Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tsunami Revolution

It is difficult for me to find words as I watch news unfold of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan this week. What can any of us say that could possibly capture the magnitude of this kind of event, and the breadth of human suffering that unfolds when it happens?

It feels like there is too much pain happening in the world.  That somehow I need to hold in my heart, or find a way to fix the situation – and it is so big that it all just slips through the fingers of my comprehension.  And then I feel powerless.  Do you know what I mean? 

(photo courtesy of CNN.com)  
 
I’ve been feeling this way for a while, even before the earthquake struck. I felt this way when people took to the street in Egypt and overthrew Hosni Mubarak last month. This feeling expanded when civil protest spread across other countries in Arab regions, including Libya where violence has become common in the last week and civil war seems possible.

(Libyan protester, photo courtesy of newsdaily.com) 

In the US, I see this happening with workers in Wisconsin rising up to fight for collective bargaining rights.

(photo of Wisconsin protester, courtesy of heytherejesus via Flickr)


I can’t remember a time when there were so many truly huge stories in the news at once.  Because I can’t find the words, myself, I’ve looked to see what the Akashic Records have offered to help find some bit of sense in what’s happening. I dug up some channelings from the Archives on my website. The one that struck me most is this:

“... Earthquakes are related to revolution; they often occur in a place where change either needs to take place, or where changes are taking place very rapidly. They certainly serve as a way to get your attention, not just those who experience the earthquake on the ground, but also those who learn about the earthquake through the news or through stories.

Another general purpose and effect of earthquakes is that they are a harbinger of change and they are a request for change. They ask you to release something. Whenever you feel an earthquake, hear about an earthquake, or read about an earthquake, it would serve you well to sit back and ask yourselves, “What can I release now?” “What in my life is outdated or old, what is no longer serving me and how can I let that go?” and finally, “Who am I becoming?” (July 2008)


I channeled this passage from the Akashic Records in July 2008. Back then I never would have dreamed that there would be a day when the news on TV would be reporting such dramatic social revolution unfolding in Arab countries at the very same time one of the biggest earthquakes hit. I did know then, and we all know now, that we are a global community. When something happens in one part of the world, we are all connected with it and it is all part of one story – our collective story.  The coincidence of huge changes happening across the world at one time is meaningful.  I think we are witnessing the truth of our collective story and learning how to change together for the better.

Looking ahead, I feel a powerful mix of fear and excitement. I can begin to imagine how people throughout the world might really step into collective empowerment and dismantle so many forms of oppression. And I feel afraid that much more pain and suffering will unfold along the way.

My heart goes out to people involved in disasters, both natural and human-made. May we all keep our hearts and our eyes wide open as revolution spreads and, hopefully, we continue to become a more peaceful and just human family.