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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

Letter from Publisher: The “I” of the Storm

I’m too fresh from the eye of Hurricane Irma to be able to offer deep perspective on her full impact in Southwest Florida. What I’ve learned is that there are as many individual realities and personal catharsis stories as there are people that felt her fury.

pathway opened for me to secure a last-minute flight to a whole different experience, courtesy of a retreat in Mount Shasta, California. I had wanted to attend this two-week inner and outer journey, but didn’t feel I could allow myself the time away from work. (See our special Transformative Travel to inspire your next adventure).

Mornings and evenings, I would report updates to my retreat companions on progress with my parallel “hurricane reality”, including pulling a huge oak tree from my backyard pool and finding resources for other property damage recovery. The retreat was my alternate reality, supporting me in strengthening my relationship with the eternal life force within that can never be harmed.

After two weeks of extensive hiking and meditating, supported by my fellow travelers and group leader, I felt like any wind that blew my way would be met with firm, strong roots connected to the One True Source Energy by any name it is called.

Upon returning to Naples, I found friends still spinning through the aftermath, the storm having impacted their “normalcy”. Some showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, so I shared tools that have helped bring me back into balance. Many of them held their center throughout the ordeal, already deeply rooted within; others were grateful they were less challenged by outside conditions.

Perhaps the acceleration in extreme weather and other world events, the result of a world out of balance, are designed to cleanse and awaken us to something better. When I intuitively approached Irma as the living energy force she was, I acknowledged her for trying to do her job, caring for Mother Earth by cooling warm ocean waters and cleansing the land humans systematically destroy.

I continue to ponder how our Natural Awakenings family of publishers can be of greater service by more gently awaking humanity to the intense environmental corruption and mental negativity and polarity people create around the world.

A good place to start is tuning into where we might be out of balance and aim to ensure that how we treat people and our planet consistently aligns with our highest values and integrity. It is possible for us to all dance together in our universal home so that all living things are honored and cared for.

Thank you for the important role you play in our community. We are each a key part of the solution, and love is the glue that holds us together.

Holding Strong in a Circle of Light,

Sharon Signature

Sharon Bruckman, Publisher