It has been a while since I have written on the Embodied Awareness blog. . . My last entry (almost a year ago) described my city’s (Calgary) recovery from a major natural disaster; and how my husband and I were impacted by both the torrential rains and floods – followed by being flooded again six months later when the city was repairing the flood damaged sewer lines in our neighborhood. Now, almost two years later, my life is transitioning to a ‘new normal’.
And, as I write this post it is one month since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in eastern Nepal (followed by a second with a magnitude of 7.3). With over 8600 lives lost, scientists and geologists are saying that it is a “correction” that happens every 80 years or so. Ancient and indigenous cultures have maintained a different view: Natural disasters are the voice of our Earth Mother – calling us to wake up to the awareness that we are all interconnected. We are dependent human beings who must rely upon each other and our Earth for sanctuary and support. It seems scientists are still discovering that our physical world is much more than a “thing” to be studied, predicted and controlled. Our Earth is a living breathing organism – and we (along with a host of other life forms) are a very small part of a larger living breathing organism we call Planet Earth. WE are learning to listen to Her, to each other, and to all of life, so WE may respond to each others needs in healing ways.
I continue to extend prayers of solidarity to my brothers and sisters in Nepal. I pray that we (world-wide), respond to this call from our Mother intelligently and compassionately. There are so many ways we can stand together with those who have lost so much.
Reuters
Some of my recommendations for donations are to the following:
FSCN (Friends Service Council Nepal a Nepalese NGO)
When sending monetary donations, consider looking beyond the conventional (Red Cross etc) to local organizations like Friends Service Council Nepal ( FSCN is a Nepalese NGO with over 20 years of experience in supporting disaster relief in Nepal) or Plan International, a nondenominational international NGO serving Nepalese children, their families and communities through self-sustaining local grass roots efforts for 37 years . For medical care, in my own international disaster relief and recovery work, I have consistently been impressed with MSF / Doctors Without Borders, which seems to be made up of culturally sensitive volunteers who respectfully offer health services.
Embodied Awareness 