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Hearts Seven Generations Out
by “Thank heavens, I won’t be around to see it.” Have you ever heard anyone make that comment while lamenting the current state of the world? If so, consider the following legend:
The Great Grey Elephant stood rooted in the earth, but Susan talked around it as if the beast did not exist. She delighted in the sound of her voice as she sniped and gossiped about others’ foibles. She threw dirt, upturning plots with the incredible tales she wove, tales that had little resemblance to the truth. Cleaning her hands with a sanitizing wipe, she griped about how others’ careless and irresponsible actions were ruining the world and thanked her lucky stars she would not be around in fifty years to see it. Her words sent a current across the land that, in a ripple effect, gained in speed and intensity as similar currents united with it. The earth filled with rubbish and, as the Great Grey Elephant stomped upon the ground, shockwaves reverberated. Concerned with the lay of everyone else’s land, Susan did not feel the ground shifting beneath her feet and was oblivious that she was about to experience a falling out of her creation. Karla stood upon the back of the Steadfast Tortoise in the midst of waters that ran fast and deep. Fearful of the swirling water, her voice took on a shrill edge that could shatter crystal as she lashed out at her husband, children, friends, and colleagues. She found fault with everything and everyone in an attempt to bolster her position and build security. Seeing the world as an unsafe place, she thanked her lucky stars she would not be around in fifty years to see it. Her fear sent a current across the land that, in a ripple effect, gained in speed and intensity. The waters churned and, prevented from going with the flow, the shell of the Steadfast Tortoise began to crack. Concerned with the waters that had not touched her, Karla failed to notice that the rock of love and joy which kept her head above water was eroding, unaware that she was about to be drowned by an undertow of her making. Laith sat upon the back of the Blazing Dragon and counted the days to retirement, worried that he would not have enough to sustain him when the time came. He rubbed his chest to ease a case of heartburn that flared while he spoke of fighting for limited resources that would restore peace and prosperity to the land. As he watched the world crumble around him, he was glad he would not be around in fifty years to see what became of it. His iron will cast a current across the land that, in a ripple effect, gained in speed and intensity. The Blazing Dragon grew restless from indigestion that boiled at its core. The fire in its belly belched forth with smoke from its snout and flames from its mouth and the land overheated. Unable to stomach his poverty, Laith failed to consider that he was about to be consumed by a rampaging fire. Riding the wings of the Glorious Phoenix, Stu was a time bomb about to explode. People could not be trusted. He worked hard and was passed over for promotion. He gave his heart and was routinely rejected. Loyal, he was stabbed in the back and betrayed. No one understood him or cared. Fluctuating between grief and anger, he planned acts of ultimate revenge. If the world continued as it was going, he was glad he would not be around in fifty years to see it. His calloused heart sent a current across the land that, in a ripple effect, gained in speed and intensity. The Glorious Phoenix ruffled its feathers to cool the hot heads, its breezes blowing stronger than before. Obsessed with his anger, Stu did not notice he was caught in a fury of his own choosing and risked being beaten to death. Light years away, the Silver Dolphin of the Milky Way changed its joyful laughter to a mournful sound. It cried out in warning, but most could not hear and, those that did, hardly understood. The Light of Truth that descended from the heavens was shocked and grew dim. Those who had exchanged knowing hearts for logical brains scarcely noticed the change. In what was later known as the Big Dumbing-Down, the connection with Universal Wisdom with its offering of faith, trust, and inspiration was shorted when the lights went out. Those who led lives deaf, dumb, and blind to the world noticed nothing. Susan, Karla, Laith, and Stu fell into a deep sleep, deeper than the ones they had experienced for the ninety years of their lives and awoke as if no time had passed at all, feeling refreshed of spirit, mind, and body. Seven generations out, the ripple effect had increased. Earthquakes that seized the land and tsunamis that erupted from an ocean floor as the Great Grey Elephant stomped the land cracked the Steadfast Tortoise’s shell. In the massive flood that resulted, ethics, honor, and creativity were promptly drowned. The onrush rusted the Blazing Dragon’s iron will which caused poisons to accumulate and fester as the land declared war on itself. Tornadoes and hurricanes ripped through the searing heat as the Glorious Phoenix attempted to cool a world that had not been refreshed by a season of snow for decades. Disappearing glaciers signaled a system out of balance. Relentless heat ulcerated the earth’s protective skin. The Silver Dolphin’s dissonant song distorted the Light of Truth and the earth, disconnected from Wisdom, was wracked with seizures. If anyone noticed a change, they either did not say or were dismissed as the village idiot. Most assumed the state of the world rested with Fate and out of their hands. Unaware that their spirits affected the spirits of the world, Susan, Karla, Laith, and Stu observed current affairs and thanked their lucky stars that, in fifty years, they would not be around…
According to legend, we are cautioned to leave the world as we would want it to be seven generations into the future. Why? Not from some altruistic notion, although that would be commendable. It is said that, riding upon the Glorious Phoenix’s wings we will spiral around to live in the world we created, seven generations out. With a generation being calculated as somewhere between thirty and forty years, we would return to earth approximately 200 to 300 years after death. It is an incomprehensible concept for those of us with myopic vision and difficulty accurately projecting our lives forward five years. What if the legend is correct? What if you will return to reap what you have sown in seven generations? How would that knowledge affect your current thoughts, emotions, statements, and actions? Perhaps we would do better to mend our ways rather than dismiss our future participation. Plan for the future as if you will be here and create a world to— KEEP YOUR HEARTLIGHT SHINING
Candace Croft holds a doctorate in Health & Human Development, is a certified Family Life Educator and an aromatherapist. A professor and, most recently, an academic Dean, she specializes in lifespan development, transpersonal psychology, and integrative health. She has authored numerous articles and been involved with energy work for over a decade. Candace lives in southwestern Wisconsin and is available to give presentations or to consult with your organization. Her books and aromatherapy products may be found at her website, www.HeartLightShining.com .
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