Photo Credit: Elizabeth Morana
One night, I read something* about a prisoner during the holocaust who was in line with a group of men waiting to be taken to their death. In the midst of this horror, one of the men jumped out of line, offering to read the palms of other prisoners, exuberantly telling them of their future wives, their future children, of what seemed to be their extinguished possibilities. More and more of the prisoners asked to have their palms read. The mood changed, for both prisoners and guards—and against all odds, the unexpected happened: the guards loaded the prisoners back on the truck and drove away with them, taking them back to their barracks.
I wondered about what enabled that solitary palm-reader to act. The next morning as I awoke, a sentence came to me, and then more:
Please Let me also look at their palms and see their infinite possibilities!
And seeing them,
they glimpse themselves
As they really are!
Let us not be hypnotized
by modern day brutes
Let us look past all their dark thoughts
Let us turn again and again
beyond those dark clouds
to what is beyond their sight
Let us see our true pure being
and all our possibilities for Joy
for Love
Pull back our curtain of fear and disconnection
Open our ears to the truth of our being
Open our eyes to That Light
Me-here-Now
Not what they see
they do not define me!
Open my awareness
to
What. I. Am
Elizabeth Morana
I can feel longing in me to pull back the curtain of fear and disconnection. What can come out then? I want to find out.
Last week I watched “Schindler’s List for the first time.” That night I barely slept sensing into my body some of the kinds of suffering that transpired during the Holocaust. It was why it took me so long to watch the film. I can understand something intellectually but is it different to feel it in my body. I was extremely distraught especially given the violence against humanity that is happening in the world today.
The next morning, however, I received an email from Elizabeth with the draft of this post. I paused and let this story and poem sink into my body. I felt cleansed of the responsibility to hold onto the grief and sadness of the past and felt connected to my own ability to bring light into the world. It took me out the darkness of my experience of the film and helped me remember light and love is possible and ESSENTIAL.
We cannot change the darkness surrounding us. We can, however, open our eyes to the light that also surrounds us and open ourselves up to its unexpected possibilities–possibilities that we might never consider that can just show up for us. This is what happened for me with Elizabeth’s email. Elizabeth your writing and presence brought me back from the edge of despair.
Please send this beautifully written and deeply felt message to everyone you know and keep your eyes and heart open to what happens.
Help your friends to remember and to seek the light. Send them this post!!!!
Love, Diana
I too wonder what brought the palm reader out into the light. Who among us can step back from the drama and also see the light…. Thank you Elizabeth. Beautiful written and thank you for posting this.