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Jennifer May

The Time of Smoke and Fire

Updated: Aug 15, 2023



The past few years, there has been an incredibly obvious turn towards breath and lungs and the very act of breathing. Lately, there has been one environmental catastrophe after another, that all seem to put greater strain on our respiratory system. It's no wonder, because, we are in the time of grief. Grief for the earth, grief for our own losses and could haves and should haves and every expectation that had us feeling disappointment and loss and whatnot. We are in the time of smoke and fire, which is the time of inflammation and grief.

As soon as you understand that the physical is not separate from the emotional or spiritual. and when you understand that WE ARE nature in a human form.....the "I" fades and it becomes the "we" and "as above, so below. as within, so without" strikes us with stark clarity.


The time of smoke and fire that we see "OUT THERE" in the landscape, is exactly what we are experiencing in our own internal landscape. Maybe not in every person, but I am willing to bet that it is, to some degree, experienced in some way, by every person (plant, animal, rock, ocean, mountain, being......)....who is here now. It could not be any other way.


When I look out there I see what was a slow and rather rapid (in the grand scheme of all time) progression from inflammation into the tipping point of ignition. What was smoldering embers has ignited into burning forests and burning emotions. We see it in the volatile nature of humans which has gotten to a place where a mere glance can ignite into explosion. On the flip side, we also have stagnation of waters, heavy with pollution (mostly from the pharmaceutical industry - did you know that every body of water on earth is contaminated with pharmaceuticals?!). which is also shown as stagnation in our bodies, of lymph (from lack of movement) and in our lungs (from holding in deep grief). We are swinging to the extreme ends of the spectrum, loosing the ability to find a middle ground, where waters flow and fires are quelled.


So where is the balance? I believe it is in our everyday, small, seemingly insignificant choices. We are all focused on the big, the better, the illusion of grandeur.....or its complete absence. We are either giving it our ALL or giving it nothing, because we are dismayed, tired, and overwhelmed. The balance is in slowing down. The balance is in sitting with a tree. The balance is in gratitude for all that we are and have and do........and bringing ourselves back into this present moment and realizing what IS the reality.


Many of us step into the inferno, propelled by our anxiety which spins "What if" scenarios out like gasoline, After we have spent enough time there, we retreat into a state of despair where we begin to sink into the stagnant waters, too tired to even dog paddle. We often forget to even put our feet down and realize the waters aren't actually that deep. We can stand up. As we stand up and take one step at a time, the waters stir. As we continue to step and stir, we can make our way to more solid ground, where we might even find a rock to sit upon for a bit, and find some pleasure in dangling our feet in the waters and might even notice that we can see sparkles reflected on it's surface by the sunshine. When we stay a bit longer, we might notice dragonflies skirting just above the surface, and bubbles from fish (or maybe mermaids) flowing up from the depths. We bring ourselves into the NOW, the present moment, and connect to the current reality. And then things begin to shift and perhaps, we are able to take a different sort of breathe, one in between the fire and the water. It is from this place that a balance is found.

It is from this place that we can move with greater connection to all. We can hear better, see better, and experience the reality of life better. And we can make choices from a more solid place.



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