Weathering the US Election with the Hymn of Dikē (Justice)

My cat Comet on my terrace, where I recorded this audio. He interrupted my recordings several times this morning looking for pets.

Nota bene: I wanted to get this out today, so I didn’t bother with a lot of audio tinkering. I’m trying to practice self-care by letting myself release imperfect works-in-progress rather than trying to pretend that that I’m not chronically ill, or that slick perfection is a virtue we should all be seeking.

It’s been a week since last Tuesday’s devastating election results here in the States. As the US and the world face the impact, I thought I’d remind you all about the free translation of the Hymn of Dikē, or Justice, I released last year in response to the events of October 7th and the then-nascent war in Gaza.

The Orphic Hymn to Justice (Dikē)

The recording I’ve done here contains a brief intro and two versions of the Hymn (in Ancient Greek first, then my English translation). I offer them to you now to use in whatever devotional (or any other type of) practice you might have.

Here’s my thought: While the world and media (somewhat understandably) dive deep into scenarios of fear and despair, we can turn our own attention to what we DO want for the world, and put our energy towards embodying Justice in our own lives.

For some of us, that will look like action in the streets, or engaging in mutual aid societies, or creating networks of refuge for the persecuted. For others of us - the disabled, the housebound, the homeless or imprisoned, to name a few - physical action may not be an option. But nearly all of us can engage in prayer and reflection, and in practicing BEING Justice in our own lives, however narrow or restricted our circumstances find us.

One of my key takeaways from this hymn is on Justice as BALANCE. As in scales. As in the midpoint of equilibrium between sometimes wildly disparate poles. Think Libra. Think carefully weighing alternatives and course-correcting (or adding more weight to one side or the other) when the poles swing too far towards EITHER side. Think Peace not as a static state or the triumph of one side over the other, but as a carefully maintained dynamic balance. Like the complex mechanisms of homeostasis in a living body, which Dikē is, being a Goddess.

I’ll talk a bit more about Dikē (and some tentative links I’ve found to Her place in the stars) in our upcoming Live Chat on 11/17 at 2pm EST, but for now, I offer you these recordings and the link to my written translation.

✨✨Kristin

My cat Venus also enjoys the view. Whereas Comet provides loud purrs and comic relief, Venus is the vigilant guardian of our little pride.