As the oil spill in the gulf continues, I can’t help but see this as a metaphor.
Oil. It used to be our answer to everything… fuel, energy, plastics. Yes, we’ve become dependent on oil, addicted, even. You’ve heard it all. This once black gold has been blamed for war and countless deaths. We seem unable to function without it. And as with all addictions, all places of stuck-ness, we aren’t willing to let it go until we have no other choice--until our relationship to it becomes so abusive that the decision is made for us--and then we go through painful withdrawal.
No matter what BP does, the leak continues, the effects multiply, and the catastrophe spreads. Yes, natural wildlife is destroyed, mutated, affected in ways we cannot conceive. And now, the first signs of untoward effects on humans surface. I’m not speaking economics; I’m speaking illness. Weekend national news broadcasted a scene from the cleanup crew’s condensed four-hour training session. Employees were warned that one out of seven (did I hear correctly?) could develop exposure-related cancer. No one left the room. WHAT? Let me say that again. No one left the room.
What does it take for us to wake up, to accept responsibility? Just as BP execs are scrambling, so should we.
Here we go. What part of you is leaking energy at such a tremendous rate that it cannot be controlled? What will it take to contain it? How much of your life and the lives of others will be destroyed because you couldn’t walk away; you refused to move on to other more sustainable forms of energy? What once was your black gold that is no more? Pounds of caffeine, sugar, fat or animal protein? Drugs or drama? Escape? Physical or emotional addictions? Are you hanging onto an old job that is killing you? An old relationship? What’s keeping you trapped? Fear? The hole has burst open. Nothing will close it. Is it too late to repair the damage you’ve caused? When will you finally let go and move on? What will it take?
Supposedly, BP had a bunch of backups, and they all failed. When something is defective or just plain wrong, there’s no going back. We can come up with all kinds of excuses, the same ones we tell ourselves, but we know it’s time—it’s been time—to move on.
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For more, see 10 Life Lessons Learned from the BP Oil Spill on SelfGrowth.com.
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What most people don't realize is that this 'metaphor' is real. There is a real life connection between the ailments of our planet and our own bodies.
ReplyDeleteWe must learn to see our own symptoms as expressions of our interior conflicts and wounds; then, we must turn our gaze to the world and observe the ways that this symbolic language expresses itself in all things - including the living, breathing BODY of the Earth.
When we stop seeing ourselves as a collection of unrelated symptoms; when we stop viewing the planet on which we live as a dead object floating through space, perhaps THEN we will learn to honor both of these precious and sacred vessels of life.
Smack-dab spot on - ohmyword, what a challenge!!
ReplyDelete"it’s time—it’s been time—to move on" - nodding my head so hard I'm going to get a headache. Thanks for this!! I'm moving on...
Thanks for the smiles, Karen.
ReplyDeleteWise words, Amy. Yes, it is all one and the same. I believe she is shining a light on the illusion of our separateness.
ReplyDeleteOur poor Earth (just like the physical body) has been working overtime to get our attention...with ever-increasing drama (the only way she has a chance of getting through to us)--almost apocalyptic earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, oil spills...short of blowing up (which she won't do without our help), what will it take?
this is profound and has me drawing parallels all over the place... i just spent time with the accupuncturist yesterday who explained in detail, from a chinese medicine perspective, why breast cancer happens - it is about women giving their energy away without replenishment... haemorraging energy until it is visible....
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Faerian.
ReplyDeleteYou may find the brilliant Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz's book "The Intuitive Advisor" fascinating--IMO, one of the best books available about the chakras. And she makes complicated material user-friendly.