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This episode of Living Myth begins with the roots of the word inauguration, which Michael Meade traces back to “an installation and consecration” that happens when the “omens are favorable.” In ancient times, the date for an investiture would only be chosen after signs indicated an auspicious moment for a new beginning.
The modern world runs on fixed schedules that typically ignore the subtleties of omens and auguries, leaving us looking for auspicious signs within pre-scripted programs. When it comes to inaugurating a new administration amidst a tragic pandemic and widespread uncertainty, the signs and symbols may have enhanced importance.
Beginning with the words "to heal, we must remember," Meade reflects upon the memorial ritual held the night before the formal inauguration began. The symbolic lighting of 400 lamps to honor the loss of over 400,000 souls to the coronavirus presented the kind of healing moment the soul of the nation needs. For many ancient people, the moments “between sundown and dusk” were considered auspicious and symbolic of a time when one thing can turn into another. In that sense, acknowledging our shared losses and wounds makes a path to healing more possible. In the end, what brings us together and makes unity possible is not simply our shared history, but rather the recognition of our shared woundedness and the stirring of the deep longing in each human soul to find healing and pathways to wholeness and renewal.
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