I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of seeing an inferno of a bushfire bearing down on me.  The searing heat, the smell of burning trees and animals, the smoke.

Even harder to imagine is the absolute heartbreak of losing a loved one, pet or home in such circumstances.

Tragically this is the reality for too many in Australia this summer.

Yesterday I was feeling my own anxiety rising about the bushfires stretching along much of the Eastern Coast of Australia.  And this was all from my safe, little home in suburban Melbourne.

Collective Consciousness

So what did I do?  I used practices from my toolkit.  I tapped, I meditated and joined a worldwide collective prayer for people facing the fires in Australia.  Did it work?  Did the rains come?  Not yet.  So was it a waste of time?  I don’t believe so.  Call it what you like but collective consciousness counts.

Internationally renowned Japanese scientist Dr Masaru Emoto cited in his book The Hidden Messages of Water that a group of Buddhist monks gathered around a toxic lake were able to clear the water with the power of their thoughts and intentions or prayers.

Helping Yourself

So what else did I do to clear this underlying anxiety that I was feeling in response to the fires?  What I needed was a break, a pause on the worry and the feeling of helplessness.

So last night I went to see one of my favourite bands Dr Hernandez.  Interestingly, Sally Ford the flute and sax wielding lead vocalist said their current album 8 Remedios (8 Remedies) was produced with the knowledge that yes, these can be very worrying times (even before the bushfires started) but that the music was designed to soothe, uplift and inspire.  I left the venue with a gladdened heart for having danced, chatted with friends and listened to the sweet Latin American sounds of Dr Hernandez.

Were the fires still burning?  Yes but as I said last night, a few hours of doing something which lights up your soul has to be good not just for yourself but for those around you as well.

If you’d like to donate to help the people affected by the Australian bushfires here are some links;

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/21/how-you-can-donate-and-help-the-volunteer-firefighters-in-australias-bushfire-crisis?fbclid=IwAR1JmjbDg8DtD34NU7w1FpV9MSXRySKdLd5tFs3kgBqgU6_U-EpDNIB26KQ

https://rescuedpets.com.au/feedgippsland/?fbclid=IwAR22d5nz09Y2YXOGKDmEmPBxVD97PBxej9mr9c31eXSgQ3LRHU995ueUJjM

May the rains come and you stay safe and well wherever you are in the world.

With love, Anna xxx

P.S Many thanks to Marina Makushev for the links.