Purification, Hope, And Closing Circles Of Old Energy

I'll be participating in a sweat lodge this afternoon, which answered a prayer of mine. I wanted to contribute something to the start of President Obama's call for change. It seems a lot of my friends were on the same wave length, and even though we haven't kept in touch with each other for most of the winter, we'll all be together this afternoon in a ceremonial sweat--a purification sweat.

I've thought quite a bit about the Miracle on the Hudson. The landing of a passenger jet on the Hudson river without a single loss of life is about as antithetical as one can get from the events of 9/11.

The pilot, Captain Chelsey Sullenberger, seemed to have two choices, downtown Manhattan (again) or try a belly landing on the Hudson. He chose the Hudson, acting from his competence, not panicked fear, and thereby spared all his passengers. He also spared any unsuspecting people who may have been in the plane's path had he tried the land approach. His choice is the exact opposite of the choices made by the 9/11 'pilots'. Captain Sullenberger purified some serious energy around Manhattan. He closed a circle of energy, an important circle of energy.

The photo which I chose for this piece, centers the Statue of Liberty in the background, as passengers are being rescued by the numerous commercial vessels which instantly surrounded the downed plane. Not one single person suffered exposure from the waters of the frigid Hudson. Amazing.

Lady Liberty watching over Americans, and those who aspire to be Americans, is also a Marian image.

There are other signs that things will be different in the energy of Obama. Just as predicted, Israel and Hamas have called for a cease fire three days before Obama's swearing in. I get the feeling though, that this time things are different. Both Israel and Hamas have taken a bath in the world press. The world is making distinctions between the issues and the appropriate response. Israeli security needs don't justify their actions in Gaza, and Hamas is being treated as the criminal, not political outfit, it really is. Whatever either side hoped to accomplish, it won't be what they desired.

The other hopeful energy sign I have seen regarding Palestine, is coming from Northern Ireland. Clerics in Northern Ireland are offering their expertise in helping to solve the intractable division between Palestine and Israel. Who better understands the futility of this kind of war than the people who lived through 'the troubles'. A Palestinian solution would go along way towards purifying Northern Ireland of the energy associated with their own history. It's an important gesture because factions in Northern Ireland were heavily involved in gun running and other assorted criminal activity in conjunction with Arab jihadists. There is a big energy connection between the two situations. Closing this circle of energy is important.

Yesterday's opening inauguration celebration was truly inspiring. Estimates of those in attendance exceeded the 500,000 expected. Hope is high that the American Eagle will rise once again. It will take all of us though, each contributing in our own way, out of our own talents. Captain Sullenberger has done his part, it's time we do ours. We can make a difference. We can bring change. It's not all on President Obama, and it's not just about Americans. We are all connected, and that might be the biggest change America will undergo. Finally understanding it's not all about us.

So today in a sweat lodge in a pasture in Montana, those of us who participate will be joined in consciousness with those in Washington DC who are doing a purification rite for the White house. In a sweat lodge, as in any sacred area, time and space are irrelevant variables. We will be as present at the White House as those who are actually present. Our ceremonial sage will mingle with their ceremonial sage in a unified purification prayer. It will be our small contribution to the Obama inauguration--to closing the circle of energy associated with the Bush White House.

When President Obama takes the oath of office tomorrow, it will symbolically represent the closure of another energy circle. It's taken a long time to close this particular circle and it's involved incredible human beings like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and millions of unknown individuals who did what they could to close the circle of racism.

It looks to me like there are circles of old energy being closed all over the planet. These closures won't happen over night, but they are happening, and new energy will fill the void. It's an Armageddon, but not in the way that Armageddon was ever predicted. And yet the question of the separation of wheat from chaff is still in play. Will we go with the new flow, or desperately hang on to the old, and get trapped as circles close. As for me, I'd rather be a closer, than closed off.