Finding Strength: Empowerment, Community, and Self-Care

I reached out to my (our) community for help this week. I asked friends, past guests, and even future guests to join voices so we can encourage you to do the same.
Stay hopeful. Reach out for yourself and to others- one of you, one of us, will need it sooner or later.


Amy Blackthorn
Corey's Cauldron
The Rusted Rabbit
Madame Pamita
Kacie's Corner
Raechel Henderson
Theresa Mariesa
DaNae of Witchy Woman Podcast
Didi of My Awesome Didi Tarot and and studios


Green Dot Bystander Intervention
Southern Poverty Law Center
988 Suicide Hotline 

Kim: 0:00

Welcome back to Your Average Witch. This week is going to be a different episode because last Tuesday was a shitshow. I asked past guests and some friends, some of which aren't even witches, if they would record a message of hope, or let me use audio from interactions we've had before. These are the gracious people who accepted and agreed. Some of it's pieced together from private conversations, some is from semi-private conversations and groups, some are from messenger that I just said hey, record it on messenger and I'll use that. At least one of them. The first one is going to be something that was written and they asked me to read it. If there was editing, it was done with the knowledge and participation of the speakers who heard the final edit and okayed it. So hopefully this helps you stay with us and maybe gives you a little hope and comfort. It did me. And now let's get to the stories. 

First, I'm reading something written by K.T. 

The cold and lonely closet that I stepped out from is not a place that you will ever be able to put me back in. 

Your cold stares will not intimidate me. 

I've stared death in the face many times. 

You do not scare me. 

I do not see you as an enemy, even though you see me as one. 

I will hold doors for you. 

I will use manners. 

I will say please and thank you.

Not out of fear, but morals. 

Morals that are not driven by religious beliefs. 

I do not fear you. 

I have already lived in darkness. 

Time for light.

Amy Blackthorn: 2:29

Hi there. It's been a rough couple of days for a lot of people, and so I'm just stepping in to remind us all- we're not helpless. I need you to sit with that for a second, because it's really important for people to explain to us how helpless we are. Our power wouldn't mean nearly as much if they weren't terrified of it. So take a deep breath with me. 

