I FACED THE FIRE AND i WAS TRANSFORMED

I faced the fire yesterday. It was one of the most intense situations of my life, and it taught me so much.
I was meant to be facilitating a retreat this weekend up in the Byron hinterland. I arrived late Friday night to the smell of smoke in the air from fires burning throughout the state.
My brother that has been the custodian of this property for 30 years was aware and cautious but not too alarmed. Usually the Forrest up here is thick and lush and not too prone to Bush fires. But it hasn’t rained properly for 6 months and everything is as dry as chips.
Little did we realise how fast and decisive The spirit of fire can be.
I went to bed around midnight, my sleep extremely disturbed. I dreamt I was burning up and woke suddenly not being able to breath properly with the smoke getting heavy.
Next moment my dear sister Danni is calmly shaking me saying we need to grab what we can and go, quickly.
The wind had shifted and the blaze had moved toward us. Embers had flown into the yard of the 100 year old timber farm house and started spot fires.
When I went to take my things to the car I looked up to see a bright orange sky revealed. I ran back inside to get my remaining bags and by the time I came back out a minute it so later, the sky was glowing red.
As calmly as possible, we gathered our things. My brother was leaving behind his life and home of 30 years and it was touching to see that he had chosen to bring only his guitar, his Buddha statue and his cat Puss.
On the way down the drive, more spot fires. It felt surreal.
At the end of the drive, to the right of the road the mountain was completely on fire. And it was close. Less than a kilometre away. As terrifying as it was to see and feel the fury of the fire, the speed and decisiveness of where it decided to rage, it was also magnificent. The forces of nature so gargantuan I felt like a tiny blip on the radar.
The colour was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Neon fluorescent red. The flames like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of the Mountain.
Then the embers rained down on my car, hitting the windscreen as I did my best to stay calm, talking in prayer to my guiding Mountains, Masters of Light and the Guardians of the land.
We reached the bottom safely. Needless to say we cancelled our retreat and called in prayers from our participants for our brothers house, and all the beings, animal and human affected by these fires.
There have been losses of life. Of what we hold dear. Yet still in the chaos there is beauty. Gifts to be received.
I faced a fire. I have my life. That short moment in time has strengthened my resilience immensely.
It re ignited my respect for the power of Pachamama and deepened my trust in the wisdom of how life unfolds, even when it seems to make no sense.
Everything in life is constantly going through a cycle of birth, life, destruction and resurrection.
There are messages here if we chose to hear them.
Our Pachamama is speaking. Are we prepared to listen? She wants our attention, she needs us to harmonise.
As with every relationship, there needs to be a balance of power. When water is weak (we have had no rain) then fire take charge and gets out of control. It comes back to creating harmony. Within ourselves and our relationships to each other. In our relationship to our our planet.
Our planet is in chaos, we have forgotten how to harmonise. So there in, is a potent directive toward the work that needs to be done.
** needless to say, we didn’t stop for a selfie! 

These fires are still raging.

What will come after this destruction, is new life. The slate is cleaned and cleared and there is an opportunity for new ways. New growth. We need to wake up, do our part and then trust in the perfection of the divine plan and literally and metaphorically surrender ourselves to the transformation of the fire, by receiving the gifts that are here for us now.

You can help by making an offering of a heart felt prayer.

To the rains, imagine your feet soaked in the earth as if the rains have already come. See her soothe the fire bringing nourishment and new life. Make a promise to treat all waters of the earth as sacred.

To the winds, feeling the stillness and calm. Decide to cultivate more stillness and calm within ourselves and in our lives.

To our Mother Earth - with a promise to walk with more awareness and respect. To honour her more and take less. To walk with Ayni. To make more offerings of heart gratitude and love.

And to the Sacred Fire - as we surrender ourselves to transformation we hear your call to temper the fires within. To watch our actions and reactions. We are listening we are ready to harmonise our relationships with ourselves and with others.

To all across that planet that needs our prayers, you have them. Let’s learn from Pachamama, get through this and rise like that Phoenix from these ashes with a commitment to harmonise, all aspects of our lives.