I have given birth five times. Five times, inside of my womb, genetic material has united and welcomed a heavenly spirit. Five times, I have sacrificed my body, my thoughts, my emotions and my soul to a new, tiny human.
I have done that because of a profound love that a mother is preconditioned to have toward her children- it is a spiritual love that travels back to the beginning of time.
A woman is a human who has the innate power to sacrifice herself to a divine love. That is a strength that deserves respect and reverence.
A friend recently told me that grief is the price of love. As it goes, profound love is accompanied by profound grief.
Three of the children whose spirits came to earth inside of my womb are still tethered to Earth. I am constantly consumed with both love and concern for these spirits- which now live in the bodies of men.
I can see all of the dangers in this world. There are evil forces that tempt and possess our children. My instinct is to pull my boys back, and to keep them warm and fed in the safety of my nest.
Ultimately, however, I know that each of us comes to Earth with a purpose, and, in order to fulfill that purpose, they must be allowed to fly.
I have worked in Early Childhood Education for 30 years. I have directly taught and had genuine friendships with over 1000 children – and – something is not right with our kids. There is an unprecedented mental health crisis among our youth, and that is a problem that cannot be simply medicated and ignored.
A change has happened in childhood over my lifetime, and it is not a healthy change. That change is the existence of and accessibility to technology. Technology has led many to a sedentary childhood spent wired into a virtual fantasy world filled with unnatural creatures and characters.
Many years ago, I read a book called Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv. That book has guided my thinking about childhood and education. Louv warned if “Nature Deficit Disorder” which would occur on a grand scale if children continued to spend less and less time freely exploring the the natural world.
I am sitting alone in a forest right now- and I realize that there are very few children in America who ever experience this particular type of freedom and peace.
Little by little we have allowed childhood to be taken over by a busy fast paced world filled with distraction and temptation. It is not healthy- and the consequences can not be ignored.
Our children are sick and we have to recognize that and address it- and addressing it simply means get them away from technology and get them back to the forest.
It is so easy to spend many joyful hours in the woods with children. All you have to do is sit down on a fallen tree and watch while your children explore and learn.
All you have to do is relax and let them be kids. Let them touch things and climb things and test things out. Let them get wet and let them get muddy. Let them roll in the grass and then look at the clouds. Let them slow down and relax and enjoy the world that God has given to each and every one of them.
And start right now- no child is too old. We each need to know how our feet are connected to this earth and we are all in need of spiritual healing.
I was born in 1971. My early childhood was lived during the time just before personal computers. There were three television shows per day that were dedicated to kids and then there were Saturday morning cartoons.
As children, we got up in the morning, ate breakfast and went outside. We played with the kids on our block from dawn until dusk.
Except
We always went inside to watch the three television shows per day that were dedicated to children- and we never missed Saturday morning cartoons.
It was clear by 1971 that children were drawn to passive, technology based forms of entertainment- and advertisers realized how easy it was to control children’s minds.
Companies used propaganda in the form of commercials to manipulate the feelings and desires of children- and busy, working parents purchased all of the latest fads and gadgets, just to see the smiles on their babies’ faces.
I mean, the reason we go to work is to provide our children with the latest fads and gadgets…..right?
The signs were there- it was clear, even then, where this path would lead, but technology tempted us with so many wonderful promises.
Like a snake in a garden, technology dazzled us with the possibilities of infinite knowledge, infinite convenience and a life of infinite ease.
According to Greek Mythology, Adonis was loved by the goddess, Aphrodite. Adonis was killed by a wild boar and died in Aphrodite’s arms. As her tears and his blood soaked into the earth, the first red rose grew in that spot. The red rose symbolizes great love and great loss. Mixed fiber freeform crochet sculpture. $1940.00
In 1943, Abraham Maslow identified a hierarchy of needs. These needs, according to Maslow, are the conditions that the human brain must satisfy, in order to thrive and meet its full potential.
The foundation of the pyramid describes physical needs, like food, water and shelter. Just after physiological, comes the need for a sense of safety and security. In order to develop, the human brain must have a sense of safety and security.
Fear erases that sense of safety. In modern day society- there are messages of fear attacking our psyche from every direction. These messages inundate media and seep into our relationships and into our collective psyche.