What can you do? I need you to focus on what you can do, not what you can't do, because there's going to be plenty of people ready, willing and able to tell us what we can't do. Who am I? My name is Amy Blackthorn. I wrote Blackthorn's Protection Magic and a bunch of other stuff, but specifically I want to talk about how do you protect yourself moving forward. I'm getting a bunch of messages all day, every day, from people saying what can I do? How can I protect myself? How can I protect my family? What's the reasonable, responsible thing to do? So the first thing is I'm getting a lot of questions about pepper spray. If you decide to carry pepper spray, go look at your selection that's available to you. If you are okay with buying from Amazon, go with the mace pepper gel. It has a UV dye in it that will mark your attacker for up to a week. I'm seeing videos and memes shared of a blue dye. It scrubs off really easy. It's gone in a day or so and that's not what we're doing. Mace pepper gel UV. It has a spray. It comes in a couple different configurations. One has a flashlight built in, so if you put your finger on the trigger of the pepper spray nozzle, a flashlight will come on, so you know where you're going. There's ones with a laser on it, it also helps you with targeting assistance, no matter what you do, no matter where you go. First thing I want you to do is look at your packaging and see if there's an expiration date on it. We don't know how long it's been sitting on the shelf. If there's no expiration date on it, write a date on there. Two years out from when you buy it. The propellant in there is going to leak out over time and after two years there's not enough propellant left in there for you to accurately be able to use it safely. So we want to make sure that after two years it's trash. Throw it away, get another one. So buy two. I know it's a little bit more expensive, but trust me it's worth your safety. So take one of them out to the middle of nowhere, away from dogs, cats, pets, people, and spray it until it is empty. It seems wasteful. I understand. I need you to know how far it's going to shoot, how far away from your attacker you can be and still hit them. I need you to know what the spray pattern looks like. If it's a cone, if it's a fog, if it's a stream. You need to know what that looks like and how to protect yourself. We don't want you to walk into some overspray. Foggers are not a thing. Especially don't ever use them indoors, you'll gas yourself. I want you to know all of these things because you need to know how to protect yourself with this specific tool. None of these things are magic wands that are going to get you out of danger spectacularly and easily. We need to know how they work. So spray it until it's empty. I want you to see how far away you can be and still hit them with it. I want you to know how to keep yourself from getting hit with the overspray. I go with a pepper gel over a spray, because it'll get behind glasses. It'll look like somebody hit them in the face with a pumpkin pie. So I want to make sure that they are as far away from you as they can be. You can still make sure that you are as safe and protected as you can be. What about stun guns versus tasers? You're going to run into a lot more legal repercussions with an electronic device. Keep in mind that tasers are not as widely legal as stun guns are. Keep in mind that with stun guns and tasers, because they're not firearms, they're regulated differently. There could be a prohibition against it in your city or your county, even if it's legal in your state. So, for example, stun guns are illegal in Maryland but they're not legal in Baltimore City. They're illegal in New Castle County but they're legal in other parts of Delaware, legal in Newcastle County. Or they're illegal in Newcastle County but they're legal in other parts of Delaware. Make sure that your municipality is listed as to anything that's legal or not legal. The difference between stun guns and tasers and movies get this wrong every single day. The taser has prongs that shoot out and can attack and attach to your attacker. Stun guns have fixed prongs and you have to be a lot closer to actually touch them with the device. Two separate styles of communication. They both have their pros and cons. Neither one is inherently good, neither one is inherently bad. With tasers. If both prongs do not land, say one prong lands on the skin and one prong lands on a heavy jacket you're not going to get the result that you're looking for. You'd have to reload. First of all you'd have to figure out how to reload. You'd actually have to have a second cartridge on you. Most tasers are only going to come with one or the other, not both. They create a lot of waste. If you're deploying one, there's usually the cartridge that you're reloading is filled with one. It's a lot of plastic waste. There's fishhook barbs Thank you, Millie. There's often a lot of confetti put in there with the serial number of the cartridge on it, and so when you deploy it, it creates not only a lot of waste, but it gives serial numbers to the police. That way they know who to look for who needs help. So stun guns are going to have to. You're going to have to be a lot closer to them and they don't cycle the way a taser does. A taser will have a cycling pattern, just like an electric fence buzz, buzz, buzz. Stun guns are constant. You have to get really close to use them, which means the bad guy can grab you and if you're, then hit the button after they've grabbed you. It's going to make it a lot harder to let go of that button before it causes injury to you as well as the person you're defending yourself against. All of these is to say everybody's got pros and cons. If you have questions about one or the other, please, please… Chapter six in Blackthorn's Protection Magic is a 13,000 word escape innovation course. It's going to tell you how to not only how to get out, but where to go. What to do how, to lose stalkers. How to, what to do if someone's following you home, either on foot or in a car. What to do and how to get away from stalkers. What to do if someone is harassing you online. How to escape rope, duct tape, zip ties, handcuffs, chains anyone who's trying to illegally restrain you. Chapter six I went back and forth over including a chapter on personal security in a book on protection magic, but I feel like if I don't include it, I'm doing a disservice to my community. You won't find a list of punches and kicks. I want everyone to be able to protect themselves the best way they can, no matter their age, ability, health or strength. I'm a black belt and can teach that class in person, but I cannot supervise you at home to make sure you aren't hurt practicing. I fully believe in encouraging the society where, instead of admonishing women not to be assaulted, we teach everyone consent. Sadly, that is not the world in which we currently find ourselves. If you can get away, do it. If you can escape and get to other potential victims to safety too, do it. But get out so you can save yourself and help others if they are affected. If it's only you, you're the only one who can make that decision, and whether or not you choose to report, I believe you, I see you and I stand with you. Again, my name is Amy Blackthorn. We are talking about Blackthorn's Protection Magic, because I want to make sure that you make it home safely at the end of the day. Witches, pagans, heathens. I want to make sure that you have the opportunity to get yourself and your family home safely. I'm not going to tell you that it's not scary outside, but there are things to hope for. Take a deep breath and move forward with the knowledge that you are the only one of you that we have. We can replace pepper spray, we can replace stun guns. We can replace a lot. We cannot get another you. Stay safe.

