Rising

What am I to do with all this change and chaos?

The Ashes We Are In

Destruction and decimation surround us. Many actions being taken are mean-spirited. Polarization is creating “sides” that have no use for each other. Institutions in the US are crumbling with little rhyme or reason. Natural disasters are increasing, while federal disaster support is significantly decreasing. Safety nets are being cut and people will be forced to fend for themselves.

It’s a dire and startling picture. These are the ashes we are in. The phoenix is a legendary bird known for rising from its own ashes after death. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion. The phoenix symbolizes renewal, rebirth and immortality. The legend represents that we can emerge stronger and transformed after difficult situations.

Can we take the ashes here now, and those to come, and rise to better times? It certainly is worth trying. What is in the ashes that are around us now? Are there things in there that we are better without? Is there anything that we want to throw into the fire to become part of the ashes? Is this a time of renewal and rebirth, as uncomfortable as it is?

Openings

Openings can be anywhere. Will we search for Openings among the ashes? Maybe. Destruction isn’t complete at this point. Much more than remnants still exist. What is still with us? What can we do with it? Can we stop the momentum of the destruction? Even turn it against itself. What can we build from the ashes that exist now?

A change in our perspective could be helpful. Yes, destruction is underway, but that is not the whole story. Destruction does not preclude survival, rebirth or renewal. New things and promise show up every day. New ideas can emerge from the ashes. Space has been made for them. The destruction has opened up space that was filled before. We can find new uses for that space now.

Openings are everywhere. We know that by now. They are in the ashes as well as outside them. They are beckoning us to take this change and these ashes and make something new with them. Openings may not be in the usual places. They may be occupying new frontiers. They may not be familiar. But count on them. They will move us forward and they cannot be destroyed. Our journey endures.