“If you’re really listening, if you’re awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; its purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold evermore wonders.”~ Andrew Harvey

Sacred Activism: A Personal Reflection from the Trenches

This is a call to action. Love in action.

Our world is cracking open. Every day brings more division, more shouting across chasms, more fear. And in the middle of it, I keep returning to this one question: How do I show up with love, even here?

For me, the answer is sacred activism.

Sacred activism is about putting your deepest values into action—not just when it’s easy or when everyone agrees with you, but especially when it’s hard. It’s about staying rooted in love, even while you’re standing firm against injustice. As my teacher and inspiration Andrew Harvey puts it, “Sacred activism is the fusion of the deepest mystical knowledge with focused, wise, radical action in the world.”

That’s exactly what I experienced at the “No Kings” protest in my small town.

The protest was our collective way of pushing back against rising authoritarianism, and a world devoid of love. In a world where so many focus on their individual agendas rather than compassion for all, especially people that are marginalized. As a psychologist, I’ve watched my LGBT clients shrink in fear, my elders terrified that they will no longer have access to healthcare, and even younger Latino clients tearful that their families could be torn apart.

We had a lot we could have rallied against, but instead of picking up angry signs or shouting slogans—we did something different.

We made the bold choice to show up without signs, especially the kind that can feed hate or deepen the divide. Instead, we asked ourselves: What does democracy actually mean to us? And how do we show that meaning—not just with words, but with presence?

So we came together and created synchronized display of the American flag.

Not the kind of flag that’s been hijacked by one political identity or another. This was a flag lifted by all of us—elders, veterans, teens, and immigrants. It stretched across the athletic field, held up by dozens of hands, like a living mural. It wasn’t about a spectacle—it was about unity.

It was about reclaiming something sacred.

In that moment, the flag became a shared heartbeat. It didn’t belong to one side or another. It was ours. Not a weapon, not a brand, but a prayer.

Sacred activism is about acting from your center, from your heart, even when the world feels unrecognizable. It’s about refusing to meet hate with more hate. It’s about aligning what you believe with how you live—and letting love lead the way.

To me, it means asking: What breaks my heart, and what is mine to do?

We have a shared responsibility to one another. This means protecting the most vulnerable whether in this country or somewhere else. It means saying, “I will not become what I oppose.”

Andrew Harvey warns that in times like these, we often fall into the trap of denying what is or turning away because it is too much. We either retreat into silence because it all feels too much, or we rush into action without nourishing the soul. Sacred activism is the bridge. It’s the fire and stillness. It’s prayer and protest.

Spiritual truths share the commonality of leading our lives through the lens of the Divine within. Is your inner Divine loving and compassionate? Or autocratic and condemning? While very few would actually acknowledge the later version of the Divine, it’s important to ask if you are willing to lead life grounded in your values.

Staying Grounded When the World is on Fire

For most of us, one of the hardest parts of sacred activism is staying centered. The news cycle is overwhelming. I’ve tried it all–news and social media fasts, looking only at the headlines, getting my news from the most balanced sources I can. It’s still overwhelming at times. It’s easy to burn out, or worse—to become numb.

Here are a few things that help me stay connected to my own sacred center:

1. Start the day in stillness. Even five minutes of silence or breathwork helps me remember who I am before I jump into the chaos. I alternate sacred stillness with chanting Om Shanti Om—an invocation of peace.

2. Connect with your body. Sacred activism is embodied. I walk barefoot in my yard (earthing), place a hand over my heart before difficult conversations, and return to the breath again and again.

3. Meet with kindred spirits. I have people I talk with regularly—friends who remind me of my values, my voice, and the bigger picture.

4. Practice lovingkindness and forgiveness. I send love to those I struggle to understand. We all have these people. Can you try that? The love and forgiveness isn’t for them, but for me. I need to stay soft and open.

5. Make beauty. I create. I write. I listen to music. Sacred activism doesn’t have to be bleak. Sometimes the most radical thing we can do is create beauty in a hurting world.

6. Rest. Sacred activism is about serving others, but also myself. It’s about taking time to rest when I need to.

7. Serve someone with tenderness. I look for ways to care for someone more vulnerable than I am—whether that’s a neighbor, a beloved pet, or even the planet itself.

If you’re feeling the call to sacred activism, you don’t need to wait for the perfect moment. You can begin right now, with what you have, exactly where you are. Start with what breaks your heart. Maybe it’s climate change. Maybe it’s racism. Maybe it’s book bans or animal rights. Whatever it is—let that heartbreak be your compass. It doesn’t have to be on a grand scale. Do what resonates.

When you lead from your heart, you don’t have to yell. You just have to be authentic. Your voice, when rooted in compassion, can move mountains. This is love in action.

What I felt at the protest wasn’t just resistance. We were saying “yes” to something bigger. To a way of being that holds space for disagreement without hatred. In times like these, it’s easy to lose heart. But sacred activism helps us come back to it—again and again. There is a paraphrased sentiment of Andrew Harvey’s work reminds us, “When the heart breaks open, it becomes a fountain of compassion and wisdom.”

Let’s be those fountains. Let’s show up—flawed and human and whole—for the world we want to build.

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