(Girl) Power In Numbers: Photographs From The Women's March, Washington D.C.

Yesterday, three of my girlfriends and I drove from New York City to Washington D.C. to make history. What was supposed to be a four-hour drive became more like nine, but the heavy traffic could not have even pinched a more well-worth moment in our lives. As citizens of the United States, as strong women who believe in freedom and civil rights for all, as humans who strongly feel that all people on Earth should be respected, cared for, appreciated, and loved, we were and are eternally proud to participate in a worldwide movement in which unity and compassion are the driving force.

Over a million people around the world in cities across the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia took to the streets, yesterday, to share this vision and to peacefully unite against Donald Trump, tyranny, patriarchy and greed, and to promote freedom, women’s rights, civil rights, mother Earth and the welfare of mankind.

We didn’t know what to expect. In the car on the way to D.C., we discussed writing our names and phone numbers of our mothers on our arms, should something happen to us and our belongings lost. We talked about the pepper spray we had brought and the goggles we forgot that would have been useful should the police fire teargas. We worried about getting arrested or getting in the middle of a conflict between protesters and pro-Trumpers.

As I look back at how peaceful and loving the Washington march was, I am ashamed at the fear that was at one point present and overwhelmed by the capacity of mankind to spiritually prevail in such time of trial. I am thankful that we, as humans, were able to express ourselves lovingly and not encounter violent opposition.

As for millions and millions of others, this election has been hard for me to accept. I’ve gone through pretty extreme emotions that first began with comedy, and then disbelief, frustration, sadness, anger. It has been truly difficult as a rational and compassionate human being to understand how any of this could be possibly happening, again, however I have been making it my mission to fully embrace this as a spiritual moment in time—as a major step in the evolution of mankind. It is through struggle that a greater love can emerge, which is what we witnessed yesterday all around the world, defying borders, age, religion, race, gender and sexual orientation: the world united in grace.

So, when will we finally get it? When will we finally come together as one and see beyond our borders of flesh, and rather as collective, connected vibrating atoms in a Universe in which there is no such thing as empty space, no such thing as a division between you and I? When will we finally understand that love is the answer? Not fear, not money, not power.

This weekend was perhaps the beginning of a bigger challenge ahead for us all, but I see it, not as something to fear or deny, but rather as an opportunity for mankind to take giant steps towards a great spiritual evolution that will ultimately connect us more than we’ve ever been before.

One love, hippies.