New Moon Ritual: December 2023

Taproot (noun): 1) a primary root that grows vertically downward and gives off small lateral roots; 2) the central element or position in a line of growth or development.

This is the definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This is also the word and image that came through repeatedly during this month’s ritual. To some extent it made sense, as over the last year or so I’ve really begun to see the dandelion as a metaphor not just for queerness but also for my own fledgling ministry. The dandelion seed is carried on the wind, landing and rooting in often impossible places, growing and blooming, bring with it the chance to make future wishes and send them into the wind to find their own homes.

But there was a sense of a larger message, and it wasn’t until I looked up the definition that it clicked. The taproot is the main root that grows down, that provides strength and stability, it is the anchor from which smaller roots or growth emanate. As we close out this year I think this is a great thought experiment, especially in these incredibly chaotic, turbulent, and sometimes scary times. Right now we all need to be looking at our local communities (or online communities if your local ones are not where you find support and affirmation) and ask ourselves “How can I be the taproot for change where I am?”. What can you do to serve as an anchor point from which other projects can come from?

For me, personally, I think about how 2024 is a vitally important election year in the United States which can decide not just the future of my LGBTQ+ community, but also the very future of democracy in this country. I may not be able to change the world, but to steal an affirmation I often see on posters where I work, I can “bloom where I am planted”. I can plant deep roots in my community, and work out from there to enact positive change.