves and the collective.
Step back. Take a breath. Trust yourself enough to listen to the path rumbling beneath your feet, waiting for your arrival. It has always been there, waiting for you to be ready, waiting for you to see. And when you do, when you step forward in trust rather than fear, you will cast a spell so potent, so undeniable, that others will find their way simply by witnessing yours.
It is the unknown that unsettles us. The uncertain. The unseen. We have been taught to fear the dark, to brace against it, to cling desperately to what is tangible and known. But what if, instead, you lean in? What if you invite the unknown in, slowly, deliberately? What if you make space for it at your table and allow it to show you what it truly is? No matter how eerie, how unformed, how seemingly insurmountable—it is within that darkness that your fire will burn the brightest.
So I ask you:
• What parts of yourself have you silenced, forgotten, buried beneath the weight of fear?
• How might you begin again —not in fear, but in fierce remembrance?
Sometimes, all it takes is to witness the light burning within—an innate magic, ancient and deeply connected to all things. Remember who you are.
With love, Juliet
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There are people in my communities that took the news of Trump's election and all his hateful moves in stride and just kept moving forward, because we have never relied on the government to keep us safe, not really. Queer people look out for queer people. People who use drugs look out for other people who use drugs. Neighbors look out for neighbors. That is how my ancestors survived and why I am in existence today. We are just going to keep on looking out, and pay no respect to those who don't respect us. Our energy and attention is just better served elsewhere. It feels good, to look out for each other. It does dismantle the empire, with a better society in place.
That opening prayer is such a powerful and timely offering. Thank you so much for sharing it. Beautiful confirmation that grounding and dreaming of collective wellness at this time is the first step as we all figure out how to enact our next steps.