Spokane Is Burning. Here's How We Show Up.

-

 

There are moments when the news stops feeling like headlines and starts feeling like heartbreak.

Right now, Spokane is living one of those moments.

Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash. Families have fled with only what they could throw into a car. Firefighters are working around the clock, often with little sleep, standing between walls of flame and the homes of complete strangers. Thousands have been forced to evacuate, hundreds of structures have been destroyed, and the smoke hangs over Eastern Washington like a heavy reminder that everything can change in a single afternoon.

For those of us watching from the other side of the state—or from across the country—it's easy to feel helpless. We see the videos. We read the updates. We whisper, "That's awful," before scrolling on.

But this is exactly when communities matter.

If you have ever wondered whether one person can make a difference, the answer is yes.

Donate to organizations providing emergency shelter, meals, and disaster relief. Even small donations become blankets, bottled water, fuel, diapers, pet food, and a hot meal for someone who left home with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

If you live nearby and are able, local shelters and food banks often need volunteers. Animal rescues frequently become overwhelmed during disasters, caring for frightened pets separated from their families. Sometimes the greatest gift isn't money—it's simply showing up.

If you're a business owner, consider organizing a supply drive. Churches, covens, community centers, schools, and neighborhood groups can all become collection points for essential items. Cases of water, hygiene products, batteries, phone chargers, non-perishable food, baby supplies, and pet necessities can make an enormous difference to families trying to rebuild their lives.

And don't underestimate the power of sharing verified information. During emergencies, accurate evacuation notices, shelter locations, and relief resources can literally save lives. Rumors spread faster than fire. Facts save people.

As a Pagan, I also believe there is power in intention.

Light a candle.

Say a prayer.

Leave an offering.

Send healing energy.

Whether your practice is rooted in ritual, meditation, or simple compassion, never let anyone convince you that kindness is wasted. We cannot control the wind, but we can choose the energy we send into a hurting world.

Fire is a paradox. It destroys without mercy, but it also reminds us what truly matters. Homes can be rebuilt. Possessions can be replaced. Communities can recover. The human spirit is astonishingly resilient when people refuse to let one another stand alone.

Today, Spokane needs more than our sympathy.

It needs our generosity.

It needs our compassion.

It needs us to remember that disasters don't happen to "other people." They happen to neighbors we simply haven't met yet.

From all of us here at Burnt Sage and Blunt Truths, our hearts are with every firefighter, every first responder, every volunteer, every displaced family, and every person wondering what tomorrow will look like.

May the winds calm.

May the rains come.

May those who have lost everything find strength in the people who refuse to let them face this alone.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Apartment Sammich: A Field Report from the Kitty NASCAR Nationals 500

-
Image
I live in the second-floor middle unit of a three-story apartment building. Which means I am not upstairs or downstairs. I am structurally compromised . Above me live two women. Heavyset A-Ganger types. When they move, the ceiling doesn’t creak — it registers seismic activity . They don’t walk. They advance . It sounds like two moose learning to Riverdance while wearing work boots and making eye contact with God. I have accepted this. Because acceptance is cheaper than therapy. Below me live people. Quiet people. Hopeful people. People who thought, “The second floor seems reasonable.” These people were wrong. Because between these layers of humanity exists me . And my cats. Enter Captain Thunderpaws — a lean, tactical menace with a thousand-yard stare and a deep mistrust of inanimate objects — and his sister, a plush, gravity-honoring loaf who runs like a beanbag chair with dreams. Together, they have unionized and designated the hours between 4 and 5 a.m. as prime time for the Kit...
Read more

🔥 The Torchbearers: A Call to the Witches Who Stayed

-
Image
  This isn’t for the trend-chasers. This isn’t for the moon-phase influencers, the aesthetic covens, or the ones who skimmed a Llewellyn book and declared themselves a High Priestess on Tuesday. This is for the ones who stayed . The witches who ran public rituals and built community spaces on shoestring budgets. The ones who got their degrees in theology, anthropology, history—anything to understand the bones of what we do. The ones who studied by candlelight, held circles in basements and backyards, and never once filmed themselves doing it for clout. You know who you are. You’ve been looked down on for not dressing the part. For stepping outside in jeans and a t-shirt instead of flowing robes and Instagram filters. For walking through metaphysical shops and not needing to announce your power—because it lives in your bones. You’ve had fifteen-year-olds talk over you on social media, dismissing your decades of practice because they watched a tarot video or learned abo...
Read more

The View from the Throne.

-
Image
Every once in a while, someone wanders into a space that isn’t theirs and decides they’re going to poison the well. You know the type. The sideways comments. The passive-aggressive whispers. The subtle little digs meant to make people doubt themselves. It’s the oldest trick in the book. If you can’t build something meaningful, you try to rot what someone else built. Here’s the funny part though. That strategy only works when the person on the receiving end is insecure, isolated, or desperate for approval. I am none of those things. I see the behavior. I see the pattern. And I see exactly what it is: insecurity dressed up as cleverness. Let me say something clearly for anyone who might need to hear it. Communities are not built by people who lurk in corners throwing shade. They’re built by people who show up, do the work, create things, support others, and keep going even when the path gets messy. That’s the difference. You can throw all the little barbs you want, but the reality is s...
Read more