We are facing a crumbling world. The old paradigm is falling away and a new way is being ushered in at what feels like rapid speed, although, at the same time, not fast enough. For many of us, the uncertainty of our times is frightening. We lose our footing easily as every path, every slope is now slippery. We can't rely on anything that was once considered a sure thing. I feel this is true for everyone.
But for some of us, we remember being here before. Perhaps many times. The crumbling feels all too familiar. Some of us even have flashbacks to other times and places where we witnessed and endured a collapsing world. Many of us carry the soul wounds from the past events and today, the soul wound bleeds once again.
And this is what it looks like. The grief from the previous collapses you experienced weighs heavy in your heart and you feel frustration that no one's listening to your warnings, a deep, deep sadness, an urgency, followed by an attempt to hold it all together, or a need to take care of everyone through this.
And underlying all of this is the feeling that you're not enough, you're not doing enough, the fear of failing, and a question - with all that you know, with all your strength, with the power of your wisdom and intuition, why can't you save the people and prevent another collapse?
This is an example of a soul wound. When we carry the memories of fallen temples, world wars, disasters, and the complete crumbling of our world, our grief from these other times return.
We remember the loved ones we lost. We remember the devastation.
But I feel this time is different. I don't feel this crumbling is leading us further into darkness, further into madness, or further into loss. I believe it's leading us further into the world we've been meant to create. A world that is balanced, peaceful, abundant - the heaven on earth that mystics have referred to over the centuries.
So what does this mean when it comes to our soul wounds?
Our old responses of trying to teach everyone, heal everyone, take care of everyone or save everyone isn't the answer. And when we realize this, we free ourselves of the weight of despair and the heavy burden we've been carrying for lifetimes.
We grieve for all the times we've stood on this very same threshold and couldn't do anything about the collapse, and the world fell deeper and deeper into darkness. We heal our bleeding heart and know that this time is different and it elicits a different response.
So what is the new response? Can we put our energies into life-giving, life-supporting businesses and ventures? Can we weave the threads of the new while unraveling the threads of the old? Can we tend to our needs and love ourselves through this? Can we let go of the grief and the guilt from the past?
Can we trust that this time, we are facing the breakdown, but have the wisdom to rebuild in a way that is sustainable? Can we trust that we carry the wisdom in our hearts to move forward? Can we know that we are in a heap of compost where everything is breaking down, yet the outcome is rich, fertile, life-giving soil?
I believe we can.