So, like... the world is on fire.

I don’t know about you but it sure feels like the end of the damn world… or at the very least being on the verge of it. It’s like someone said…. Hey, why don't we let the four horsemen of the apocalypse out and see what happens?

We seem to be getting battered with every conceivable hostile circumstance and event possible. Every time you turn around there is a new threat of war, disease, society crumbling under the weight of racism, and bigotry. Our governments seem to be struggling to keep pace with the onslaught of rapid-fire emergencies. Along side creating crisis's of their very own with things like encroaching on human rights and confusing working for the people of the country to controlling people.

Not too long ago people were hoarding FREAKING toilet paper for god’s sake! People seem to be panicking, feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. Everyone is scared and waiting for the lights to suddenly extinguish without warning. They did that at my house about a week ago after a gnarly storm. Life on planet Earth is pretty challenging right now. We are faced with so many hazards, warnings, alerts and alarms. There is tension everywhere. We are all feeling it, we all feel like a guitar string that is pulled too tight and ready to snap on the first person to pluck it.

But why?! Where is all this coming from? Why all at once? Why now?

When you stop and do the math (which has never been my strong suit) everything we are experiencing doesn’t add up to anything you can feel good about, let alone calm. It almost feels like going full tilt ostrich and plugging one's head into the sand is a viable... if not a preferable option to facing the seemingly daily bad news.

Never being one for sitting idly by, I had a thought... I warn you it is unconventional.... but I thought I might share it with you anyway.

What if I told you that despite all the chaos, unrest and insecurity - everything is actually just fine? What if told you that you are ok, the world is in order and that we are right where we need to be, in perfect alignment for the next step in our collective evolution? Imagine if I told you that you, me and every other former tree dweller that makes up the human race are on the verge of a transformation that has only been heretofore a fantasy?

Well, darling, that’s exactly what I’m saying. We are the little engine that could… chugging along, and pulling into the station right on time.

A lot of people will tell you that the world is on fire, and we are doomed… mostly because to

the untrained eye, all the above troubles make that assertion a quantifiable truth. All the evidence points to our imminent annihilation. I won’t reiterate my laundry list of “oh fucks” from earlier in this composition to prove my point. Suffice to say, by appearances it like all roads lead to the cliff, and we have all become lemmings following the literal asshole in front of us to our inevitable destruction. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and at the mercy of some unknown force that seems to enjoy visiting plague after plague upon humanity.

None of this is true… or helpful, or even nice really.

So as a student of the universes and the natural rhythmic energies of life and creation I know one thing is for sure - life is all about cycles. The expansion and contraction of your own lungs as you breathe is an easy-to-follow example of this.

Last night I had a wonderful conversation with my childhood bestie. We have known each other since we were preteens. Together, she and I have been through marriages, divorces, parenthood, and the deaths of loved ones and parents. We have always talked each other through all the difficult challenges life has thrown at either one of us. As we were talking about all the stuff happening worldwide, like the seemingly endless challenges in government, the shift in the power structure between women and men, financial peaks and valleys, and instability in the availability of resources both natural and man-made. There have also been leaps made in technology, creating a human connection on an unprecedented level, altruism and a change in perspective

In the last little while, things seem to have gotten very difficult for many of us. We look around and wonder why we seem to be stuck in this nasty feeling. It's in moments like these I am reminded of the Parable of the lotus and I'd like to share.

Like a secret, the seed of the lotus flower begins its life submerged not only underwater but nestled deep in the dark and obscuring mud.

One day the life within the seed stirs and begins to germinate.

Yet while it is mired deep within the mud it naturally strives to push through the thick and constraining dirt. Each day the sprout is strengthened, ever reaching toward the promise of the nourishing sun. Even though there is no assurance of reaching the surface of the murky water; the stem of the plant must maintain its momentum. Pushing and reaching a little more every day; the water slowly becoming clearer, allowing more light from the sun to pass through, and nourish the pod. After a time, the lotus stem finally breaks the surface of the water. Though it has made the long journey from the mud and murky water that obscured the Sun's light, it has yet another task before completing its journey.

It must now open.

Lying atop the surface of the water, high above the mud that once encased it, and the shadowy water that formerly blocked the sun, a single petal at a time, the pod slowly begins to flower.

Now, the seed has become what it was always meant to be; the lotus flower. Free from all barriers and open to the world. It plays its role in creation, having totally met and realized its full potential. The mud now nourishes the flower, giving it strength, and the water that used to blind it, now washes its petals clean keeping them spotless and beautiful. In the centre of the now open flower lay seeds that contain all the unknown potentials of the future, the newness of beginning.

This is such a beautiful metaphor for life and its challenges. So often we can find ourselves hindered, and even stuck in the dark of confusion, stress, depression or difficult circumstances. Just as the mud and murky water prohibit the passage of sunlight to the seedling; so too can the state of being within our minds prohibit the light of truth from penetrating our souls. Similarly, we can also find our pain as being the matrix for profound growth.

To the Buddhists, the lotus seed signifies universal potential. The sprout and stem represent the desire for enlightenment and the determination to not allow suffering to overtake the soul. The opened flower is a metaphor for awakening, spiritual growth, and enlightenment.

The blossom also represents the purity of body, speech and mind.

The parable of the lotus can be thought of as a metaphor for the awakened mind, which grows naturally toward the warm and nourishing light of truth, love and compassion.

The lotus may appear delicate on the surface, but it is flexible and resilient, securely anchored under the surface of the water. Within you, the same desire for awakening, transformation and liberation reaches for the light of the truth of your purpose.

If you read this and it has helped you, pass it on!

All my love Dear Mystic

Alysa