by Madeline Merritt

He said, “Welcome to the time of the Smoky Mirror,”
As he stooped in white garb, covered in embroidery
As bright as jungle flowers and a hat as large as the sun.
“In this time the illusion becomes so great
So colorful, so convincing
That many will be lost and think it is real.”
In his audience, a fat tear rolled down my cheek.
My ego thirsted for more hopeful words than that.
“To share the truth of our world will become the antidote.
Remember your soil, touch the earth in your garden, gather together.
This beautiful sun is female, and her illumination seems hidden,
But it is there. With the fires of truth you will light the way.
With the antidote of connection you have the opportunity
To create a time most beautiful, and to birth the children of milk and honey.
There will be many earthquakes. The very land will shift under your feet.
What you thought was real will be revealed as a farce,
And your heart may be torn to pieces.
But in the rubble of your old ideas of belonging
As the falsehoods of a world grown ‘civilized’ shatter into a million pieces
There is beautiful new growth waiting to be activated.
So do not live in fear now, you must live fiercely
With the fire of your heart burning bright,
Lighting the way through the shadows.”
“Making a path for those whose fall from the illusion is hard
Those who need vision. Take them into your heart
Into your family. Light the way back to what is real.
Your connection to nature, to the fabric of this beautiful world you inhabit.
Teach them about community again. Be humble.
Include all in your heart. Pray more. Be present.
This could be a wonderful time. Full of turmoil, and reckoning, sure,
But also full of love so big it will shake the walls of the illusion
Creating a vibration that acts as a beacon for change.”

sacred-fire-community

Madeline Merritt (pictured center)