The Light In Our Catacombs

Circus of Healthcare, Self-Renewal Of Spring, And Origin Stories

Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern is like an underground labyrinth. It was built during the early Roman Empire and then forgotten. It reminds me of the dark maze and light within the human psyche. © Nessa Turkey 2019.

Dear Ones,

Hi porous souls. Hunter and gatherers of values. Thanks for letting my jungle of thoughts and photos into the inboxes of your soul.

Time rolls us along. Complex grief feels as insoluble as microplastics in our vessels. You may only see dying now but there is also so much living. I attend a hundred funerals and rebirths of mine. Focus on what is alive.

Can’t you hear the stirrings of spring? Ahh, I love spring summons. Seeds grow in darkness. Those dark little victories. Spring equinox is a passage of renewal- a new year. A return to our true nature. Home at last.

I am over here calmly tidying up flowers, notebooks, and memories.

On my fridge. It was convenience that killed us off, brave people. Tell the future humans.

CIRCUS ANIMALS

The U.S. medical system is a shenanigan-filled circus. I walk around the hospital whistle-blowing on Barnum and Bailey. Why are we half awake in this fake empire? I can practically hear big pharma and big insurance belly laughing in hallway corridors. In between eerie patient screams.

The inconvenient truth: the medical system we inherited harms us all.

Any chance of rescue from the rubble? Nahh, don’t mind me. I got myself into this mess. I’ll dig myself out. Piece by piece.

This one is called Big Pharma/Insurance laughing at us in the 3 ringed circus. © Nessa Iran 2012.

We succumb to the belief that the way we have grown to see the world is the only way to see it, the right way to see it, and we seldom suspect the conditioned nature of our perception. -James Hollis

And the moon said to me- my darling, you do not have to be whole in order to shine.

MY SELF-RENEWAL PATH (FYI: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL)

1. I seek and find a flicker of light within me. I think that light may be our higher consciousness or truth or both. It happens to live deep inside wounds. I replace my camera lens often to keep my birthright light in focus.

2. I give up what harms me or snuffs out my light. I turn from anything or anyone that can’t travel with my changes. This involves examination of brutal conditioning and habits of my central nervous system (aka brain).

3. For connection, I share and listen to origin and healing stories. I dare to be open and authentic. I inhabit the part of me that embraces the truth of my physical reality.

4. I try to cultivate a beginner mind each day. I learn mental agility which refers to the ability to think quickly, adapt to new situations, and solve problems effectively.

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Nessa lighting candles in an eternally burning Zorastrian Fire Temple, Yazd Iran 2012. Many secular Persian traditions are influenced by Zorastrian fire worshippers. Nessa's Zorastrian tattoo. Faravahar is an important secular cultural symbol for Iranians.

FIND THE LIGHT WITHIN

We have an inextinguishable light within us. A light that we cannot see. When I first read about it I did not believe this wild claim either. Once the light is excavated, it is like a holy inferno within.

The darker the night, the brighter the stars.

This consciousness of our light is our spiritual revolution. It may even be the light of mercy. It is the spot where art meets purpose.

There is a 50/50 chance we rise from the affliction of our spiritual malnourishment.

There is a 50/50 chance we open our hearts to find light in the shadows.

FOSTER GROWTH AFTER FIRE

When things die, new growth appears. These are nature’s laws, not mine.

All this reminds me of beautiful fireweed in Alaska. The name comes from its ability to spring to life on recently charred land. I love the tenacity of fireweed. Stubborn embers of debris. We dig out of the mud.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s sacred reminder is if there is no mud, there is no lotus flower.

Alaskan River. Nessa with Juneau#1 camper van drinking coffee at favorite beach ever in Homer, Alaska. Gorgeous view of Denali. © Fireweed in Alaska. Nessa 2020

ORIGIN STORIES

If you do not like my dark exposed parts then you do not know what unconditional love is. I contain good, bad, and ugly. Just as you do. I take me as I am. I take you as you are.

Being human means we each have a unique and whole story to tell. Contrary to popular belief, there is enough space in the universe for all of our stories. We can only be who we really are anyway. It is too tiring to be anything other than what I am anymore.

Finding the light and a way to express light is an art of self-renewal and human connection. It is a prerequisite for collective healing.

Thanks for coming with me on these wild explorations. Be a lovebug and slam on the heart below and comment.

Subscribing = connecting = supporting = loving.

May All Beings Find Peace.

Nessa (born at 333 ppm)

Week In Photos

Spring flowers. Microplastics in human vessels and increase risk of heart attack, stroke and death in new N Eng J Med study March, 2024. Alaskan river. The best is yet to be. Nessa ©

BOOKS by Hermann Hesse

All the books of the world
will not bring you happiness,
but build a secret path
toward your heart.

What you need is in you:
the sun, the stars, the moon,
the illumination you were seeking
shines up from within you.

The quest for wisdom
made you comb the libraries.
Now every page speaks the truth
that flashes forth from you.