August is always a month of transitions. Historically, children prepared to return to school in early September, though this year most schools in our area started during the first weeks of August. The weather seems to be in flux at this time of year. If you live in the Desert Southwest, monsoons bring everything from high humidity and blinding dust storms to torrents of rain and deadly flash floods. Hurricanes threaten the safety of millions from the Gulf of Mexico to the Eastern Seaboard. While these are common issues at this time of year here in the United States, we are facing longer, stronger, and more dangerous storms as a result of climate change. in the past few days, I have heard and read about rain falling at high elevations in Greenland, where there is usually ice and snow. There seems to be very little we can do as individuals to change the course of climate change.

     Earlier this month, I blogged about the mess the world is in right now, and offered some suggestions of ways we can help others in their times of need. While it is important for us to do whatever we can to help others, if even in a small way, it is equally important that we step away from our window on the world's problems to take care of ourselves. Yes, this does mean self-care, that oft discussed subject, but beyond eating right, taking time for ourselves to relax and renew, and getting enough rest, I think sometimes taking care of ourselves means turning from the window on today's world problems and looking out a different window. By shifting our gaze to other times or other places, we can sometimes readjust our thought processes in such a way that when we come back to the current world window, we might see out of it differently, and find new ways to interpret what we see.
     There are a few ways we can shift our gaze and look out a different window. Learning about history is definitely a good way to reframe our interpretation of what's happening in the world today. Even simply refreshing ourselves about events that happened in our own lifetimes can give us pause, partly because whenever the event happened, we were unlikely to have all the information. I think it's important to look at more than one perspective of a historic event to have a better understanding not only of what occurred, but how it may have affected our lives then and today.
     Another avenue to new insights might be reading or watching films about times far outside our own experience. It could be about other contemporaneous cultures and belief systems. Not only can it be interesting to learn about other people, it can also help us to open our minds and hearts to different ways of seeing and understanding the world. Of course, in this group, I'm "speaking to the choir" about this topic, I'm sure!
     Escaping this world for a world of fantasy, romance, mystery, or mythology can be a fun way to both do self-care and shift your focus away from today's problems. Earlier in this issue of Brigid's Arrow, I shared about a film that I truly love that combines history, spirituality, and mythology - that is, The Secret of Kells. Movies and books like this take me into a world in which I am reminded that hard times pass and beautiful things are still left behind. I like to watch British and older American mystery shows because while they touch on the brutality of the real world, they do so without the actual violence of true crimes and often in lovely, cozy surroundings. The insights gained about human nature and people's motivations for their behaviors can sometimes spark answers to questions about what's happening in my own world.
     It's probably obvious that for spiritual people perusing books, blogs, and media on spirituality and religion can be self-care in itself or provide us with new ways of taking care of ourselves. For those who love non-fiction and don't appreciate fiction, these are likely the go-to for personal spiritual growth. However, I don't believe that it's necessary for whatever it is - a book, a movie, a television show, or even a website or blog - to be specifically about spirituality. It's been my experience that spirituality is everywhere, if we are spiritual people. I will never forget one summer between semesters when I was in seminary. There had been so many required readings about God that my brain just wanted to relax and think about anything else. I recall that I started reading a fantasy series - I don't even remember which one - and was hardly into the first few chapters of the first book when I realized God was there. Ethics and morality were there. Spiritual exploration and growth were there. They weren't blatantly present. There was no talk of God, Goddess, gods, priests, or priestesses. They didn't need to be, because I was there, and they were with me. So, no, I didn't get to escape God during my summer away from classes. However, I was able to rest my mind from the constant analysis that takes place when one is studying. I was able to look out a different window and see a new view of the world. That was what I needed. When I reapproached my studies in the fall, I was ready with new and eager eyes, ready to take on the difficult questions.
      I'm guessing we all do it, and much of the time, we don't realize what we're doing. I know that I hadn't thought much about it until recently. I am in the midst of reading a book called How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It by Arthur Herman. In this book, Herman brings into view details about how the Scottish Enlightenment affected not only the Scottish government, but also how it changed English political thought as well as how it influenced the early development of the United States. By shifting my view from the perspective of history as I thought I understood it, this book gave me a view that is helping me better understand how those who founded this country perceived their world.
     I recently watched Twilight's Last Gleaming, an old movie from my Air Force days, about a renegade Air Force General who took over a missile silo because he wanted the President to read some secret papers to the public, to reveal the "real" reason the US was involved in the Vietnam War (i.e., credibility), I began to think about how much that we see is not always as we see it. I thought that it might be interesting -- and maybe important -- to revisit some of the issues I thought I understood throughout my own life. It shifted my gaze a bit from what's happening now to then and back again. I don't know for certain, but maybe that's how critical thinking starts -- by adjusting our perceptions.
     How do you shift your gaze? Have you ever thought about it? It may not be what anyone really considers "self-care," but the more I recognize these shifts in my perception, the easier I find it to understand the world around me. This eases my mind in some ways. Oh, sure, sometimes we learn things that are disconcerting at best, but for me it's easier to see what I can do something about, and what I cannot. Which, of course, makes it easier for me to decide what to let go. And that, for me, is self-care.
     On a more tangible note, I want to remind those of you who are in the Phoenix/Mesa area that we will plan to return to the park on Sunday, November 14 at 10 a.m.  Until then, go forth and "be excellent to each other!" Have a wonderful month!

 

Bright Blessings,

Rev. Suzy Cherry, Parish Priest/ess