Peter and I had the honor of attending a seminar this past Saturday given by Gregg Braden, author of Fractal Time, The God Code and several other wonderful books, Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief (one of my favs!) and Spontaneous Evolution and Alberto Villoldo author of The Four Insights: Wisdom, Power and Grace of the Earthkeepers and many other inspirational books and audio recordings. The topic of the day-long event was transitioning into a new era marked by the Solstice of 2012.

While they highlighted sobering facts about the current state of our planet, they also spoke of the possibility for positive change and emphasized the need for each individual to step forward and take responsibility for ushering in this new era in peace, compassion and love.

Gregg Braden, who has studied the texts of many of the ancient cultures and prophecies, states that they all say the same thing. This is a time of great change. We are at a “choice point” and the only way to successfully navigate through it is to heal from within. The path to peace and global harmony begins and ends with the work we do each day to heal ourselves, make choices from a place of balance and treat all other forms of life – not just humans, but plants, animals and Mother Earth herself – with compassion and respect.

I remember driving along a road in our hometown of Norfolk, Massachusetts (yes, the middle of almost no where!) with our two children who were probably about 6 and 9 at the time. This country road had been characterized by many areas of thickly wooded lots; it had been appropriately named Grove Street. As we turned a corner, we laid eyes on a very large section that had been clear cut in preparation for a new housing development. The energy hit us all like a Mack Truck. Our dear Indigo daughter, immediately empathized with the trees that had been cut and burst out in tears. We were all stunned and heartbroken by the devastation and seeming lack of respect for these precious life forms.

Of course, people need homes to live in, they always have. The difference is the intention and the attitude of the process involved. I believe that if the trees had been selectively cut with honor, then it would have felt very different energetically. Native American cultures would have asked permission of the tree spirits before they could cut the tree down. Perhaps that’s not a sentiment that would sit well with developers in Norfolk, MA, but maybe those of us who are sensitive need to begin to speak up more loudly.

Perhaps those of us who feel called and are more aware of these energetic misalignments need to speak up more loudly in general. Speak up with love and understanding that our society has not nurtured great respect for the Earth and thus we speak up without judgment, but we speak up nonetheless.

This is a time of change. It is time for us to acknowledge the truth of our feelings and to honor them. It is time for us to take action and know that as we heal what is divided within us, we heal what is divided all around us.

Blessings, Rev. Nina