Asking For What You Really Want…by Mary Gelfand

As no doubt everyone reading this knows, this election season is full of twists and turns and highly unpredictable.  I struggle daily with ways to manage my stress without destroying my health.

As a practicing Wiccan, my faith does not encourage me to curse or ill-wish anyone, no matter how tempted I may be.  In response to that, I wanted to create something I could do on a daily basis to promote the electoral outcome I desire from a spiritual perspective.  A long-forgotten quote from Rumi provided me with the key to what I want.  “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.  Don’t go back to sleep.  You must ask for what you really want.”

“You must ask for what you really want.”   As a woman reared in the south in the 1950s, I am not really accustomed to asking for what I want.  So Rumi quote liberated me.  I can ask for what I really want as the outcome of this election.  Although I completely support the only feminist candidate, what I really want is a president that embodies certain traits and characteristics that, from my perspective, make a strong and creative leader.  So I’ve created a simple little ritual that anyone can do that gives me a framework to ask for what I really want—to spread my prayers and intentions to the cosmos.

This ritual begins with the Elements of Life, from the Wiccan perspective:  Air, Fire, Water & Earth.  Each element is associated with a cardinal direction –Air–east, Fire–south, Water–west and Earth—north.  Each element is also  associated with certain traits and human characteristics.

I created a simple altar with a candle in each direction and a fifth candle in the middle for center.  Before I light the candles, I prepare myself in whatever way feels right that day.  Sometimes I drum, dance, or sing.  Other times I meditate.  Then I stand or sit facing the altar, take a few deep breaths, and focus on what I really want.  I always begin in the east—home of sunrise and new beginnings.

I light the Air candle in the east and ask for what I really want, as associated with the elements of Air.  I may say “May we elect a president who has integrity, is intelligent, and has excellent communication skills.  Blessed Be.”  I don’t say the same thing every day.   Some days I ask for communication skills, some days I ask for someone who understands our national need for a new beginning—a new day, a new sunrise.

Then I move to the Fire candle in the south and ask for someone who brings the gifts of Fire to the presidency.  “May we elect a president who brings their passion and will to  serving the people of this country—a president who understands the kind of transformation this nation needs to be reunited as a whole.” 

Moving to the west/water, I light the candle and say “May we elect a president who is good with relationships, acts with compassion, and understands the need for healing so prevalent in this country.

Finally, as I light the north/Earth candle, I ask for a president who is grounded in the physical realities of Earth and is committed to protecting Earth, our cosmic home, from the destruction brought about by greed and selfishness.

With four candles burning, I turn to the center candle.  Here I ask for a president who embodies all of these qualities and is also a feminist.  I close the ritual by saying “So Mote It Be.”

If I’m feeling so inclined, I sit with this altar for a while before extinguishing the candles.  But if it’s a busy day, I extinguish the candles and move on.  At no point do I name names or specify which candidate I want to elect.  I want to elect a leader with these particular qualities, which I believe will make a good president.  If my anxiety level is high, I may do this ritual a couple of times a day. 

I know that other faith traditions have different associations for each element.  I use the language and understandings of my faith, but your faith would work just as well as long as the language is focused on affirming the kind of leadership you want to see in the White House.

If this simple ritual appeals to you, please feel free to share widely.  I believe that whatever energy I put out in the universe will come back to me times three.  So I’m putting out positive and life-affirming energy along with the request that we as a nation elect a president with these qualities. 

My closing quote is attributed to many people, including Confucius, Eleanor Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy, but who said it doesn’t really matter.  Today I choose to light a candle rather than curse the darkness.  I invite you to do the same.  The more candles we feminists light, the brighter our light will shine.  Blessed Be.