In Need of A Sacred Clown

Raven, Brer Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Aunt Nancy, Iktomi, The Three Stooges, Hermes, Whiskey Jack and Coyote.

Those names sound familiar? They are titles for the Sacred Clown, the persona in many different forms who holds a mirror up for us, who teases and prods us to see our foibles for what they are. The Trickster burps and farts in public, sets us up to take a fall, acts in outrageous ways - often sexually explicit. He or she is a thief, a glutton and the most accomplished author of endless lies.

The gift of the Trickster is to demonstrate for us the absurdity of our behaviors, to make fun of those sacred cows we dare not giggle about. Often the Trickster tales give us a refreshing vision of Common People raised up and the wealthy laid low - tables turned for a time to allow the little guy to win. In many traditional cultures the Sacred Clown is an integral part of ceremony. It is his job to be wild and crazy, unruly, disruptive like a naughty school boy who makes everybody laugh. The task of the Trickster, the Coyote is to mock the status quo and while dancing in front of us to offer very serious commentary on the times.

I submit we are in need of more Sacred Clowns, more people who can get out a huge mirror for us so we can see what is happening. We need more Tricksters to make fun of this rampant fundamentalism that is holding our government hostage while August 3rd races towards us. We need Wile E. to get hit by a falling boulder and at the bottom of the ravine to hold out a sign saying - "Oops, I didn't see that coming..."

We are in great need of this energy, risky as it is to call it in, to dance in front of us with outlandish clothes on - suits, ties, heels - and little name tags - Wall Street Excess, WalMart, DeVos, Koch Boys, Wealthy Elite. We need to make fun of that in a serious way and allow the Sacred Clown to show us how much we have become in thrall to this dangerous right wing ideology. We need this Clown more than we have ever needed it to poke us, wake us up, teach us some hard lessons and demonstrate what trickery, narcissism, Christian fundamentalism, cheating and lying, and making off with the country's goods really looks like.

Because I am not positive that we get it yet.

Power To All The Common People!