We are at a crucial time in our society, for we need more people to connect and become totally alive again. We have a significant amount of soul fragmentation, both as individuals and collectively as we face tragedy and crisis together.
Our nation had soul fragmentation when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11. The World Trade Center was attacked because it was supposedly symbolic of American trade and opulence. We have unresolved brokenness from this tragedy, and since then our economy has been broken. We can act as if the two are not connected, or we can allow ourselves to feel the linkage.
What we choose is not an accident, for either we believe we play a part in our own humanity and spiritual connection or we believe that life is random. When we heal our fragmentation and come from wholeness rather than brokenness, we are able to grieve, die, be reborn, and live totally again.
Hurricane Katrina and other tragic losses have also created a great sense of soul fragmentation on our planet. In ancient times, the ritual and consistent practice after an act of nature or other tragedy was to come together and grieve. This practice supported community and prevented it from having deep soul loss and fragmentation.
We have two challenges now. One is that many people have stopped participating in these types of rituals to transcend the pain, and the other challenge stems from the fact that we learn about world losses at a moment’s notice. If we are not into the practice of rituals to move us from the pain to the gain, we will continue to be weary as a people and will not step into our greater capacities as a society.