Corey of Corey’s Cauldron: 12:27

Hi, my name is Corey from Corey's Cauldron. After last week, a lot of people are feeling scared, defeated, nervous, anxious. The list of emotions could really go on. I want to say that these feelings are valid. There's a large part of the community- AFAB individuals, trans individuals, non-binary individuals, queer individuals, non-white individuals, or those that may be perceived in any of these groups that may be experiencing this entire set of emotions. I want to say that now is the time to plan and figure out your options. File any paperwork that you need to file now. Apply for passports, look at possible visa solutions, and start saving money, preferably cash, if you can. Look at options for self-defense and protection. This does not always mean that you have to have a gun. There's pepper spray, pepper, gel tasers, stun guns and even a cotton handkerchief with a functional master lock tied to it can provide a pretty decent defense weapon. Find self-defense resources online or in person, if you can get to them and can afford them and you're physically able. Most importantly, know the local and state laws in regard to your abilities to defend yourself. Stand your ground states work both ways. Also, some states don't allow certain types of self-defense. These are things that you need to know when traveling, be aware of the state that you are traveling to and their laws and regulations around those self-defense items. If you're flying, ensure that you have TSA-approved items in both your checked and carry-on bags so that you don't lose those abilities to protect yourself. Specifically to the LGBTQ plus members out there, know that you are not alone. Part of queer history is that we have been targets by certain religious and political groups since they turned their hateful sights on us. Find your local community, make friends inside your local community, set aside petty squabbles, work through them and if you can't, then don't engage with those that you cannot engage with in a healthy way. But we have to build a support network with each other so that we can all be as safe as possible. To those that tout themselves as allies to the communities I mentioned at the beginning, now is the time to put your actions to your words. There will be moments when you need to speak. Do it. If it makes you momentarily uncomfortable, imagine what it's like for someone who has the identity that you're advocating for. There will be moments when you need to be the person to raise a voice of the minority individual. Do it. Don't talk over them. Put a spotlight on them. There will be moments when you may need to physically defend minority individuals. Do it to the best of your ability. The people in these groups may not feel safe and may need additional backup in that protection. And for everyone listening, I encourage you to look up Green Dot Bystander Intervention Strategies. This is a method of creating safe and healthy and respectful spaces. These are tools that you can use that do all of the above in safer ways. You are not alone in this. Now is the time to show up and show out, however you can mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. If that means you do things from a computer, go for it. Calling local political representatives, that's awesome. Going to protest? Cool. Any action is better than inaction. And as a final reminder, witchcraft has always been a tool of the minority communities to regain control and power from those who look to oppress us. Do not forget that power.

3: 16:07

Hello from your local Canadian witch. I am sending so much love and support and comfort from across the border. Please note that there are many of us here that are thinking very dearly of you, and even overseas I have friends from elsewhere who also feel the same. You are not alone. The world is watching and the world is aware of how disastrous this is. But the world is also there to support you, even if we're a little bit farther away. I simply would like you to remember where your power lies. You have it and you have a lot of it, and you're the only one who can raise it or diminish it. Nobody can take that power away from you. They can put laws into place, they can put limitations on you. They can't take your own personal power away. You are a strong witch and that belongs to you. Please keep that in your heart and reach out to close friends or friends across the border if ever you feel like you need to. Take care.

Lera: 17:35

Hey guys, this is Lera. Whoever is out there listening, you know. Thank you. Thank you for making this community what it is, because, it's true, every single person in this community, every single listener, every single participant or lurker, you make this community what it is. And, in a time of such uncertainty and feelings of helplessness, leaning into our communities, whether they be across the street or across the country, is the most important thing that we can do in addition to keeping our own cups filled and our hearts as light as they can be. Lean into your neighbor, help your neighbor, love your neighbor, and there is no one perfect way or singular way to do that, because we come from all walks of life, all levels of privilege, all abilities. There are things that we can and cannot do with our time and resources, so this is an important time to remember that no contribution is too small. This is an important time to remember that you don't have to be incredibly good at something for it to be valid or valuable, whether that be how you serve your community, or a hobby or craft that you enjoy right now to keep your heart filled and your mind off of things. It does not have to be good or perfect to be valuable, because our very presence amongst each other is the most valuable thing that we can have. I love you guys.

5: 19:33

I think that a lot of my despair and tears on Tuesday and hopelessness was exhaustion more than anything else. Like just exhausted, right, we always have, especially those of us in communities where we don't follow and fall in line with the norm. We've always organized and fought and gotten together, so we're going to keep doing it. It just hurt real bad for all of us because it set us back from progress we had already made a long time ago. So that is, I think, the most disheartening thing that I'm feeling. And then fear, right? Like not only will he set us back, what will he fucking… Like it's pretty frightening and I keep getting a lot of people very, like- “It's gonna be fine, it's just four years.” And it's like we're lucky if it's gonna be four years because there's things he wants to undo.

