“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: if you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.”
Martin Keogh, Hope Beneath Our Feet: Restoring Our Place in the Natural World

 

The video of the truck racing through the forest of flames in Fort McMurray yesterday caught me breathless. And then that picture this morning of the lady riding on horseback away from danger and leading her other horses with her touched me too. Unlike most folks in the Maritimes, I do not have loved ones there, but I have said prayers and know a thing or two about wildfires, rain dances and faith

One of the the few early photos I have of me is me playing in a cupboard under the sink with pots. Perhaps a tipsy family member amused by toddlers smashing away on tops and bottoms of cookware with a wooden spoon snapped it, or perhaps there was something more.  Encouraging this behaviour, after all, flew directly in the face of the most familiar family mantra, ‘children are to be seen and not heard’,

Was the pot banging a hint at my heritage initiated by my Grandmother who was alternatively referred to as “Squaw” or “Fat” by my Grandfather when he was at home and had a few glasses of his ‘medicine’ (aka Scotch on the rocks or whatever was the latest thing he needed to settle his nerves after a long day of work for IBM in Toronto)? I’m not sure, but the pot banging/music therapy continued on until at least age 8 because one of my clearest childhood memories is flooding my Grandpa’s basement with my loudest and proudest raindance ever!

I danced and I banged away as my Grandma prepared dinner with CBC radio blaring in the background. By the time Grandpa arrived home, the dark clouds were rolling across the sky so that the apple trees and the brush and old shed at the edge of the yard stood out against the silver and charcoal grey sky that was rumbling with rain. To my delight in the morning, the dirt basement where the bottles of preserves and canned vegetables stood in straight rows and the big freezer full of meat, berries and baked goods slumped in the smaller room off to the right was transformed into a stone sided three feet deep wading pool with newspapers floating around between the two rooms as the hanging lightbulb swayed back and forth throwing shadows.

Perched on the top of the wooden steps in my pajamas, I watched with joy as Grandpa clumped down the steps past me in his rubber rain boots and muttered about flood waters and insurance and what was in ruins. There was no ‘job well done’ or even acknowledgement…. but maybe that was a good thing as he was none too happy.

This morning I was taken right back to Grandpa’s basement when the thought ‘how about a raindance for Fort McMurray’ popped into my head. Funny because last night I had sent out a Facebook request for prayers for the people, the animals and the land of Fort McMurray that is facing overwhelming wildfires and forcing the entire town to be evacuated. Perhaps the raindance idea is just a childish wish to be able to do something to fix things fast or a reminder that caring can spread like wildfire too and help bring hope and peace where there is fear. That is what the #HearttoHeart Global Meditation on Peace and Love helped do just a few weeks ago and we have another opportunity to come together now and ‘rain love’ on Fort McMurray.

There are many ways to be of help to this area and you could choose to come forward and ‘make some noise’ and have your voice heard in the healing efforts that are and will be required. Whether it is making donations through the Red Cross Alberta Fires Appeal, open up your home to one or more of the 80,000 who have been forced to flee theirs, support the courageous team of rescue and safety personnel who continue to rush towards the dangerous conditions while others are running out to safety, provide help to agencies who will be dealing with the aftermath of this event or provide prayer and healing energy we all need to keep dancing until the rains come and the fires stop and the healing begins. Not just for the people and the animals effected, but also for Mother Earth.

According to a Globe and Mail report, “Elizabeth May, the Green Party Leader, linked the fire to climate change. The frequency and severity of wildfires has been increasing for the past few decade and climate scientists have warned there will be more of the blazes as greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and cause droughts.” We really need to love our Mother folks.

For the #Sensitives who follow my blog and may be feeling pulled about in many directions because you are feeling the scorched earth or the fear of those running for safety, I encourage you to practice some radical self-care right now. As #Empaths we have a deep spiritual calling to service and in order to fulfill that path (whether folks acknowledge it or not) we need to do it from a place of strength and peace and love.

Yes things can look dire right now, but I believe if we look with our hearts, we will have stories to celebrate.

Let the choices you make be part of the healing stories that can be passed down and shared.

Let your choices be ones that you are proud of.

May you feel your deep connection to everyone and everything and move forward today from a place of compassion for all… including yourself.

May each of us ‘faith’ whatever is happening in our lives and find some comfort in the decisions we make.

Many blessings, EagleSpirit

EagleSpirit, a Contemporary Shaman, has worked for over 20 years to help clients relax their bodies, release limiting beliefs and radiate their most authentic selves.

As the creator of Empath 101 Empowerment program she speaks to groups internationally, facilitates the month-long course that has changed lives and is often featured in the media for her grounded approach to spirituality.

Visit here for more details about Empath 101 and contact us if you would like to sponsor the program in your area. Email to find our about personalized Soul Journeys, the upcoming Soul Whispers in Sedona Spirit Quest Tour or private sessions. You deserve to feel Soul Good!