Think Twice

Just as the world seemed to be in turmoil this week from earthquakes, volcanoes and the like, inspiration for my blog this week seems to be in a bit of a turmoil too.

When the weather starting looking yucky on Thursday, my husband looked out the window and said sarcastically: “Oh good, another day in paradise”.  I told him that that reminded me of a song that my bus driver was singing the day before: “Oh think twice, it’s just another day for you and me in paradise.” (Another Day in Paradise – Phil Collins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCiWHwXbf3o

After he brought it back into my mind, the song kept repeating itself and I then sarcastically thanked my husband for reminding me.  Jokingly trying to help me forget that song, he started playing a song he knows I detest: “I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.” (Barbie Girl – Aqua)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A

Unfortunately, instead of making me forget the first song, they both started playing in my head alternately.

After a while, I knew that the songs were a message linked to what I had been reading in the book, Nature’s Way by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man.

The beginning of the book was uplifting, as it related the way Native Americans use nature’s way as a guide for life and as a source of truth.  It told of how their way was to honour and respect all of their relatives, which includes all of the living things on the planet, the rocks, the mountains and the Earth Mother.  It told that their way of life was based on balance and harmony with nature.

However, the second part of the book related the meaning of a vision which a respected elder, Black Elk, had received, showing four horses: one yellow, one black, one red, and one white.  Ed McGaa likened these four horses to the biblical Four Horses of the Apocalypse.

The yellow horse represented heat from fire and the sun, which had been meant to be a gift from God, but instead, with the way of life of modern man, had become a threat to all of life on Earth.  Our planet has become overheated with Global Warming, due to our overuse of fossil fuels, and our decimation of rainforests and other natural systems.

The black horse, which arrived “gaunt and sick” represents the thinning of the ozone layer due to our use of chemicals which attack ozone, particularly over the poles due to the cold there, but potentially anywhere within the stratosphere.  Although some of the harmful chemicals have been banned, they are still having a lasting effect on the ozone layer, and new chemicals are potentially adding to the problem.

The white horse in the vision had the name, “Gone”, and it represents the buffalo, and the many other species which our ‘civilised’ societies have brought to the brink of extinction, or have, indeed, pushed over the edge.  McGaa points out that without the biodiversity which keeps our biological systems functioning, life on Earth could disappear completely.  Gone, too, are the pristine water supplies and clean air with which our Creator provided us.  Modern humans have rarely considered the consequences of their actions on their immediate environment, let alone the planet as a whole.

The red horse, called “Too Many”, represents knowledge of the way of the rat.  Just like rats, with no control on their reproduction rates, humans can overpopulate.  Humans now are living much longer lives and have eradicated many of their natural predators.  As a result, the advantaged ones are consuming much of the Earth’s resources, and allowing disadvantaged humans and the rest of the Earth’s inhabitants to suffer the consequences.

What these four horses have tried to tell us is that we have to start paying attention.  We have to pay attention to the plight of other communities, of other creatures, and of Mother Earth.  We have to start considering the consequences of our actions.

We have to start remembering that we are all connected, and there is no escaping that fact.

Mother Earth has been reminding us with her earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms.

As I write this, unseasonal heavy rain is falling, as thunder rumbles overhead and lightning flashes in the sky.  Even though it is the middle of the day, there is an eerie darkness, as if the sun has been completely swallowed up.  Storms at this time of day and at this time of year are uncommon, and it seems to me that Mother Earth is reinforcing the point, making sure I don’t water down my words.

It is my belief that Mother Earth is a benevolent being, and that she loves all of her charges, including us humans.  However, she is also a very powerful being, and she has been reminding us of that fact.

During the week, I started to get a sore toe.  At first, I didn’t pay it any attention, but after a while my shoes began to aggravate it and I was forced to have a closer look.  What I discovered was that there was a small spot of inflammation, and pus had begun to form under the surface.  Obviously, I had unknowingly collected a splinter during a walk on the beach.  As soon as I scratched the surface with a disinfected needle, the splinter was spat out, just like an erupting volcano.

Just like the natural protection mechanisms of my body, Mother Earth has her own protection mechanisms.  Perhaps the events of this week are a warning that, just like the splinter which was attacking my body, Mother Earth has her own means of ridding herself of those who would attack her.

The messages from the songs becomes clear:  We have been given a beautiful paradise in which to live, but we need to think twice before we do anything, to consider how it might affect the rest of the inhabitants of the Earth, to consider how it might affect Mother Earth.  Otherwise, all we will have left is the plastic world which we have created, which is not real, and in which nothing can survive for long.

Could it be that we are being reminded that we can live in Eden once again?  In fact, as was pointed out to an anthropologist by an indigenous person whose tribe lived as it had always done – in harmony with nature: “It is only the white man who was kicked out of Eden. Indigenous peoples never left.”

Last week’s blog pointed out that love is the answer to all questions, but asked: “what is the question?”

Could the question be: “What would love do now?”

What would love do now to improve the global warming situation?

What would love do now to improve the ozone layer?

What would love do now to maintain our biodiversity?

What would love do now to control our overpopulation?

[Some possibilities: Carry out research. Invest in solar electrical systems or wind turbines. Remember to turn off appliances and lights when not being used, and use low power varieties. Eat less meat (cattle contribute huge quantities of greenhouse gases). Lobby politicians to invest in renewable energy sources, and to protect our forests.  Walk or cycle instead of driving. Use public transport. Use pump sprays instead of pressurised sprays if possible, and check which chemicals are in those you must use. Consider the consequences of your actions in all that you do. (We have an effect in ways that we often don’t consider: plastic washed into the ocean; destruction of habitat for urban sprawl, feedlots, palm oil production, paper production, and many other reasons.) Invest in the education and empowerment of women.]

Once we have identified the problems, we need to focus on the solutions, and remember that well-being is our natural state.

http://www.lorelletaylor.com/lessons-from-cats-and-corks/

As I learned from A Course in Miracles, lack of love is the ultimate cause of all of the problems of humanity, and as I learned from conversations with God, love is the answer to all questions and the solution to all problems.