I don't like that. People and I get it some of them are saying it for themselves so that they can stop focusing on the impending doom they're feeling but four years is a long time, guys, it's not. Yeah, it goes by fast and it feels short, but really in a human life four years is a long time. You know it's also privileged to just go “Oh, it's only four years.” What if you don't make it through the four years? You know what I mean. Like, there's just a lot of people just keep throwing their privilege around in that sense, and it's frustrating and I think that we need to keep discussing it until we're okay. And I mean I don't, I know we probably will never be okay, okay, but until we can all collectively function together and do the work again, some more continue, right. But something I was talking to my friend. I met her through the dance functions I used to go to, and she's super frightened as well. We need to keep connecting, we need to keep uniting, we need to keep talking, having conversations. Again, a lot of what our problem is is those of us on the opposite side have branches of sides and we can't seem to collectively get along just to get an election won. You know what I mean? And that is our problem. And that is a tactic, like [blank] was saying, on the Republican side. How do they further divide us, how do they further make us mad at each other? Right, so we have to recognize when that's happening and do what we can to mend that amongst each other. So those of us, like I realized that I have privilege in the fact that my day job does not get affected really by anything that I post, and I've worked to have a day job that way. I've had day jobs before where I'm not allowed and I'm like, excuse me?  You only pay me like $11 an hour, I'm not allowed, get out of here. And also, I live in a community that's fairly safe for me. We have worked very hard, Chicanx people, to make [blank] a safe space for us, so I don't have fear. I also don't fear anyone in my community and I have a, that's a privilege as well, so I'm utilizing my platform bravely. Also, I don't give a shit what my family thinks and most of them already have known that my whole life I've always been like this, so they don't really give me that much grief for being who I am. So because I don't really have grief to overshare, I make sure I overshare and I'm loud, because I've had a lot of people with my posts reach out to me privately. A lot. And tell me they're feeling the same, but they don't feel comfortable sharing it publicly, or they are, you know. They've just reached out to me not to check on me, I mean in addition to checking on me, but also to let me know how they're feeling. And so those of us who can be able to share out loud, like you are showing… you are showing people you're a safe space to confide in, to unite with, to work with and someday, help them to get brave enough to continue to utilize their platform. Hopefully these platforms don't ever get taken away from us, right? So that we can continue to unite and get in numbers, get stronger in energy, get stronger and make more indents and imprints in the changes that we make, and the marks that we leave. This is one of my goals, has always been one of my goals. And because I've been loud like this and because I've been brave, I've connected with people like [blank] who I would have otherwise not been able to meet had I not put myself out there. I've connected with you guys. We continue to connect with each other. We continue to find more people that are like-minded. So be brave. It's hard. And when you're ready, you know, all our grieving processes are different and take time, but every now and then you get a surprise. You give somebody that chance, you hear them or whatever, and they aren't a fucking racist or bigot or homophobic asshole, and then that's how you connect with community. But not everybody has the spoons and the patience and the mental health, you know, place to want to do that. And so I understand. It's fucking scary. And so I think each of us right now are trying to find where we go from- like now what? How do I pull myself out of this fright to be effective, for whoever we’re fighting for, including ourselves, right? And so I love you, and I love all of you, and I'm hoping we can all find where that is soon. But when you're ready, and you can do what- do what you can, but when you're ready to be brave and reach out or share with other people, it makes a big difference.

Lindsay of The Rusted Rabbit: 26:53

Hey y'all. It's Lindsay here from the Rusted Rabbit. I just wanted to remind you that you are loved, valued and supported always. I love you so much. I know that the world is on fire right now and it's going to get tough, but you're not alone. We'll get through this together. We have a beautiful community and we're really lucky for that. We have a lot of support. Take care of yourselves and each other. Oh, also a reminder that emergency contraceptives have a shelf life of four years, so maybe stock up on a few of those, All right, I love you so much.

Madame Pamita: 27:34

Hi, this is Madame Pamita and I want to reach out to all my friends who are women, people of color, lgbtq, immigrants. I am with you, I love you, I care about you, I see you and I am with you. If you experience any kind of harassing messages, any text messages or any kind of documentable harassment based on your gender, your sexual orientation, your ethnicity, your immigrant status- reach out to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Sorry, I stumbled on that. SPL Center is where you can find them online. They will help you and they will support you. And if you want to find a good organization that you would like to support with your donations, SPL Center is a great place to make a donation to fight fascism and to fight racism and sexism and homophobia.

Popcorn Daddy: 28:30

Hey y'all. It's Popcorn Daddy here, just checking in, wanted to remind you that you are loved and you are safe right now. You have a lot of really beautiful community around you, so make sure that you are spending time and putting energy into that and putting energy into that. Get out, be around the people that you know you're safe with, and yeah, don't lose sight of that. We're going to get through it. I know this shit's really scary right now, but we're going to find a way. Yeah, we will make beauty in the darkness and I'm looking forward to doing that together with you guys. So yeah, Popcorn Daddy out.

