Gaining Insight From the Asian Earthquake & Tsunami
by Amara Rose
When the magnitude 9.0 earthquake rocked Indonesia on December 26th, the full moon was in Cancer, an intensely emotional water sign. The quake struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean, unleashing a tsunami that obliterated more than 150,000 lives and left many millions homeless. It also permanently reconfigured southern Asia’s geography. The Shift of the Ages is, literally, upon us.
The cataclysm is another fierce message from the Mother that we humans are merely playing at being powerful when we play with firepower–and it’s time to reimagine our rage, at the elemental level. As with 9-1-1 in the U.S.A., what is happening affects everyone. Enzo Boschi, head of Italy’s National Geophysics Institute, said, “All the planet is vibrating.” This soulquake is the latest call to open ourselves to love, compassion, harmony and healing, as never before–and to detach from our drama/trauma.
We’ve been globally gestating for quite a while. Now, Gaia’s water has broken. Emotions are running high. How can we bring ourselves back into balance as we enter the New Year, so that we effervesce rather than erupt?
Remember that water (emotions, the Moon, and the feminine principle) complements fire (spirit, the Sun, and the masculine principle). The Chinese New Year, which begins on February 9th, rings in the Year of the Rooster. My astrological day planner, however, recasts it as the Year of the Phoenix, a spiritual translation that expands the concept exponentially.
In China, the phoenix is honored as symbolic of Earth herself, and of the yin energy. Known as the legendary bird that rises anew from the ashes, the phoenix is a universal symbol of transformation and rebirth, because she ascends from the alchemical fires of purification. Fans of the Harry Potter books will recall how the phoenix Fawkes burst into flame when it was time to begin a new cycle.
This seismic event exhorts us to raise our collective kundalini. We all possess the true fire within, the creative energy to awaken from our soul sleep and burst into flame, metaphorically speaking, as we rise into our truth, beauty, love and service. We can burn through our illusions rather than burn up in them. It will require copious amounts of water–our shed and unshed tears, which can cleanse and heal us–to keep the fire focused on purpose, rather than expressed as random blazes.
We also need a strong container for this power: a crucible in which alchemy can take place safely. For many people, the crucible is their faith, whether religious or secular. Prayer and peace create a formidable vessel. The Jewish Torah describes peace as, “the vessel which can contain all blessing.”
Over a decade ago, as I embarked on my own dark night of the soul journey, born in fire and water, a friend wrote, “I sense this will be a watershed experience for you, and you won’t ever be the same.” He was absolutely correct.
This is our planetary watershed adventure. As we embrace the wildness within, love our primal essence in the same way we thrill to the power of nature to transform and renew, we become spiritual warriors, transmuting the wound within us into wonder. With a subtle shift in perception, we move from scarred and scared to sacred, from density to destiny, from being exclusive to becoming inclusive.
A letter sent to the Planetary Awakening Network (http://www.planetawake.org) from someone at Ground Zero expresses the feeling best. Niranjan writes, in part, “I live right here in the heart of Chennai–less than ten miles away from the coast that was hit by the tsunami. Chennai is considered the spiritual and intellectual capital of India. Every moment of the day there are prayers going on in some place or other. Yet all the prayers failed to appease the fury of nature. By striking at the very citadel of spirituality, the foundations of faith itself have been shaken. And it has to be a global effort to rebuild this faith–piece by piece. It is going to be an arduous task…but when we are through, the Spirit of the entire human race will have become INVINCIBLE. Not wet by water, nor burnt by fire; not pierced by sword, nor cast away by wind–as described in the Bhagavad Gita.
“Maybe we will never really understand the reason behind all this. But we need to pick up our pieces and rebuild our lives. And while rebuilding, we should make peace our foundation, strength our pillars, virtue our brick and mortar and love our doors to invite our fellow beings into our heart. The more peace and harmony we invite into our lives, the more joy and happiness we will see in our world.”
What You Can Do
Dr. Masaru Emoto, whose book, “The Hidden Messages in Water,” is portrayed in the breakthrough film, “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” is calling on people all over the world to offer prayers of love to the Indian Ocean Rim Countries, as a way of preventing pollution of the water and possible epidemics in areas affected by the tsunami. Read his message: http://www.whatthebleep.com/releases/?item=tsunami1. As the book and film demonstrate, what we think and feel qualitatively affects the world around us.
Amara Rose is a spiritual “midwife,” speaker, writer, and sacred ritual facilitator. Learn about her tapes/CDs, e-courses and playshops at http://www.liveyourlight.com. You can also subscribe to her FREE inspirational e-newsletter, What Shines. The above article appears in the January, 2005 issue. Amara may be reached at [email protected] or 800-862-0157 in the USA.