A new world order
Seeing beyond the chaos.
The last few weeks felt like the world was tilting on its axis. Overnight, Israel and Iran entered full-scale war. There were huge headlines and massive unknowns, and even rumblings of a potential World War III on the horizon.
Ripples of fear, felt around the world.
When life gives us something giant - a war, a crisis, a fundamental loss - we still have the miraculous choice of inner dignity, an ability to retain our intrinsic energetic qualities. Within the chaos, within the movement. To which vision are you devoted? What will you choose to lead, how do you want to relate?
The piece I’m sharing below is a mix of things; an unraveling, a processing - but it is mostly a blessing. May all beings know freedom.
The shakiness
When war broke out between Israel and Iran a few weeks ago, it felt like the entire world was holding its breath. What’s going to happen? What’s the end game here?
War is not a new thing in these parts. It is dormant at best; at worst, far too proximate. I’ve lived in Tel Aviv for 13 years, but in speaking to friends and family there was near consensus - this time felt different, a new level of escalation and lived fear against a paralyzing backdrop of ballistic missiles.
And just like that, the war seemed to end as quickly as it broke out, leaving citizens in both countries in a state of shakiness, processing the destruction and the lives lost.
I’m writing about this war, but it could be any war, any difficult or shocking situation.
Sometimes life give us a crisis, and then we are left reeling, trying to making sense of an abrupt new reality that is too big to comprehend.
A new world order
Grounded spirituality embraces physical life, as it is. War is a part of life, it has a big shaping role in the history of humanity.
In recent years, some spiritual and religious circles have speculated that the world’s systems are shifting, that we are moving away from control and power dominated societies to a new, more open and equitable era of humanity. Some Kabbalistic interpretations are even stating that the shift is happening now, that systems breaking down to to be rebuilt and create a more “unified, heart-centered world.”1
Maybe so, but realistically, war as a means of asserting power and resolving conflicts isn’t going to disappear from Earth anytime soon.2
And in the meanwhile there are still many normal, everyday people who would prefer peace. This doesn’t mean they want to become activists or run for election. It just means they want to live their daily lives with more freedom, dignity, and hope.
A dream of peace
There were many moments in the past few weeks where I kept coming back to an imprint, a remembering. Not something in my conscious mind, more of a dream.
I recently learned that in the 1950s, my Iraqi Jewish grandfather used to travel from the Sea of Galilee in the north of Israel, up into Syria by train, in order to conduct business and export goods. He knew Damascus and Aleppo well, and while Jewish life wasn’t fully secure in that region then, he was still able to travel across borders and conduct business.
The tone of that imagery has stayed with me, a wish. Will I ever be able to visit Damascus or Beirut, or will my Jewish Iranian friends be able to visit their familial homeland in their lifetimes? I don’t know. I hope so.
And even if we can’t, is it possible to still maintain a connection to our agency, to a more infinite world? For those of us who love this land, love the people here - beyond the fear and conflict, can we still dream of something else?
Can we hold a different core, centering in our steady commitment to the good that is already here, between all of us?
In every warzone in the world, there are people with heart, people helping one another. Courage, love, and hope still live on, even in the darkest corners of the earth.
The energetic center
I’m optimistic, but I’m not naive. On a practical level, much of the Middle East is lacking in capable leadership and the technocratic capacities to rebuild or innovate government systems.
So yes, this kind of dreaming can feel like a privilege. As I just learned, much harder to do during a climax of life-threatening stress and fear.
But the energetic center is always there. There is always a pause within the chaos, a center within the movement.
A moment of energetic choice to ask yourself, “What vision am I holding? What do I dream of? What is still possible, even now?”
In the center of the chaos, I still see a Middle East that is ancient and regal, raw and hopeful. Too hot and slightly insane, but tremendously beautiful and alive. Everything, all at once.
May we have the strength to not turn away from the hard things in life.
May all living beings be happy and free.
May all beings know peace.
With love,
Maya
Thank you for reading
I couldn’t find a specific source for this, just some textual speculation and interpretation. Please share if you are familiar with something more concrete!
Cross of Eden! 💐