Yes, of course, we are stunned, dumbstruck, incredulous, heartbroken. But what on earth can we do about it?  Here are seven “first responder” suggestions, to begin to heal:

1. We can go ahead, bitch, moan, complain, tear out our hair, even throw up, lay down on the linoleum, cry, pound our fists, kick our feet. That’s only natural. But then we need to shut it off, 10 minutes, max. We need to conserve what energy we have left —mental, emotional, physical. We’re surrounded by barbarians.
2. Let’s just pause, for a moment. Not even think. Pause until we can be grateful again for being able to take another breath, surrounded as we are by this mysterious circus tent under which human evolution proceeds. What an ugly, “bearded lady, plastic man” show we have seen these last six months. So let’s just pause, for a moment, take a deep breath. The sun, 93 million miles away, which came up again today, was not that moved by the final count.
3. We can pray: “Forgive them Father (Mother, Gaia, Allah, Brahma, Nityananda, Da) for they know not what they do. We would this cup pass from our lips, but nevertheless, not our will but thine be done.”
4. We can keep putting our garbage out on trash day. We can take comfort knowing that not all of our communal systems are so broken.
5. We can let go of, or at least loosen our grip on that faulty “democrat/republican” identity which was forced upon us. Yes, we are U.S. political citizens, but before we were U.S. citizens we were, when first born, simply citizens of the biological world, planetary citizens, world citizens. We are, fundamentally, part of a human family that knows no borders (no red or blue states.) It’s time for us to once again act from this truer, more fundamental identity. We’re so much more than “for or against?” Time to let go of political identities.
6. We can keep the faith. We are, after all, still mostly safe. Let’s remember that, in spite of this seeming craziness, people in general, on a daily, walk-around basis, are basically okay, compassionate to each other, often even rational, or at least practical. This election was a perfect example of the “madness of crowds.” (In crowds, people can be led to say and do things they would not otherwise say and do.) In line at the post office, let’s wiggle our fingers at the two year old staring up at us in wonder. Down deep, we all want the same, “wiggle of fingers” from our fellow strangers. Let’s stop, as soon as we can, holding a grudge. Let’s wiggle our fingers, when opportunity avails.
7. As the dust is settling, let’s try to understand how it happened. (“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”) This may take a while. Why were (let’s admit) a majority of the ordinary people here in this land so alienated from the Democratic party that this mean, angry, untruthful, basically unhappy and unethical man could win their support? How do our current (mostly economic) institutions leave so many people out, make people feel so alienated that this man’s irrational, dangerous, self-serving rhetoric makes sense to them?

From our own experience we know that most people want the best in life, first for themselves and their families, and then for the community at large. Obviously, the candidate the democrats put forth did not embody that dream for the majority of people.

For many of us, we do feel there’s a new consciousness happening here on the earth, a consciousness  which allows us to see and feel the singularity of the human family. Clearly, Donald does not express this new consciousness. Let’s admit, neither did Hilary. Perhaps—just perhaps—the political arena is not the arena in which this new consciousness will be expressed.

So, as best we can, let’s shake the dust from our feet, as we are encouraged to do, and move on. Donald will soon see that he does not have the power to stop this new world, this new consciousness , this new whole-planet life many of us are now here experiencing. We will continue to work, day by day, to bring a little more compassion, a little more understanding and truth—even a little more gaiety — to the room where we are. No politician has the power to stop this simple human work. Our understanding of our continuing potential, in these dark days, keeps the light burning.