Many are asking what we should be learning from the recent difficult times brought to so many by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the earthquake in Mexico, and the terrible fires burning up the forests of the North American west. And it's not just this continent that is experiencing natural and man-made disasters right now. Similar troubles are occurring around the globe.
The photo above was taken near Missoula, Montana, but fires have been raging also in Greece, Brazil, Portugal, Algeria, Tunisia, Greenland, and Siberia.
Floods or monsoons (and deadly mudslides in some places) have been happening in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, and Niger in addition to Houston, Florida, and several Caribbean islands.
Triple digit heat waves have been stiffling for residents in California, France, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia.
We could note with relative certainty that MamaEarth is pissed about fracking, about pipeline pollutions of rivers, about corporate raping of mountaintops and forests, about wanton greenhouse gas emissions and other defilements of the air, and other human destructions of the environment.
MamaEarth is putting us on notice!
We could point to many things we SHOULD learn in terms of human, corporate, and governmental factors that have been much less than wise and have made things worse. Topping my list would be:
sheer stupidity
absolute greed
reckless immorality
stubborn ignorance
willful roll back of environmental protections
And the lessons to be learned no doubt must include standing up for science, fighting back against politics that value profit over people, individually reducing our carbon footprints, and educating everyone on the lost arts of logic and critical thinking.
The Eclipse is Also a Factor
In ancient times, astrologers viewed eclipses as signs of impending disasters. Now we know they are naturally occurring phenomenon, but it may have been forgotten that they do tend to have a record of being associated with dire endings, upheavals, and chaos. Solar eclipses have been said to trigger natural calamities, such as earthquakes, storms, lightning strikes that turn into forest fires and so on.
One reason -- aside from the scientific age's rejection of what they think of a superstition -- that eclipses are no longer considered a force to be reckoned with, is that their effects can take up to six months to manifest. That's just too long for the empiricist to link cause and effect.
But there is no denying that this is a time of great change, and that many if not most of them are unpredictable, and some will be unstoppable.
MamaEarth is speaking. She is using her raised voice for dramatic effect because we as a species have not been listening.
Ways to Cope
It is an excellent time to learn to practice equanimity, for the wisdom of acceptance will help us avoid the experiences of reactivity that only serve to increase suffering.
Equanimity could be called the path of non-attachment, or the art of not sweating the small stuff. Even though greed and politics are ills that plague the whole of human society, each of us can help usher in transformative changes that lead to peace, prosperity and compassion for all, through our individual actions.
Those who are called to be Lightworkers can help reduce fear and anxiety by stimulating cooperation and caring for strangers, despite surface layer differences. Take others gently by the hand and shift their energy with Healer's Love.
Those who are called to be Spiritual Warriors can help promote effective actions by channeling objective information and practical solutions that answer the true needs hidden below the masks of anger and resentment. Lead by example in making the positive difference that cannot be denied.
And keep in close touch with your spirit guides, no matter how you conceptualize them. More than ever this is the time to reconnect with wisdoms of the spirit world.