Hope is the thing with feathers, 1st stanza of Emily Dickinson's poem

What’s So on “the Outside”

These are heavy times; some call them “evolutionary times.” The crumbling of the old is causing confusion and disillusionment. That there is no clear indication of the new (and how can there be at this stage?), is causing wide-spread fear. This is most dramatically apparent in the USA, but really, we are all affected, everywhere. We can’t fool ourselves.

Think politics and pay cheques, polarization and pandemic, racial and social divides, injustice, conspiracy theories and climate crisis, and so on. External stress is known to ramp up the difficult emotions of whatever unresolved personal and inherited traumas we carry. For many, these are on the unconscious level, hence more problematic. Emotions are meant to be processed, to keep moving through and out, in appropriate ways. Trouble is, the difficult ones—anger, sadness, fear, frustration, etc.—are getting more stuck and more activated.

Is there a way to “rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope” (Martin Luther King)?

Is it any wonder that so many people are dispirited, tight, edgy, exhausted and SCARED? (This all, of course, can affect our physical well-being.) Our poor central nervous systems…! Is there a way, to use Martin Luther King’s words, to “rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope”?

It’s at times like these that the poets can help provide a shift in perspective, along with clarity and a good dose of calm. When I came across Emily Dickinson’s poem the other day, I smiled! “Hard and heavy,” at least for a while, yielded to simple and light. Some of you may remember this lovely little poem from school days. Here it is in its entirety:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

What’s So on “the Inside”

Emily Dickinson is “reminding” us of something we may not have consciously thought of before. It’s that hope is “hard-wired” (but in a gentle, soft way) into the very fabric of our being. Hope is always there, a part of our soul, “singing a tune without the words.” Indeed, its language is not words. Hope operates on a feeling level, not a cognitive. (Right brain rather than left). 

This “capital-H” Hope is not an outcome-specific hope, the kind that’s in service to our everyday desires. (Not that there is anything wrong with this kind.) For example: “I hope he phones.” “I hope I get the job,” “I hope so and so wins.” Small-h hope is of the ego and mind. It has a grasping quality. Capital-H Hope is of the heart and spirit. It has an expansive, generous quality.

“There are these three things that endure: Faith, Hope and Love” (I Corinthians 13:13).  

“Perched” in the soul, capital-H Hope has an aerial view. Attuning with it lifts us above the insanity of the fray and helps us see through a wider-than-normal lens. We gain perspective. We open to a world of possibility, which can lead to creativity. Hope breathes life and light into our weary mortal selves. A quality of soul, it stands with Faith and Love. “There are these three things that endure: Faith, Hope and Love” (I Corinthians 13:13).  

This Delicate “little Bird”

This delicate “little Bird,” Hope, will not forsake us, even when the going gets toughest (“the Gale”). Indeed, that’s when it is exulted, sings “sweetest.” Though small, this “feathered” Hope is potent, persevering, resilient and faithful. Nothing can “abash” (shame or embarrass) it. It only gives and asks for nothing.

Now here is some child-like sweetness, which I hope you’ll enjoy. 🙂

How Can We Access Capital ‘H’ Hope?

When times are tough, it may be pretty hard to access Hope, to feel its presence. Perhaps it’s about cultivating a kind of receptivity? From my own experience, here’s what may help when capital H Hope doesn’t seem to be there for us.

1. SELF-CARE. I’ve discovered that the more I’m able to look after myself (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually), the better it is all way around.

2. QUIET. On the outside,… perhaps not till the middle of the night. On the inside,… it’s likely another story, given heavy emotion and yattering mind.

3. Here is where KINDNESS comes in, aka, SELF-COMPASSION, a form of self-care. We need to accept the very thoughts and feelings that are troubling us. It’s human nature to resist what doesn’t feel good, but resistance keeps us stuck. The yuck just gets stronger. It’s like an unruly little kid who tests us by demanding that we pay attention and accept them. “If you don’t acknowledge me and show me you still love me, then I’m going to scream even louder!” Take a big breath, exhale it fully, then unbegrudgingly pay attention to the child.

Persistent troublesome thoughts and feelings are really just “unruly children” within ourselves, demanding our love, self-love.

Ram Dass used to call these difficult demanding parts “shmoos.” The more he practiced accepting them, the smaller they got, then they were his “little shmoos.” He’d say, “Oh, resentment? You’ve come to visit me again? Come on in. Here, let’s have tea.” Yes, patience, inner hospitality and practice. That last word should be capitalized: PRACTICE, cuz that’s exactly what helps us be more ready/receptive.

[Tara Brach, another spiritual teacher, shares a beautiful little Buddhist practice called RAIN. I find it helpful. Perhaps you will too.]

4. PATIENCE. Don’t be hard on yourself, dear soul. Take it easy. Remember to breathe and pause. All the dashes in Emily Dickinson’s poem can be taken as reminders to pause! Mindful inhales and exhales give more space around difficult thoughts and feelings. More space means more ability to relax and breathe.

5. GRATEFULNESS. Deliberately thinking of anything that makes us feel good in a wholesome way and dwelling in the feeling can be profoundly helpful. I think of people, some passed on already, who I appreciate and love. Good emotional memories, real or made up, are useful. (Your brain won’t know the difference.) Dwell in the love and gratitude.

"It's difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die every day for lack of what is found there," Williams Carlos Williams

6. Expose yourself to BEAUTY. Like how about poetry? Shut off the news! Then read a poem or go outside and look at the fragile wonder of a falling leaf or feel the wispy wonder of breeze against your skin. Getting present to simple beauty helps soften the hard and open us to the little Bird in our hearts.

And Sometimes…

And sometimes we don’t have to do anything! We can be mired in masses of pain and suddenly Hope is just there, a “visitation,” a gift of Grace. When that happens, we smile, laugh or cry. Our heart’s been touched. We know the little Bird really is there, and it is singing. We’re not alone.