Last month we had a Blue Moon, High Tide, and Hurricane Henri all on the same night here in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It wasn't long before we were wading through six inches of sewage water flooding the bottom floor of our apartment. For ten days we worked through the mess and tried to discern what we needed in order to recover. Then Hurricane Ida made it clear that she had even more to give by bringing us, via the water, literally to our knees...
The two back to back floods soaked our appliances, furniture, carpet, and many personal items that can never be replaced. But things are just things; and we still have so much to be grateful for. We are alive. We have the opportunity to rebuild. We have support. We have each other. I believe in the absolute sacredness of nature. When she makes herself known with such force it is imperative to pause in reflection and reverence...
It is undeniable that the way we all continue to use resources contributes to the degradation of our planet and extreme weather events. It is not happening in some far away place, sometime in the future. It is happening right here, right now. The water that flooded our apartment was filthy, contaminated with chemicals and waste. However, it did not get that way all by itself. It is very easy to love water in a bath tub, swimming pool, or well packaged plastic bottle. It is much harder and more important to take responsibility for how we are poisoning it...
I am a mermaid. I will love the water even when it comes to destroy because it is my life's blood. I will cherish the water in all of its forms because it is a powerful agent of change. I will voluntarily get down on my knees and honor the sacredness of water, the power of water, the peril of water. If you live near a body of water, or can visit one easily, offer a prayer for our family and yours that the waters will gently open our paths for continued healing and transformation...
Yours in high tide and low tide,
Valarie
How do we stay heart centered even in the hard times? It takes practice. Try this audio class: