(inspired by the northern California fires of October 2017)
One week ago my husband and i moved to our new home - the place where our baby will be born sometime in the next week to month. For over a year and a half we lived like gypsies with a purpose, often staying in one place no longer than a week or so (with some extended pauses here and there). We valued our ability to pick up and go anywhere at anytime. We experienced and enjoyed so many places along the road, but never fully felt like we could set down roots. Until now.
Then suddenly, overnight, everything changed. Our neighbor woke us before sunrise by knocking on our windows and calling out our names. A wildfire was possibly heading our way and evacuation was a strong possibility. Instead of waiting to see how the winds would blow, we got to work and within the hour packed up our home. We left the scooter and our prayers for the land behind, and headed west with gratitude for our mobile home.
It’s interesting, this search for Home, which is also a search for safety, security and sweet belonging. This search for security compels humanity in subtle and extreme ways. So often we go outwards, traveling far distances by plane and road to new jobs, houses, landscapes, sacred sites…It is a very human yearning - especially in those times of despair or struggle - to be anywhere, but here.
Yet, Home is truly where the heart is. Home is a feeling, a deep sense of inner security that replaces insecurity, a knowing that All is Well. I call this sensation within me, “Avalon of the Heart” (Avalon is a mystical isle, ancient and eternal, here and not here).
And still, there are places on this Earth that resonate with the Whole Self - heart, mind, body, spirit and soul. I’ve been blessed to find a few such places (Sebastopol, Glastonbury, Hawai’i…) and know there are others.
Where is your Whole Self Home Sweet Home? Who are the people that help you feel at Home - the ones who your heart and soul recognize? What are the qualities of Home for you?
For those who have been affected by the fires, floods, winds, quakes, shootings and wars, i pray that you are able to find solace in Home, wherever and however it may be for you. The white ash falling on my arm as i write - remnants of homes burned to the ground by the wildfires in northern California - remind me of what once was and is now nothing but a memory. May the memories of yesterday and hopes for tomorrow, however poignant, keep you going.
Love & Blessings,
Jennifer
* The Guided Meditation will be posted when a stronger internet connection is available, and the fires are less pressing.