Kacie of Kacie’s Corner: 29:30
Hey y’all. This is Kacie from Kacie’s Corner, and various other corners of the witchyverse. I know this past week has been scary for so many of us, and for some of y'all, this fear is a very new feeling. As a queer bipolar witch in Texas with a uterus that's tried to assassinate them multiple times, this fear is nothing new for me. As the daughter of a lesbian, I was born to this fear. As the daughter of an abusive man, I was raised in it. Fear has controlled me for most of my life. It continues to control a fair amount of this world. While science and spirituality can tell us, we cannot think clearly or make rational decisions when we are trapped in the constant state of fear. It is so hard to see that, and to know that, when we are in the thick of it and when we are feeling so alone. You are not alone. I had to learn a long time ago that fear must be embraced and transformed into something new and more powerful. I learned to turn my fear into a powerful force for community building and healing others like myself. So you are not alone in this work. There is an army of community builders, of healers and resources ready for you to join us in the resistance. Find your strength in this darkness and know that you are just one of a sea of stars working to light up this dark night. You're a witch after all. We've got work to do, so take care of yourself and I'll see you out there. I love you, guys.

Raechel Henderson: 31:19

I love you guys. Hey witches, this is Raechel Henderson, and I'm just letting you know that you are not alone. Things are really tough right now and I'm not going to say that they're going to be okay, but what I want you to remember is that you're not alone. So take care of yourself, and find your group and your people, and work together to make a safe space for you all. I really don't know what much more else to say than that, but just take care of yourself. That's it. I love you.

Sabine: 31:54

Get up. 

Get 

up.

A decade ago, I wrote a poem as I was coming out of five years of advocacy work. It was a poem about being bone-tired in battle. That battle is over, but the war continues. My role is different in this coming battle. I recognize it and I honor it. I am not a soldier, but an activist in this war.

What I refuse is to be a victim. I would embolden all of you listening to crawl deep within yourself. Find your fire, your passion, your strength, no matter how small it seems right now.

If it is laced with fear right now, that's okay. Every good soldier and activist has fear. Every enlightened being has fear.

But I beg you, do not sit with fear for long, for she likes how it creates solitude within you. Pray to your gods and your goddesses. Leave offerings, do your spell work. Honor the women and the witches that have come before you, that fought battles. Don't let them see you lay down their swords. Their swords.

Twenty years ago, I broke out of the broom closet and I refuse to go back. I revisit teachings of Starhawk, Layla Holtite, Malala Yousafzai, Hepatia, Frida Kahlo, all the female suffragettes. Whomever you need to sit with, whatever teachings you need to sit with to gather yourself and your strength, I beg you, please do it. 

Get up. 

Let the current politicians see your tears and assume that they are seasoned only with fear. It's up to us as women, as witches, to season them secretly with courage and resistance as well.

Be the good kitchen witch. 

Get up. 

You are the next generation of women in a century-old global fight to exist as we know that we should. For centuries, our foremothers all over the world have fought for this. Get up, even if it is tomorrow, next week, next month. 

Get up, otherwise they have won and your foremother's efforts are wasted. 

Get up, because fear is finite and love is infinite. 

Witches, rise.

Get up. 

Since the election news, I have sat in prayer and all I can hear are the words get up.

My name is Sabine.

I will rise.

Theresa Mariesa: 35:28

Hi friends, Theresa Mariesa here, I just wanted to hop in and say that I love you all. I'm sending you all forehead kisses, lots of love, lots of support, and we will get through this in community. So stay in touch, reach out to the people that you can trust, reach out to the people that you love and that love you and know that we will make it through this time together. Love you, guys. Forehead kisses.

