“Inauguratio was in general the ceremony by which the augurs obtained, or endeavoured to obtain, the sanction of the gods to something which had been decreed by man; in particular, however, it was the ceremony by which things or persons were consecrated to the gods .... If the signs observed by the inaugurating priest were thought favourable, the decree of men had the sanction of the gods, and the inauguratio was completed. [William Smith (ed.), "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities," 1842] –etymonline.com
How will you be spending January 20? Will you be remembering Martin Luther King, one of the world’s greatest luminaries? Maybe you plan to protest (or celebrate) the swearing-in of the new U.S. president. Or perhaps you’ll be hunkering down and avoiding all of it, looking for distractions, hoping you can go to sleep and wake up when it’s all over.
I want to offer a different focus for you for this auspicious day:
How about inaugurating you?
Let’s have etymonline.com help us out with the origins of “augur,” which were "...ancient Roman functionaries whose duty was to observe and interpret auspices, or reputed natural signs concerning future events,"
An essential element of patriarchy has been the insertion of a hierarchy of men between humans and God. Catholics have relied on the stepwise roles from Deacons to Priests to Bishops to Archbishops to Cardinals to finally the Pope, as intercessors that will sort out what God is trying to communicate to the rest of us mere mortals. Protestants have relied on the chain of Deacons to Elders to Pastors to Senior Pastors. Even Western religions that might seem to have extracted hierarchy rely on such designated leaders (eg, Rabbis) to interpret the wishes of the Almighty.
Hierarchy can be very comforting, promoting the idea that there is someone (most likely a man) in charge. That clarity can be especially reassuring during times of great change, allowing us to rest in a belief that there is a strong man who will protect us and tell us what to do.
What I’ve found in my work, however, is that there are instant downsides to the dynamics of Power Over and Power Under that compose hierarchy. While its speedy directness can be an efficient response to immediate threat, survival threats are typically rare, and generally transitory. The hormones generated from a perceived threat can create a deceptive sense of aliveness and well-being, nudging us to keep hitting the threat lever through our thoughts and behaviors. We end up stuck in a cycle of power struggle and escalation, believing that our reactivity is life.
It’s not.
Life is about connecting deeply to self, and others, and all of nature. True aliveness comes from being aligned with and expressing our essential self. And it turns out, we never actually needed anybody between us and God/Spirit/Life.* If we're willing to move down through the layers of our reactivity, we’ll find our own connection to the biggest wisdom, and can discover our own answers.
How about if January 20 is our collective day to inaugurate ourselves into being the source of our own existence? That we use our inborn ability to tune into birds and other omens of nature, and get direction about how we can lead ourselves into the world of the unknown? That we use this day to celebrate how humans are natural cocreators with nature, not dominators or victims, but equal partners in tuning into the highest truths of our existence?
Your power has never been about who has been deemed “at the top.” It comes directly from your connection to your deepest self, the part that was born from divinity and whose energy coexists with the deepest creative forces of the universe. I see that in you, and in me, and in all beings on this planet.
To spark your thoughts about your own ceremony, here are some ideas about how to inaugurate yourself:
Create your own sacred circle.
Take time to settle your body, breathing in and out slowly down to the ground, then imagining your breath going up through the top of your head. Imagine your body is a conduit between heaven and earth.
Say some words of inauguration, maybe something like:
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully connect with my deepest self, trusting my inner guidance to lead my next step. I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and cocreate with Nature, knowing that every cell of my being is connected to all of life.”
Once you step out of your circle, notice how many of us are there, doing the same. Together we can link, like endless strands of spectacular individual diamonds strung together. We find each other to learn from, to be inspired by, to lean into for support. We dazzle as we whirl into an infinity of possible cocreations.
Now is when you get to put on your best clothes and go dancing all night long. Let’s celebrate life!
*Of course, countless spiritual traditions have believed this all along.
Beautiful! Excellent idea, inaugurating myself! Every sentence resonates. Thank you.