A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. March's Theme: "Impermanence"
Volume 6 Issue 3 ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Laura Brennan Rice The End is Near - Maybe Tira Brandon Evans Friendly Impermanence Phil Kotofskie The Stone House Alegria Imperial Flying Free In the Music Dj Brown What Could Your Future Look Like? Jackie Lapin Tips to Handle Stress Mona Khalaf Change Happens Rev. Cheryl Jewett Pet-sense Jean Hofve DVM Breathe Wisdom Jacqueline Kramer Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Wiccan Voices Crystal Blanton, HPs Life in the Raw Melissa Gilbert Being Mindful Janet Alston Jackson Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Bellicon Rebounders QiBounding Try It On Everything The Revolution Starts Within DVD Glass Drinking Straws WGlassWorks Lexen Healthy Juicer Wheatgrass Juicer Lexen Products Ocean Mirabai Ceiba

The world is always coming to an end and a new heaven and a new earth are always just around the corner. Having lived for sixty-two years, I have come to the point of feeling the end of the world predictions are all pretty much the same in every time and every place. Just in my lifetime, I have been told dozens of times the world was in immediate danger of destruction. Some of these predictions were based on very serious grounds - the USA and Russia very nearly did come to nuclear blows over Cuba in the 1960's, for instance. Some of the dire predictions proved to be nothing but hot air - the terrible disasters which would result from the Y2K computer bug, for example.

Various religious leaders have often prophesied the world would end on a specific date. Many encouraged their followers to sell all they had to prepare for destruction - or talked folks into following them into the wilderness to await Armegeddon. Sometimes, when the end did not come, they talked their followers into suicide.

Certainly, the world is always changing and there may be bad times ahead - but, on the other hand, these bad times may never materialize. My philosophy is, be prepared.

We are fortunate enough to have our own well and it may be easily be switched from our electric pump to a hand pump at a moment's notice. We have a little half acre to provide some veggies in season and we could keep chickens quite easily. We live about a hundred yards from one of the best salmon streams in the world with fish year round - only about three months of the year are sans salmon. We have a woodstove for heat and, if the grid actually does go down, I think we can figure out how to cook outdoors over an open fire.

I have taken thought for what items will be valuable in a future without public services: toothpaste, toothbrushes, healing herbs, salt - salt is hugely important - honey, spices, canning jars with lids, the list is really endless.

But this is just our way of making sure we can look after ourselves if we have to. I don't really think we will ever have to.

As things stand we are in a very good situation to survive the 'end of the world as we know it'. Make decisions for your future based on what you think is best for you and your family NOW. Remember, tomorrow never comes. If you aren't happy in your present situation there is little chance you would be happy in that situation tomorrow, no matter what the rest of the world is doing.

In some ways it would be quite wonderful if tomorrow it was the 'end of the world as we know it' because we would be absolved of the responsibility of trying to fix things. We would not have to worry any more about things that make us unhappy. We would be far too busy just surviving to take thought of tomorrow at all.

Now, I know many people will say, "But I am busy just surviving." Well, not really, not if you live in Europe or Australia or North America or any country with a stable government and secure infrastructure.

People in India, Africa, parts of Asia, parts of the Middle East, and parts of Central and South America really ARE struggling just to survive. Disease, starvation, drought, and war are their daily reality.

I highly recommend you make your decisions based on what you and your family need today and not on some future that may never come. If and when the grid goes down, you will figure out a way to make that work for you and your loved ones. Until then, be prepared and be free of fearing tomorrow.

The Coming Eucatastrophe

Something which occurred to me is that these prophecies are almost always negative. I wonder if that is because seers only see bad things or if it is because folks only pay attention to, and preserve, the negative prophecies?

I mean, what if I had a series of visions showing the earth and all her people living in peace, plenty and harmony, and told the visions and the signs to look for that would indicate this golden age was soon to begin? Would these prophecies be respected and remembered and handed down from generation to generation? Or would they be ignored and forgotten within a generation?

And that, to me, is a very interesting question because just as there are always catastrophes happening so are there also events which Tolkien called eucatastrophes, sudden wonderful and miraculous events.

Long ago, I started to practice a little trick to cheer myself up when I was glum. I would make up my mind to notice all the good things that happened to me in a day and immediately forget all the bad things. At the end of the day, I would tally up all the good things. It is amazing how well this works. Not that bad things don't happen, but if we are looking only at the negative things then we are constructing a pretty negative universe for ourselves. If we concentrate on what is good, wholesome and right in our lives this builds a positive reality.

Of course, there are times when I enjoy wallowing in the slough of despond, but even when I am doing this, I am aware it is my choice. When I make up mind to be happy, I am. I have the choice to spend my life preparing for a catastrophe that may never come or celebrating the eucatastrophe that is our beautiful living planet. The choice is also yours.

Copyright (c) 2009 Tira Brandon Evans

Tira Brandon-Evans is the Founder and Moderator of the Society of Celtic Shamans, editor of Earthsongs: Journal of the Society of Celtic Shamans, and is, herself, a Faery Shaman. Her books, The Green and Burning Tree: A Faery Shaman's Handbook, Portals of the Seasons: A Celtic Wheel of the Year, Through the Unremembered Gate: Journeys of Initiation, The Labyrinthine Way: Walking Ancient Paths in a Modern World, and Healing Waters, are all published by Elder Grove Press. She is presently writing a book about the Ogham. You may contact Tira by email.

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