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Rise Like a Phoenix

Finding hope amidst California’s ashes

Daniel Lawson
ILLUMINATION

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Photo by David Gavi on Unsplash

As I write this, smoke still chokes the air over Los Angeles. The landscape we knew has been transformed. Many carry heavy hearts, having witnessed destruction and devastation that was unimaginable just weeks ago. Untold thousands have lost homes, possessions, or places that held precious memories. All of us have been touched by these fires in some way.

Spiritual teacher Ram Dass is attributed to have said, “Whether this is the first day of the Apocalypse or the first day of the Golden Age, the work remains the same: to love each other and ease as much suffering as possible.”

As we face uncertainty about tomorrow while grappling with the pain of this present moment, these words resonate more deeply than ever.

The causes of these fires are still under investigation. While we don’t yet know their precise origin — whether they were sparked by human action, intentionally set, or triggered by other factors — we do know that our changing climate has created conditions that make such disasters more likely and more severe. This is a human-created problem that requires us to come together as a collective to find solutions.

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