“Hope” [ is the thing with feathers]
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Oh, in the way the world is today, we see purpose. We seek fulfillment. We seek well-being. We seek authenticity in relationships. Funny thing “HOPE”: It is something beyond our actual real ken; It is a way we try to remain open, in case something better might happen; It is some kind of high-leveled trust; It is not in our control but is our mental action (and sometimes, spiritual) that makes things bearable. It something belonging to the family of FAITH. Yes, I think that’s what I think.
Elpis was a Greek Goddess of Hope. (according to 8th Century myth-maker/poet, Hesiod). I am sure you have heard of Pandora’s Box. Well, it wasn’t a box, although we have been told that as stories warp. It was a Jar. See, there were a bunch of negative emotions and experiences all put into a jar: death, old age, plague, sorrow, toil, war, etc. But one positive was put in the jar: Hope. Well, Pandora, who was like First Woman, opened that jar and all escaped…except HOPE/Elpis, who remained. She chose to stay in the jar and be a comfort to mankind. Pandora had been told not to open that jar. This is said to be how divine grace is not lost in all the chaos that can occur...things of fate...things we choose to find or finds us. Elpis/HOPE is an enduring spark within us.
Hope is what causes us to be humble, to be open, no matter what comes in our life. It gets us going on through hard things. We refuse to give up, when hope is there. Things will get better…there is a light at the end of dark tunnels, end of darkness as dawn approaches. And sometimes, we think things don’t get better and they may not, but there is available, a change in us to bear it, to surrender to it, to walk step by step through tough things, uncertain though we may be.
Oh, there are lots of professional and non-professional fixes. I think Hope is something about endurance. It is about, somehow, sometimes in spite of ourselves, that gets us through. Perhaps it is a spiritual kind of trust. Perhaps it is a silent but significant force, beyond reality. Perhaps it is part of healing. Perhaps it is a bit of all.
I figure, if we think we do not have it, it can be learned. Perhaps we need to be patience in the dark nights of our soul. And, it has something to do with fierce courage. WE reclaim it, sometimes at the last moment. It is a determined, perhaps, stubborn, stance, part of ego. It is there when we confront our fears. When we are attune to our HOPE, it helps us get on with things. We change. We transform.
Hope is what comes before action. It is a sacred gift. It is optimism wrought from the fires being human can bring. It withstands outer and inner chaos and tough things. We are surely complex beings. We want purpose, significance, to achieve, to contribute, to nurture, to seek and have meaning. These things are under the umbrella of hope.
This is what keeps us going. This is what keeps me going. Sometimes Hope has been a whisper. Sometimes Hope has yelled at me. And again…I hope in spite of myself, betimes.
Be attuned to HOPE, sisterfriends.
©Carol Desjarlais 21.07.26
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