The Gulf Oil Spill

My husband, who loves it, will attest to the fact that I am not a sci-fi fan. "The Day the Earth Stood Still", is a remake of a 1951 movie I reluctantly agreed to see when it came out in 2008, because hubby, a sci-fi aficionado, would probably have cried like a little boy if I hadn't relented. The snippet synopsis is: The space visitors were here to save the earth because humans were destroying it. To prove they could, the visitors made the earth stand still. Humans were impressed but ...would they change their destructive ways before the visitors decided to exterminate the human parasites? The protagonist, Keannu Reeves, at one point wisely states that humans could not survive without the earth but the earth could survive without humans.

Why is this simplistic movie on my mind? It gives me a little voyage, a respite from reality into my imagination. I wish extraterrestrials would stop by and save us. We desperately need an intervention. The wake up calls mother earth is herself producing don't seem to be making enough of a difference. Or, perhaps they are. I'm just feeling heavy, I am still combating the grief I feel when I think about the damage from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Always the innocent are the first victims... So it has been for ages past, so it is now."

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) often crash into each other in the abyss of my heart. Sadness, which is most symptomatic of grief, overcomes me when I hear people talk about the catastrophe, or I peruse news about the slow, slow experimental process of clean up. Fear and despair knock at the door of my spirit though they are not welcome.

Instead, I strive to reach the acceptance that Eckhart Tolle (http://eckharttolle.com/) speaks about. It is not condoning, it is just recognizing that what is...Is. Once I can do that, I can take some action to combat fear and despair, mine and the world's. As usual, I have some suggestions:

• Let us pray! There is, after all, at least ONE extraterrestrial we know of, who can save us. Pray from a positive stance, using positive imagery and gratitude for all the good that already exists. Pray as if what you are asking for has already happened, therefore use the present tense. Pray using specific detail. For example:

Father, Mother, God;

I pray for healing of the Gulf of Mexico.

I pray that the ocean is clean, that the animals - the birds, fish, dolphins, whales, shellfish, are safe and healthy, that the people are happy, healthy and prosperous.

I ask that the beaches are beautiful, clean and open to people's enjoyment.

Thank you for this earth. Thank you for the people who contribute so much to keep the earth healthy. Thank you for all Your blessings.

Amen. So it is.

• Contribute what you can. If all you can contribute is a prayer, that's great. But many of us can spare a little time, service or money to support the effort in cleaning up and saving the ecology of the region. The following are examples of places where we can donate:

http://aquaserve.org/

http://my.nature.org/

http://nrdcactionfund.org/

• Refuse to dwell in negativity, either by watching a lot of news about it, or discussing it with people. When we focus on something we give it power, it grows. I don't mean we shouldn't be informed, but let's not expand negative energy. Instead, let's focus on whatever positives we can notice. I am especially noticing the generosity of the people who volunteer to help and the grace of the people who have been affected. So, let's stay positive and invoke the best within us. Miracles are waiting to be manifested.

"Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier."

Anonymous
~

I do not live near the ocean. Photos have to remind me of its power and beauty, as well as it's admirers and inhabitants. I hope you enjoy these too, they are meant to counteract the dreadful images we are sometimes exposed to. Be still and let the earth stand still for you...while wondrous changes inevitably occur.

"The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble."

Blaire Pascal

"Treat the earth well; it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from children."

Native American Proverb