Great Turning | marybatson

rose “Tell me the story again, Gran,” Mikey’s voice came from beneath her blankets. “You know – Our Story. Just one more time, please.”

Gran smiled down at the child she’d come to feel was her own, the better part of her that would someday walk the future with dreams of a new world.

“Of course, little Mikey,” she said, and so the story began…

“It was a time of great change, as pieces and parts began to crumble and break down, the old ways now outgrown. In this place, the people stirred and hearts awoke, and around the world energy began to flow in ways no one had ever imagined before.

“They called themselves co-creators,” Gran whispered conspiratorially, eyes flashing at the memory, the memory of the dream, the memory of the future. Mikey twittered with glee; she knew what was coming next. “They were the ones who felt the change coming, deep within their bones, even before they knew, somehow, some way.”

“Their problems drove them to it, the ones they themselves had created, whether by action or omission. At first many resisted, though they later came to see this awakening as the greatest blessing of all. For most it began on the inside, then spread in wider and wider circles, as each started to question, to search for answers, to find them, to find themselves, to find their hearts, to realize who they were and who they were capable of becoming, if they would only wake up to the possibilities they already held within.

“As the planet cried out, the people began to hear, and to listen, and to respond, calling reikihand forth creative genius as never before. Great artists and writers and musicians appeared, pioneers and peacemakers, bringers together, innovators and inventors, each leading in their own way, and the world and everything in it began to change, as the people began to love each other, to bring out the best in each other, to find that seed of promise and hope that each carried and to water it, nurture it, give it whatever it needed to bring it into blossom, so each could share their gifts with the world.

“There were those who focused on the material pieces, the new places, new politics, new portals. There were those who focused on the inside, the builders of bridges between heart and mind, the balance seekers, and on and on it went, in every place and pocket of the world. And then there were those prayers and workers of miracles, the bringers of light who illumined the way, lightened the load, transmuting the Law of the Circle as they rose in transcendence above it, each working undauntedly in their own special roles, which only each person could know for themselves. When one task was over, the next would arise, and the people grew adept at listening and responding, ever awake, ever aware, never reacting in fear or in panic, no blind rushing forward, but in knowing how to sit in alertness, to listen, and to be ready to move when the river said GO.

“As they found their voices, their strength, their inspiration, they began to step out and step forward, first one and then the other and then the other, each finally understanding where their piece fit in the bigger picture, which often wasn’t where they had been trying to place themselves before, square pegs in round holes. When they quit forcing and started allowing, magic began to happen. Soon there were dozens, hundreds, thousands – no, MILLIONs of them – stretching around the globe, and as illusions faded, the picture began to dissolve and reshape itself into something magical, more beautiful than ever, as new structures and forms began to consolidate around the planet.

Summer 2611 024 - Copy “Together they came, in burgeoning bunches and bundles of joy. Hearts beating as one as the threads came together, woven in magnificent collective mosaics, and the world began to blossom in unexpected, unimagined ways, and the people were pleased and felt at peace as they continued this glorious work.

“As a whole they began to move, like a ship hung low in the water, first slow and sluggish, building up steam, calling forth great power to afford that first movement, with each inch moving faster and faster, more and more easily, until the ship felt more like a speedboat, rising high in the water, skimming the surface, everyone laughing and dancing in the spray of water and light.

“The Great Turning, they called it, a great shifting of the people, the planet, the ways and means that no longer worked, the center that no longer held replaced, piece by piece, until a new world was born, first crowning with a lurch, then bursting with a lunge into freedom, into fresh air, one of those overnight successes that began with a journey of 10,000 steps.

“It’s a beautiful dream, Mikey, a beautiful dream. And you know what? Sometimes I think it’s happening right now – this very moment. Maybe I’m part of it – maybe you’re part of it. Maybe we’re each finding our way right now, finding our voices, and coming together in these groups – taking those 10,000 steps. What do you think, sweet girl? What does your heart tell you?”

A gentle snore was Gran’s only answer. She smiled, for she had already seen Mikey’s answer, on all the other nights the young girl had requested this story. The funny little smile that crossed her face each time Gran asked that question. Mikey knew – and she was looking forward to the birthday party.

Spirals