DaNae of Witchy Woman Podcast: 36:00

Hey, it's DaNae from Witchy Woman Podcast. Thank you to Kim for allowing us to come on here and give you guys a little snippet of what we have to say. I want everybody to understand that whatever you're feeling right now, it- really. Whatever the emotion is, it's valid. It's valid, and also allow yourself the time to work through that. There's no timeline, there's no deadline, there's no expectations on getting back to whatever normal is going to be. So allow yourself the time. Sit with it. If thinking day to day is giving you anxiety, think moment to moment. Think what do I have to do this hour? What am I going to do the next hour? So the more overwhelmed you become, the smaller increments of time you think forward into. Does that make sense? I hope so. It's something that my therapist taught me and it's actually serving me pretty well right now. So I try not to think about too much in the future. I know we have to, because adulting. However, for the most part, I'm thinking about what I have to do from hour to hour, from day to day. That's it. I highly suggest doing something every day for a mindfulness practice, or meditating, or something like that, and that means a lot of different things for a lot of different people. Mindfulness and meditation doesn't have to be what you typically see online on those perfect Instagram accounts and things like that. That's not what it has to look like for you. It could be five minutes of staring into the abyss in complete silence. If that's what brings you comfort and helps you center, do it. It could be journaling. It might be a nature walk or tending to your, you know, inside plants. Lately, for me, it's just stretching my body really good and then grabbing a candle. Like I have these little tea light candles. And I scream and yell at it and I get all of my rage out into this candle and then I burn. It Sounds crazy and I- oh God, I can- I'm so glad I live in the middle of fucking nowhere because people think I'm crazy. Another little tool that I've been using from my therapist is to be intentional in finding joy daily. It may sound completely unattainable and I get that, but hear me out. So this is what I'm doing. You do you, but this is what I’m doing. So every morning, as part of my routine, I turn on some music. So right now, it's whatever is going to bring me some kind of glimmer of joy. So right now it's 90s rap because I grew up in the and my high school years were in the 90s. So I've got like 90s rap and then super ragey metal music and I just bounce back and forth for about five, 10 minutes however long I freaking want to or have time for, and I sing along, I scream, I rap, I dance all over my kitchen, my living room, whatever. But I'm doing the things, I'm trying, and some days it does not feel good. But usually, even if I'm not having a good time, even if I'm not vibing with the music, I will end up smiling because I know I look like a freaking fool. Like I know I've got to look absolutely ridiculous, like singing and dancing in my living room. So try something. Whatever that is for you. Also, another thing I want to mention is creating community, and I know not everybody is going to be able to do this. However, if you feel safe, community, in-person type stuff, is going to mean a lot, and it's going to be very, very valuable for us. Feeling like you have a safe space, like you have a safe place to learn and to grow and to heal, and creating some kind of like meetup, or maybe you just hang out once a month with your friends and do witchy shit, whatever that is. Make an effort to see each other, in person, if you can. If you cannot, we have online spaces. Like there's plenty of online spaces even within the podcast, like the witchy podcast community. There are so many spaces on all kinds of different social media platforms that you can connect with other people, and learn from each other, commiserate, celebrate your joys and your successes. That's going to be very, very important. I'm going to leave you with a small tidbit of advice and then I'm going to go, but remember to drink your water, wash your ass and ask for help if you need it. Okay?

Didi from My Awesome Didi Tarot and Studios: 40:24

Hi, this is Didi, from my Awesome Didi Tarot and and studios, and I wanted to remind us about the laws of as above, so below, and stars. Yeah, the stars that we love to group into constellations. The same stars that we use to navigate us over eons, over oceans.  The same stars that we wish upon as they're hurling through space. I took a little quote off of the interwebs and it goes like this: 

“A star is born when atoms, of light elements, are squeezed under enough pressure for their nuclei to undergo fusion. All stars are the result of a balance of forces. The force of gravity compresses atoms in an interstellar gas until the fusion reactions begin. Once the fusion reactions begin, they exert in an outward pressure. As long as the inward force of gravity and the outward force generated by the fusion reactions are equal, the star will remain stable.”

As above, so below. And as we are driven inward, as humans, back into ourselves, as we remain mindful of who we are and who we want to be in just those moments, that's what's creating our outward force of evolution, our outward shine. And sometimes we don't know who's counting on us and who's wishing on us, but they are, and it could be a long time before we actually even notice that someone was looking to us for guidance. We are stardust, we are eternal and we are also mortal, and that is our plight, that is our purpose: to bring meaning to these mortal coils. I hope that was insightful. Sending all my love, Didi.

Kim: 43:01

Thanks for listening. If you were able to contribute, then know that I appreciate you so much, and if you weren't, for whatever reason, I hope that things get better. I don't know if there will be an episode next week because I don't have anything pre-recorded and everything sucks right now, basically, and not just for me. Because I don't know if I can do a good interview, and the people that I would talk to are also struggling, so I don't know if there will be an episode next week or not. I'll be back the week after, definitely, but we'll see about next week. I will try, I will do my best and I hope you do your best too. Be nice to yourself. Try to be nice to those people around you who deserve it… maybe even if they don't deserve it. I love you.