A mind in fear is a mind that cannot progress. A culture in fear is a culture that cannot progress. A society in fear is a society that cannot progress. Humanity in fear is humanity that cannot progress.
Collective Fear It is a commentary on how messages of fear seep into the mind and destroy one’s ability to think clearly or to reason. It is about how the tendrils of fear can destroy the preciousness of individual thought, innovation and creation.
Isaiah 41:10
Be not afraid, for with thee I am, Look not around, for I am thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld thee, With the right hand of My righteousness.
On March 16, 2020, we were told to go home and hide in our houses. We were told to only go out if absolutely necessary and to cover our faces if we had to venture into the dangerous world.
You see, there was an invisible enemy. While this enemy was undetectable, it would cause suffering, death and destruction. We were shown video of bodies in Italy and suffering in China. Our news programs and social media started displaying the sickness and death toll. One in five wouldn’t survive- look around- how many is that? The government made plans to manage the expected wave of illness and hospitalization.
They told us it would take 2 weeks. They told us it would be ok. Isolate in your homes. Cover your faces. Avoid the others who might hurt you.
We listened. We wanted to survive. There was an invisible enemy that would cause suffering and death: Collective fear.
We held tight to our loved ones. Jigsaw puzzles and hearts in the windows. Essential workers turned heroes. We were in this together. ALL IN ILLINOIS. for a moment.
Fear leads to confusion. Confusion leads to suspicion. Suspicion leads to division.
On May 25, 2020, a store clerk suspected a man named George Floyd of paying with counterfeit money and called the police. That interaction led to a gut-wrenching video spreading throughout the world.
The video showed a man face down on the ground. A police officer was holding the man down, using the weight of his own body. The officer had his knee on George Floyd and, through the power of media, we sat in our homes watching as life left this man. Again and again.
Witnessing death is always traumatic- this death was witnessed collectively. Trauma leads to fear. Fear leads to confusion. Confusion leads to suspicion. Suspicion leads to division. Division leads to anger. Anger leads to fear.
After a moment of disbelief and sadness over the publicized and public demise of this man- emotions replaced reason and the images being downloaded into our brains became images of anger, violence and hate.
We saw windows being broken. We saw open looting. We saw buildings being burned. We saw monuments toppled. We saw history itself demonized.
The politicians and the media told us it was all understandable and that we should isolate ourselves in our homes – cover our faces- avoid the others who wanted to harm us.
Collective Fear
Then came the political battles. While images of a country in crisis flashed in front of our eyes- the great oligarchs pointed fingers at one another along with fiery speeches and projections of American flags waving large behind them.
We were like ancient Greeks, sitting helplessly watching as some great battle on Mt Olympus raged on. Sides were taken and lines were drawn. A civil war within families- friendship and kinship replaced by fanatical allegiance to a party- to an ideology.
The media told us it was normal. They told us it would be fine. Just isolate yourself, cover your face- avoid the other who might mean you harm. And take this medicine. AND VOTE!
Then an election. Then a winner. A winner? Some say yes. Some say no. More confusion. Collective confusion. Collective division. Collective illusion. Collective suspicion. Collective collision. Collective conflict.
Collective FEAR.
January 6, 2021. We sat in our living rooms feeling the tension. We sat in our living rooms watching the speeches. We sat in our living rooms watching the protests. We sat in our living rooms watching the crowds.
Then it all began to change. Crowds of people carrying flags, chanting “U.S.A.” Flags climbing the walls- like a medieval battle scene. All on video.
All televised.
Were they patriots? Were they terrorists? Were they freedom fighters? Were they insurrectionists? Were they at the wrong place at the wrong time?
Collective confusion….
Some time ago, I read about an Amish community in America.
The Amish do not use TV-sets, computers or cell phones. They do not drive cars or listen to the radio. Amish communities maintain their traditional German language.
The Amish grow their crops and tend to their animals. They build, create, cook and praise God. The Amish have lasted this long because they live separate from the rest of us- in their peaceful way. They do not bother us, and, for the most part, we do not bother them.
The Amish community in the article I read had not heard about the pandemic until late 2020. They did not know about George Floyd or the riots. they were not concerned with the fiery election cycle or the outcome.
The Amish continue to support one another and raise their families through hard work and connection to the land that God granted them. They go forward with the faith that they will live out God’s plan for them during their time on this earth.
Mamaearth Design Shop 