Capital #4b: DC

December 5, 2023

My takeaways:

1. Stuck: The seed represents “potential,” but it was stuck between two equal forces (the porch swing panels). If that potential would become unstuck, we’d have to be careful how we removed the seed.

2. Toxicity: Additionally, I began feeling nauseous shortly into my prayer time. I think the issue was that I had to use the bathroom - and the only solution was to “remove the waste” (Sorry if that’s TMI). 

Obviously, this describes the political state of DC. So it would be interesting to see how these two points played out in my prayer time.

Phone

My Nashville drama left me with PTSD about missing another flight, so I left extremely early. I left at 5:30 for a 9:15 am flight. I caught my Lyft ride with no issue. But about 10 minutes from the airport, I realized I had left my phone at home!!!!! 🤬🤬🤬

My LYFT driver was pretty chill and helpful. Offered to call my phone to make sure it wasn’t hidden in all my stuff. Nope, it wasn’t in the car. He took me back home. I walked into the house, and my phone was sitting on the coffee table in the hallway.

Fortunately, I left so early that I went back to the airport and through TSA with plenty of time to catch my flight.

• Oh, Atlanta Lyft driver also said US is the new Rome. When you look at some of the buildings in DC, the architecture speaks to a reflection of Rome/Greece. Nevermind the morals as well 

• On a funny note, he said he had just picked up some food from WF and put it in his trunk. Picked up a couple and he heard a voice saying, “They’re gonna take your food.” He normally gets out of the car as a courtesy when he drives. But this time he didn’t even though he heard that voice. Sure enough they took his food. He went back to the house and lights were dark like they weren’t home. He didn’t pursue it. But that’s how we started talking about intuition.

So I (and my text-mate!) thoroughly enjoyed our conversation!

Being "Stuck"

Land Acknowledgment

After my trip to DC, I was scheduled to fly to Syracuse University to attend a conference titled “The Religious Origins of White Supremacy: Doctrine of Christian Discovery.” I had been reading some about Land Acknowledgements and thought it would be important in each city to acknowledge before God the Indigenous people who initially inhabited and stewarded this land before it was stolen from them. However, I recognize that land acknowledgments are “nice” but not nearly enough. Saying, “Yeah, about stealing your land…sorry we took yo’ s---, but we ain’t giving it back,” is not restitution. I felt it was important to start acknowledging whose lands we were on and then to pray for the land. 

This is the first city where I would use the trauma prayer I remembered in preparation for my Nashville trip. I Googled which tribe possessed the land before European colonizers “discovered” or “invaded” the land. I didn't capture the names in my notes, but using a helpful tool I discovered via the Religious Origins of White Supremacy conference, I can share the names of the tribes with you: The Piscataway and Nacotchtank (Anacostan) tribes.

The Race

I saw a group recording a commercial for a TV show called The Race. Here is the show description from the internet: Go on the road with Scripps News as we travel to communities across the country to have real conversations with voters about what's impacting their everyday lives and give you a true perspective on where each political party stands.

It sounds very similar to my prayer journey, traveling from city to city, except my focus is prayer vs. interviews. I took it as a confirmation that my prayer tours are what I'm supposed to be doing. And we each have a unique way that we each can contribute to the quality of life in our respective countries. 

Sandra Day O'Connor

I noticed that the flags all around the Capitol and at the SCOTUS building were at half-mast. I asked a Capital Guard why. Sandra Day O’Connor’s death. Since SCOTUS was right across the street, I prayed on that property as well. Below are images from SCOTUS grounds. Since it right across the street, I took it as an opportunity to pray on those grounds as well given the types of decisions it will be making in the months leading up to the 2024 US Elections in November.