Transforming Wounds
“There must be, and if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand.” Richard Rohr
We are in such a “wounded state” these days, we are all suffering and wounded by the coronavirus pandemic, the social injustice protests and now the wildfires that have swept across the Western states. “We Cannot Breathe” seems to sum it up for us in 2020. We are suffocating and dying. We are all suffering losses and are wounded right now.
What do we do? Do we seek to blame, accuse and attack others? I know for me, when I am hurting, I almost immediately seek to blame someone. Who is responsible for my hurting? It is so easy for my ego to quickly identify the easy answer as to why this is happening to me.
“Whatever is not transformed is transmitted.”
This is one of my favorite quotes for it reminds me to see more clearly that if I am hurting and wounded, I must look deeper beyond the easy and quick ego satisfying explanations. I have learned that it seems only in my human suffering is where true transformation can begin.
One of the reasons folks give for walking the Camino de Santiago is, they just need to “clear their heads”, so they can think clearly again and maybe make some important life decisions. That is one of the beautiful things about walking the Camino, it gives one time to think and to dig deeper into their lives. Maybe they have suffered a loss of a loved one or a job and are trying to figure out how to work through this loss.
It is in embracing our “necessary suffering”, that seems to be programmed into our life journeys, that we are able to “break open the heart space” so we can experience a transformation. A change in our hearts and minds.
Here are some deeper truths I have learned through exploring my wounds and the wounds of our country.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced me into new patterns in my life. It has really slowed me down to a much more deliberate pace of life. It has greatly simplified our lives and shown us that we can save money if we are not always out eating out and traveling all the time. I have become aware of my deep connection to the “consumerism culture” of America. In some ways, it has made our lives a lot like the Camino walk, in the way that it has greatly simplified it and helped us focus on what is really important.
The death of George Floyd, exposed the our nations “great wound” of systemic racism. This got me to exploring my own lack of awareness of my “white privilege” and the role it has played in my life. In reading more about systemic racism, I am beginning to understand how it has robbed people of color of opportunities that I have enjoyed (great education, a great job and wealth through home ownership). I also now see, that we do indeed have a long road ahead of us, to repair the damage that has been done for so many years.
Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced. —James Baldwin
You can not heal what you do not acknowledge. May these unprecedented times of loss and suffering, lead us all to open up our hearts to search what areas of our lives need to be transformed.
May grace abound in your life!
John
Photograph of the Month
This image is a composite of two images I captured and merged together. The heart shaped rock I found during a visit to Apache Junction, Arizona and the ragged hanging root on the side of a trail during hike to Fremont Lookout in Mt Rainier National Park.
weareallpilgrims 