The Sacred Meaning of COVID-19
Life has changed radically in the past few days. As the COVID-19 virus spreads throughout the world, we are being forced to recalibrate our lives, our habits, and the speed at which we travel.
In ancient times, when a natural calamity showed up, such as a plague, earthquake, or flood, it was understood as a sign that the leaders and their people were out of alignment with Heaven. It was seen as a pushback against human arrogance from That Which is Greater than us—call it God, Shechinah, the Tao, Mother Nature.
“Who is in control here?” this Force was understood to be asking. “Do you really think you can control Me? Your materialistic greed has gotten out of bounds!” Natural disasters were thought to have been issued as a tochecha, a sacred rebuke, and in days of old, the people would respond with acts such as fasting, charity, and prayer to say to the Holy One: “Shamati! We hear You!”
I don’t readily subscribe to a reward-punishment model. I genuinely hold to the principle of Echad, a great totality, that we are all part of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called "a single garment of destiny." But I must say that the deep intelligence who fashions and holds us all, shall we say the Seamstress, has my full attention these days!
It strikes me as ironic that the coronavirus was given the name COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. Strangely, COVID bears the same consonants as Cavod or Kavod,כבוד, the ancient Hebrew word for glory, honor, or divine Presence. I’m reminded that in the Torah, Moses begs God: “Har’eni na et KVOD-echa! Please show me your glorious KVD Presence! Show me Your face!”
Did you know that in the Kabbalah, Kavod is a code word for Shechinah? She is Mother Nature, the Power of Creation, who is the 1 who receives from and fountains back to the 9other (masculine) faces of divinity. Therein lies the 19 of Kovid-19.
Wow! What if we understood KOVID-19 — this horrific virulent virus (our ancestors would surely call it a plague) — as Shechinah’s formidable face showing up today to admonish us, correct us, love us back into our rightful place as creatures, not masters, of this earth? Let’s ask: What can I do to put myself back in alignment with Heaven, with Mother Nature, with the Power that is Greater than us all?
During this more insulated, interior time, let's come together! Join me and a community of people from around the world who will be studying and healing together in these times. I hope you'll join me in my upcoming seven-week course, Finding Healing & Resilience in Ancestral Wisdom, with The Shift Network, which will begin on March 30, 2020. Read more about the course here.
There are so many ways we can plug in to be of support to those most vulnerable in our communities right now, from donating to Community Food Share, to looking out for neighbors, to calling Congress to ensure support for those out of work and in need of healthcare.
I want to wish us all the ability to slow down and listen in deeply to what is befalling us; to care well for ourselves, our families and each other from a calm and loving place. Here's a short meditation from HeartMath that can help move from stress to calm and may be of support to you today.