I'll elaborate on the information I received a few months ago, which was that we were in the middle of a huge shift (that started sometime in mid to late May). Many people who are sensitive to the general energy sensed some sort of shift then. At the time, it was as if we were in the inhalation phase of the shift and everything felt suspended, as if people were figuratively holding their breath. I got that the exhalation would come slowly and gradually beginning in August or September, with it culminating around that time (Sept.?). I further got that the shift had to do with reaching critical mass on this planet of people realizing what needed to be done for world healing, that many people had been in denial or with their heads figuratively in the sand, but would suddenly realize both the significance of world healing and what needed to be done. The "world healing" I was getting had to do with healing of the earth, the environment. The above represents what I got at the time. In addition, I'd like to share some other thoughts with you.
The Terrorism of September 11, 2001
In light of the above, how do I reconcile the above? (As I mentioned before, I did not at all foresee the terror of Tuesday.) Healing of the environment and personal healing, I feel, are related. With respect to geophysical healing, it's obvious that the continual exponential growth of our human population has been a major factor in degrading the environment and increasingly reducing habitat -- from destroying more and more of the global habitat to make room for more humans, to pollution, to extinction of species, to deforestation. We degrade the world in which we live when we see ourselves as separate and apart from it. Conversely, it is in realizing that we are a part of the whole and connected to the smallest creature that the realization dawns that the destruction/loss of vital links in that chain of life will ultimately impact humans. It goes back to whether we see ourselves as stewards or dominators
Personal healing in the sense of peace, on the other hand, also goes back to individual responsibility and starts on the personal level. I heard one local minister on the local news coverage say in the prayer service she was conducting that, "we are now realizing that if one person does not have peace, no one can have peace." We are parts of the whole and both contribute to and are affected by that whole. Put another way, world peace starts on the personal level. The lack of peace refers to not just peace in the sense of absence of military conflict, but also inner peace.
Terrorism
Clearly terrorists do not have inner peace. We all have our "stuff" to varying degrees. In some, the degree of "stuff" is so great that fear, hatred, and anger may outweigh love, kindness, tolerance, etc. I have felt for many, many years that, to be overly simplistic, there are two major energies -- one that attracts/pulls together and one that repels/pushes apart. Love and hate. Kindness and cruelty. Faith/trust and fear. To be a terrorist, I feel, is to be in the grips of fear, hate, judgment, and negativity. Fanatics usually also have mind sets and beliefs so firmly and tightly in place that they cannot perceive clearly, a form perhaps of self-induced brain-washing. Indeed, many of us have beliefs and mind-sets that color our perceptions so that we do not see things clearly and objectively. Fear, hate, negativity, judgment, closed-down attitudes -- these contribute greatly to a lack of personal peace and acting out these negativities, as we saw on Tuesday. This is why personal healing is so very important -- to transmute the negative with the positive and the clear, so that we may see and act clearly and positively.
Personal Response
As to the traumatic events themselves, how do we respond? Obviously, we must all respond in our own way -- from prayer, to visualizing peace and healing, to donating blood, and, yes, even to anger. It is perfectly natural and human to feel anger. The question, though, is whether we act on that anger or stay stuck in that anger. I feel that the human, emotional side of us may feel anger alongside the compassion, sadness, and sympathy. On the other hand, the more spiritual and aware side of us may feel a sense of greater purpose to what happened --- i.e., understanding. (In other words, that what so tragically unfolded must have some purpose.
My point is that, as humans, we exist on those two very different levels: the human emotional one and the higher, spiritually aware one. It is navigating those rocky shoals and synthesizing those two levels that may be challenging. As you know, I feel that everything happens for a reason and I trust that good can come out of pain and difficulty. I trust that good can come out of this horror (a divided country pulling together, for example, a realization of what is important in life, or even possibly a stimulation of the economy). To see that there is a greater purpose can enable us to see that we are often actors playing our roles in the greater drama (while at the same time not minimizing the human component and pain). And yet we can still feel conflicted.
So how do we respond? Do we stay stuck on our human angry level? Do we become xenophobic and label all "foreigners" or Muslims as terrorists? Or do we see the individual faces of terrorism, along with the seeds of fear and discontent that humankind may share?
When we are clear, we realize that we see the same forces of negativity and divisiveness -- anger, fear, hate, judgment, etc. -- in all extremists, whether Bible fundamentalists, Islamic extremists, terrorists, etc. Just as it is true that not all Christians or Jews are terrorists because we see some Christian or Jewish extremists, so is it true that not all Muslims are terrorists. Terrorism is a perversion of a belief in God or a Divine who is benevolent. The common denominator among all extremists and terrorists, whether Islamic, Christian, or Jewish, is the anger/fear/judgment/lack of peace within. As we understand these things, our understanding may guide our response.
