The central theme of my personal work with my lineages since October 7 has been making the choice to be wielders of miracles, instead of the familiar identity of eternal victims. On the collective level, I can feel this theme throughout the lineage of the Jewish collective, which doesn’t mean that there were no miracles, nor that our ancestors didn’t take things into their own hands heroically. They absolutely did, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. But there was always an awareness of the potential of being victimized. On the personal level, I repeatedly encounter my tendency to feel like a victim of my circumstances.
Lately I’ve been experiencing a lot of wonderful synchronicities in my personal life, while on a collective level, we seem to be speeding in the direction opposite to what I want and against all the wisdom and guidance available to me. This is happening on so many collective levels:
On the level of humanity as a whole: Environmental destruction continues unabated. My family just returned from a vacation in Alaska, where they saw glaciers that are melting so quickly that people there remember them being kilometers closer. Temperatures here this summer were consistently 1 degree C above average, which was hard enough, but to paraphrase an example Stephen Hawking once gave to illustrate the seriousness of the situation, we all know that as long as there is ice in the glass, the drink stays cold, and as soon as it melts, things heat up very quickly. And despite all the solutions, I understand that the increase in green energy isn’t decreasing the use of other sources, just increasing energy total use. (See the Jevons Paradox.) This is just the example that happens to be alive for me now because I just spoke with them, but there are so many more.
The national level: Even if more than half of the people here want a deal and a cessation of hostilities immediately, the majority still seem convinced that force is the only solution, that any level of destruction is justified, and that the most dangerous thing is to view the other side as human beings with legitimate interests and rights. Meanwhile, the war continues, the hostages are still in captivity, people are dying, and large swathes of land burn every day in wildfires set off by bombs. And the government, which has no interest in the war ending – on the contrary – is terrifyingly stable, with more than another two years before a scheduled election. As long as they continue to show up for army duty, which they will, the government really doesn’t care how many people protest.
Even at the level of the demonstrations, however huge they may be, they follow the same script we’ve seen for years, noise, shouting, chaos. If instead masses of people came out, dressed in black, or some identifying symbol, perhaps carrying candles or flags or signs, and just stood, in complete silence, maybe with the exception of words from the hostages’ families and friends, or occasionally a bit of music that moves and connects deeply – then I would feel a change is happening here.
But with all this, and more, how can I be even a minor miracle worker? How can I not not feel like a victim of circumstances?
I’m not writing because I have an answer. I’m writing because I understand how much power there is in the question.
Keeping in mind that these are collective troubles, so none of us are going to solve any of this singlehandedly, I can hold onto this intent a lot of the time. I have really good tools. And I also need other people to hold space for me and strengthen me when I struggle, like I hold space for others and help them return to their own wisdom. We need to support and be supported, and each moment needs its own specific, living answer. These are part of the answer to the question, but not all of it.
In the midst of everything that’s happening, where can I find the still point of surrender, acceptance, and love that will allow me to channel miracles?
A good question to contemplate. Moment by moment.