Inside Burned Cedar cavern
Recorded on 12-1-2020
I stand inside this old cedar tree, and feel the quiet darkness of the burned-out hollow. Usually a place for me to meditate and sing sacred songs, today, my being here is promoting some thoughts….
Let me get right to the point: While we are enveloped in a growing darkness, humanity is going through an initiation process. In my own darkest hours of grieving, when I come out to the light of day again, I often feel more lifted than before the periods of darkness—not in a manic way, but in a more focused, yet expanded way. Each deep dive has become an initiation into a more powerful healing presence on this earth.
And so too, as we come through this dark tunnel, and birth ourselves into the light of a new day on planet earth, revelations will have been made, secrets revealed. If we go inside ourselves and look, we will discover all kinds of amazing things. Now mind you, those who are in survival mode and despairing because they have lost so much—their jobs, their health, their well-being, their loved ones, their sanity, their sources of meaning and joy and what makes life worth living—those fellow humans will suffer more deeply and may not be able to see the light of day for quite some time, if ever, in their lifetimes. I know this in my heart of hearts, and I am tremendously sad about this.
And I’m sad that its had to come down to this overarching darkness. Much like the black clouds of an approaching storm blocking out all the stars as it takes over the sky, this Situation has shrouded everything, so that we cannot see very well beyond our quarantine spaces and masks and cordoned-off boxes on our computers. It’s very difficult to notice the good in the dim light of our current reality. Yet there still is light, and there is still a world, and we need to keep attending to those facts. Let's do the very best we can to be compassionate, to be the blessing, and to understand we are going through The Initiation of not only our lifetime, but the lifetimes of the humans who have gone before us, and those humans yet to be born.
exit from Burned Cedar Cavern
If I look closely at the cedar’s inner core, I see the decimation from an old fire, as well as the carved trails of beetles and insects. I see the char and the destruction. It's amazing to me that this tree is still standing: only it's spirit remains at it's core. Yet, because it derives and transports nutrients through outer layers under the cedar's bark, it is still green and lush and growing.
In this dark cavern I also see windows to the world outside. I know there is an entrance and an exit from this cave. As I see the light and note it, I understand that the darkness is not all there is.
The darkness is not all there is in our lives right now. There are signs of light everywhere--yet as long as we pour our attention into the dark and the stormy drama of the Situation, we will feel overwhelmed and helpless to do anything about it.
So, may I recommend: Look for the light. Adjust your gaze to the blessings.
Recently, I attended a number of spiritually-oriented online classes and meetings, and realized: Wow. I am connecting with people all over the world from the coziness of my own home. Honestly, my deep longing is to connect in person—yet I might not have met any of these souls if I had to travel long distances to meet them. I’m counting this connectivity among my many blessings, which include recording this message on my phone while standing in the dark beauty of a stately cedar tree in the forest I love.
Look for the blessings. Be the blessing…because that is who you truly are.
Keep shining, Elke