Spiritual Healing

A Message for the New Year: After the Tsunami
By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

In the world of Goddesses, Yemaja is the Goddess of the Sea. The Yoruban and other cultures that worship Her call her Mama Watta. She is a mother Goddess, to whom people pray for healing and renewal. She is the creative power of all that is. On the New Year, in Brazil, women bring offerings to Her and send them out to sea in tiny boats, hoping to win Her favor.

In the past couple of weeks, I have prayed to understand why the Mother Ocean would erupt onto the shores and take so many of her children back home. There were so many souls leaving this planet at one time; there were so many humans left standing on the shore bereft, having had their children, loved ones, friends, homes, ripped from them. Unfathomable! Like the sea Herself.

Personally, I don't believe that we humans are punished by the Divine. But I do believe we are offered lessons. I can't begin to imagine what this lesson could be all about. My heart aches too much to be able to truly tap into a spiritual view. Certainly I have no answers.

I am fascinated, however, to watch the story unfold and see mass cooperation of nations, religions, and peoples. At a time like this - at this time - forces must work together in a way that they may not have been able to, or never wanted to, before. At the very least, we are shown that we can come together to help heal the world.

We find ourselves at another time in history that will define all history to come. Just as life seemed split into the eras "before 9-11" and "after 9-11" we find ourselves defining yet the newer era, "before the tsunami" and "after the tsunami."

This year started off with a global challenge of such huge proportions that is forcing our world to work in cooperation for the good of all - regardless of religion, politics, belief system. Let us hope that from tragedy will come some good.

May kindness and compassion filled your world.

Many blessings for 2005,

Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway