Where are the gods? They're here with us.

Dear Reader,

Some of you may know that I have struggled with the question of divine mercy in the face of tragedy. It is hard to keep faith in it when you watch loved ones die. It is hard to keep faith in it when you thole your own sufferings. It is especially hard to keep faith in divine mercy when a tragedy as large as a pandemic is happening and the uncertainty as to if it will rob you or your loved ones of their lives.

We cry out to the gods "Why have you let this happen?" For too long have we been taught that the gods are not subject to wyrd. For too long have we been taught that they are all powerful. There is a reason why there are many gods of many different things. There is a reason why the gods can not escape their own fated interactions with other beings. (My friends in the Filianic and Déanic community, give me but a moment of your patience and I will explain what I am trying to express.)

Life flourishes when given the opportunity. Life on any scale will do so with the distinct lack of predators or natural checks to the point that it threatens the very environment in which it lives. The COVID-19 situation is the same as an invasive species destroying a waterway. It just happens that the destruction is to humans. We are desperately searching for a way to check COVID-19, just as the local community where I live is searching for a way to prevent the algae blooms on the lake, and restore parity to the system that is being decimated by the invasive species.

The gods have not abandoned us. They are here with us. They are at our bed sides as we fight with COVID-19 and its attendant complications. They are with the medical and safety professionals who risk their lives to help our communities. They are with the grocery store workers and countless other vital professionals who keep our communities alive while we are practicing social distancing.

The gods did not have a choice in which life flourishes and which life withers. That is wyrd. We may appeal to them to intervene somehow and put off when death comes for us. But they are as helpless to wyrd as we are. Even Déa, for the Daughter descended into the world and became subject to wyrd perpetually as part of Her sacrifice.

Do not despair. The gods are with you. Turn to them and unburden your heart to them. Seek out their good will. Pour out offerings unto them if you are able, even if it is but a few drops of water. They will hear your cries. They will comfort you.