Readiness
The fog is sitting on the shore, with barely any visibility. Temperature sits at 52 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Tuesday.
It is said that 10,000 is the number of times one needs to practice at something in order to become expert - to know, without knowing; to execute without hesitation; to begin the next stage of refining.
10,000 deaths have happened since October 7, 2023. This is the date that the conflict in the Middle East erupted with great violence and even greater loss of humanity. This was foreseeable. But there was, because of the tendency to minimize thoughts of disaster, mass chaos.
What would readiness have looked like? There is something happening today that is inviting more thinking about how to prepare - physically, emotionally, spiritually. This is already happening in a very visible and active way in the movements to prepare for the great turning. The End of the World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) is a reality. Thanks to scientists who are examining what is happening in the natural world, the writers who are capturing the intelligence in a way that allows non-scientists to understand what is happening and what needs to happen still, and the organizers who are raising awareness about the need to recognize that our planet is dying. This is an essential part of being prepared.
The countless ways in which humans are responding to affirm life can be seen in everyday life. The news reports on part of our reality; the lives of all those we know and will meet one day, provide another part that should not be unnoticed. In short, notice all of the people and movements that are surfacing in times of great tragedy, like now. Notice the outpouring of care, love, generosity among those who are seeing through the damage being done, and can share their vision of another possibility. Notice the choices that are being made that will create another path for future generations to walk. Notice the actions, not words. This is a critical source of inspiration to keep loving.
All of the ways in which readiness and preparation for new realities are surfacing should not be missed in the midst of the flood of information about deaths and loss of sacred spaces - homes, farms, orchards, temples, and other places of worship. It is there in greater numbers, and not being amplified as the call for war and victories keep on. This is the seduction into inaction and going numb.
Looking at our lives, one by one, the reality that wants to love, to nurture, and to offer joy - still endures. Going back to an earlier thought about what to do as one moves through daily life - the cautionary comes to mind, "Be aware of the poisons, but do not absorb, ingest, or inhale any of it." The only way to find a way, to stay on the path of compassion in times of great loss and grief is to dive deeply into the place of nothingness, and to enter silence. This is truly a time when words will not serve humanity at all.