World Healing
Thus, the understanding, spiritually perceptive part of us may see that underlying issue -- the need to heal our own stuff. (And perhaps not to run out and "rescue the world" but to start on ourselves.) So, is this one of the issues that these events are highlighting? Are we starting to see more clearly what is needed for world healing? Could it be that world healing (both geophysical and attitudinal) starts on the personal level? Can there be a greater purpose to what transpired other than general mayhem? Can we pray for those affected and the situation and visualize healing (in more than one sense of the word)? However we choose to respond is our choice and in Divine order.
Nostradamus
On Tuesday, I thought I remembered that Nostradamus had alluded to something taking place in New York. If you're not terribly familiar with him, please note that Nostradamus lived in the 16th Century in France, was a physician and astrologer, was born Jewish but brought up Catholic after his family converted, and is considered to be one of the best-known prophets or seers over the centuries. Many, many years ago (a good 15-25+ years) I read his quatrains in the original French (I was a French major and used to be fluent). His prophecies were written in quatrains (4-line verses), 100 quatrains to a group (called a "century"), with a total of 10 centuries (10 centuries of 100 quatrains each)
Many people quote Nostradamus. Having read his prophecies in the original French, I can say the he's often misquoted and misinterpreted. First of all, he wrote in Middle French, not modern French. The first important step in understanding his work is a correct translation. Secondly, he cloaked what he wrote in symbols, so if you translate correctly what he wrote, you then have to interpret the symbols. Nostradamus' prophecies are highly dependent upon proper translation and then interpretation of the symbols.
Nostradamus also made the reader work to understand his prophecies by splitting up quatrains on the same subject and putting them in different centuries. He may have exerted these efforts to cloak and obscure his messages partly because of the Inquisition. Having said that, I have three quatrains that I feel pertain to New York (that Nostradamus referred to as "cité neufue," "new city"). I'll include them here in English translation:
I - 87
Earthshaken fire from the center of the earth
Will make things tremble around the tower of the new city
Two big rocks will make war for a long time
Then Arethusa will redden a new river.
("Arethusa" is a Greek nymph from mythology who changed into a stream. There may be another arcane meaning to this word. The second line may also be translated as "will make things tremble around the new city." The "two big rocks" may be nations warring. However, please note that this quatrain is not saying warring against each other. They may be joined in their efforts. This one has been widely misquoted, especially in the past few days. No mention of steel birds or two brothers.)
VI - 97
At 45 degrees the sky will burn,
Fire to approach from the new city,
Instantly a large scattered flame will jump
When one will want the Normans to make proof.
(This one has been widely misquoted and misinterpreted as well. NYC is at 45 degrees and "new city" is mentioned again. Please note that the fire is "to approach from the new city," not approach the new city. What I find very significant about this quatrain is the last line. "Normans" is usually interpreted as the French. Given the French colonization and subsequent and contemporary involvement in Arabic countries, do they have intelligence or proof to share? France has continued to have involvement in Arabic countries and has not always supported U. S. efforts in the Middle East. Perhaps they have information to bear on this event.)
Indeed, just five days after the terrorism we saw two icons of American religious negativity, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, speak out divisively in an attempt to
further poison people's minds and spread the mankind-phobic madness. They were clearly showing us that the seeds of madness, ethnocentricity, and hatred are in all of us and are definitely homegrown in America as well.
Clearly, terrorism cannot be countenanced and the fragility of the world cannot afford acts of terrorism and destruction. It is clear to me that we have a choice in how we respond to this week's events. We can be agents of positive change or contribute to the polarizing negativity. However, just pointing the finger at other cultures, ethnicities, religions, or differences from how we are will only exacerbate the difficulty. Perhaps it is a time to transcend our narrowly held views of ourselves and others and embrace our commonality.
I would like to move from seeing myself as solely an American to seeing myself as a member of the world community. I'd like to pledge allegiance to the World.
I'd like to pledge allegiance to a flag that transcends national borders, national identity, religious affiliation, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
I'd like to pledge allegiance to the greater totality of which I am but a small, yet hopefully contributing, part.
I'd like to pledge allegiance to a loving, benign, accepting, and safe world.
May we all live to the day when we may embrace the greater Whole of which we are all but a small part and be able to see the face of the Divine in everybody else's face, no matter what their nationality, religion, culture, or color.
Diane Brandon is the Host of "Living Your Power" on the Health & Wellness Channel of VoiceAmerica.com and the new show, "Vibrant Living" debuting late May 2008 on Webtalkradio.net, as well as an Intuition Expert & Teacher, Integrative Intuitive Counselor, and Speaker. She is the author of "Invisible Blueprints" and several articles on personal growth topics, as well as a contributing author to "Speaking Out" and "The Long Way Around: How 34 Women Found the Lives They Love." Her private work with individuals focuses on personal growth, working with dreams, and personal empowerment, and she has done corporate seminars on intuition, creativity, and listening skills. More information may be found on her websites, http://www.dianebrandon.com and http://www.dianebrandon.net She may be contacted at diane@dianebrandon.com