Death sits on my shoulder

Oslo ParkDeath sits on my shoulder. It arrived some weeks ago, took its place close to my ear, let me recognize it’s presence. Now death dares to whisper out loud. It has taken me all these years to tune my ears to it’s words. Strangely I feel grateful. The urgency of its message helps me to see what is important. I realize that my own death is not the most difficult to take. The possible extinction of all human beings touches me the most.

Meanwhile I have fallen in love. My passionate romance is with the Earth. The trees took my heart first. Then I woke up to the beauty of birds. Seas and rivers have mesmerized me with their hissing songs. Giant stones and jungle foliage have held me with loving arms. But now I turn my gaze to the beauty of the human race.

Deep within, I have felt anger, almost hatred, for those who destroy the earth. Now I sense compassion rising and a deep sorrow. The thought of the extinction of bright people trying their best to wake up the world breaks my heart. Grief for our children and grandchildren spills out in tears. We have neglected the warnings of the elders to protect the earth to the seventh generation. Stuck in ego consciousness we humans need love and compassion for our soul struggles.

Death reminds me to use my time wisely. It encourages me to be a source of love for everyone I meet. My husband and I decide to be closer,  to be of service, to spend our time in meaningful ways. We don’t want to distract ourselves with trivialities. The Beauty Way opens up for us. This is the way of the elders who see Life as it is.

Gratitude wells up in me for those who have helped me to soften my ego and open my heart. I would write an Ode to Mother Earth and to Human Beings. I would offer my meager gifts with love. On this unseasonal summer day, I feel myself enfolded in silence and blessed by the green of the trees. Beauty reaches out to me and I give thanks.

All my relations!

 

6 thoughts on “Death sits on my shoulder”

  1. Salvete, to you both!
    Your caption startled me and I feared a personal death in your life. I read further and realized while the death you recognized was not a person it is no less personal since it refers to our earth, its nature, its vulnerability. Pope Francis seems to feel the same and has been shunning “trivialities” for decades and now is trying to coax us, as are you, to join in.

    For many of us, it takes a certain age to reach that understanding. We are happy yet again to acknowledge fellow travelers through life en route to a death we hope to accept for ourselves and
    avoid for our beautiful yet endangered earthly home.

  2. Dear Elaine,

    So lovely to hear from you! Your comment is beautiful and right on. I have loved watching Pope Francis trying to coax us to awaken. And yes, I am trying to do the same. It is a difficult balance. I often feel like Casandra!

    Yet we have only a very small window of opportunity to make a difference. The Paris meeting in 5 months is extremely crucial. The public needs to rally and demand agreements to mitigate the situations in order to save life as we know it, both for our selves and (as you so well said) our beautiful endangered earthy home,

    Si vales, valeo!

    Mara

    1. I appreciated the way that you wrote the piece above. It is very profound and personal – and like your friend above, I also thought that you had a life threatening illness.
      The state of our home is in dire straits and so many people don’t think about it or converse about it and aren’t at all aware of it.
      It is very helpful reading about all the Pope’s statements, efforts and actions. The Paris meeting may help but we don’t know how it will go.
      Bless you.
      ps – did you ever get a chance to read my book? In my mind it is all about what is happening in the world, but I may not have made the point well enough?

      1. Dear Carolyn,

        Thank you so much for you comment! Yes we are getting help from the Pope’s statements and Paris is certainly a big unknown. I have checked out your book and find it to be a wonderful contribution to the spiritual and mental development we need to contribute to the future of humankind and the earth. For those who wish to check out Carolyn’s book use this website

        Warmest,
        Mara

        1. Thank you for your response Mara. I really appreciated hearing from you and reading your comments about my book. As you know it can be difficult to ascertain what use or meaning something one shares may have.
          I find that I am discovering more and more and more information, articles, concerns, statistics etc especially from scientists which is great and very helpful. The whole Climate change situation is escalating, for sure, in a way that is hard to comprehend. I was reflecting this morning about the time I was doing my MA at Heythrop in London, UK. A lot of what I read was about ecofeminism and what people were saying then is that we have 10 yrs or so to turn things around or it will be too late and that we need enough people who can do that.
          I think of this time in 1998 often and now it is 2015 and it seems so true. I did believe what they were predicting at the time and wondered why lots of others weren’t.
          Bless you in your work and keep well
          Carolyn

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