Our Journey Back to Family
Fifteen years have passed since planes hit the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. And our family has never been the same since. We began as the United States of America. Now, we’re something else. Instead of the tragedy of 9/11 bringing us together, helping us to remember that we’re one family, it seems that we began a downward spiral that we haven’t yet recovered from.
I thought we might have turned a corner when we elected Barack Obama as our President, but if the current election is any indicator, that didn’t happen. Racism and sexism is on display for all the world to see. Congress actually had to be convinced to provide medical care for first responders. It only took fifteen years. From an article dated 12/18/15 on the Maddow Blog by Steve Benen:
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) proudly proclaimed, “After 15 years, the heroes and survivors of 9/11 will know that their health care is permanent and their compensation is full.”Specifically, the Zadroga measure was included in the omnibus spending bill, which passed the House this morning, and cleared the Senate soon after.Proponents benefited from some key allies, but it’s worth emphasizing that one of the highest-profile activists in this fight was Jon Stewart, who raised the visibility of the effort in ways public officials couldn’t.¹
I can’t even imagine how first responders and their families felt all those years, waiting for someone to care, some losing their lives in the process, while GOP lawmakers left them alone and hurting. This is NOT what we do to family. It is NOT what we do to each other. Not when they sacrificed everything for us.
Whenever life doesn’t make any sense at all, I cast the runes. In today’s runecasting, I drew Berkano, Ehwaz, and Fehu. Right away, Berkano brings family into the picture; Ehwaz, our soul journey; and Fehu energizes the surrounding runes, sending their energy into the universe. Ehwaz directly follows Berkano, the 18th and 19th runes in the Elder Futhark. The numerology is prescient in that 18 reduces to 9, 19 reduces to 1, 9 plus 1 equals 10, which also reduces to 1. Fehu is also a 1 as the first rune in the Futhark. If we leave it there, we have an expression of unity. Added together, we have 2, the expression of duality. So what the numerology tells me is that our unity is at odds with our duality.
Invoking Gaia energies, Berkano brings healing, fertility, and new beginnings. We give birth to new ideas and bring them to fruition with Berkano. An Earth element rune, Berkano grounds and calms, giving us a chance to align and see what’s important.
Ehwaz represents safe travel as well as abrupt change. In addition, it represents marriage and partnership. But more interesting than that, Ehwaz also represents the vehicle for our soul’s journey or our Merkaba. It supports the family aspect of Berkano in that it reinforces partnership, something that has been compromised of late. We see too many differences between us when we should be experiencing unity. Instead of the wagons remaining circled, we let fear take over and watched them go in unsustainable directions. And now hatred is everywhere.
Expressions of separation have taken priority as perceived differences are more important than treating others with respect and dignity. Today’s runes suggest however that a sense of family is still possible for us, that our journey to oneness has not been fully compromised. Fehu, the sending rune, brings the energies of Berkano and Ehwaz together, binding their partnership aspects in creation of a new sense of purpose.
Fehu’s traditional meaning is cattle or wealth. But our true wealth lies in our unity, in our expression of family. We began as the United States of America. At times it’s been a rocky process in our pursuit of that unity, but we’ve come too far to watch it all go to hell in a hand basket now.
The runes provide some measure of comfort when hearts are still broken from that fateful day. They tell us that family is still possible if we only let go our perception of separation from one another and come together in love and peace. We’re far greater together than we are apart and together we can accomplish anything.
Our journey of recovery and healing continues. Let’s make that journey together.
Blessings to all!
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Thank you... Jan Erickson
