I am a voracious news watcher and I have been watching the volcanic-like explosions happening in Ukraine, Gaza, and, frankly, in the United States. It’s unsettling to see so much turmoil at one time. It’s also natural for predators to perk right up and take advantage of a target which is distracted by a different fight.
What do I mean by that? The story in the Book of Genesis in the Bible of Dinah being married to her rapist after his family agreed that all the men would be circumcised. Her brothers attacked them while they were recovering.
Recently, I have watched China and Korea rear their ugly heads while the United States tries to help both Ukraine and Israel (and the civilians in Gaza). I’ve been contemplating on the meaning of parasites — their job is to break material back down. I look down on people whom I consider to be parasites, but I’m taught that Jewish communities require a beggar so that families have a way to be generous.
In a meditation, I saw a very old stone statue in India being degraded by sun, plants growing around and under it, and rain. Even stone, used to last for centuries, eventually gives in to its own parasites. Indeed, when Notre Dame in Paris burned down, I felt a seismic shift.
Though this post talks about the darker side of life — the stage where we are returned to dust — it also affirms that disintegration brings back raw materials. Think of the Tower Card: All of those bricks which were ridiculously employed to reach God become available again to build something with a better purpose.
I didn’t like the lesson of the decaying stone; I want permanent things to be permanent. However, I knew it relieved me of the burden of thinking that I can preserve some symbolic trinket for eternity. It isn’t necessary AND it isn’t possible.
Where I was during our recent solar eclipse, we had cloud cover, so darkness swept over us within minutes and then the light swept in just as fast. I and the crowd I was with celebrated the eclipse — a very different reaction from that of our ancestors. We knew what it was and we knew it was special. Within an hour, the cloud cover cleared away, revealing a very sunny but cold day. I took that as a sign of the end of a dark period, and my heart was full.
2024 carries the year number 8: It’s time to learn a new way of managing ourselves and our environments. It’s also a time for hardworking people to stand up and demand justice, which is what we are seeing.
What do you want to learn this year? Cast aside skills that no longer serve you in favor of better ones. Consider beginning that process with a numerology reading — on sale now for $75 (my normal reading price). Get to know your soul urge, challenges theme, and self image theme.
Also, included in your numerology report is 30 days of personal day numbers: Find the theme, color, gemstone, and sometimes the food of the day to align your plans with your day’s number. Every person’s personal day number is also unique.
Check it out here: