the kabbalistic mystic, isaac luria, (1534-1572) proposed the practice of tikkun olam, or healing the world.
he believed that when the world was created the creator formed vessels to hold divine light. being unable to contain this light, the vessels shattered still holding a spark of the light trapped in each shard. these shards scattered through the cosmos and formed the world we inhabit.
luria believed it is the task of humans to reunite these scattered shards, these sparks of light, and thus repair the broken world.there is little doubt that our world has shattered. one doesn’t even need to read the newspaper. a glance at the headlines is all we need to convince us that we are in serious trouble.how would we live if we were exactly that spark of light that is needed to heal the world? how would we live as a conscious shard? how would we live believing that our light can repair the world? what would we do, each day, to heal the world we live in?we can begin with small things…a proverbial act of kindness, planting a tree (or a thousand trees), kissing someone we love, welcoming a refugee, challenging racism in all its forms.some of us are called to do bigger things. matthew fox is one of those. (https://www.matthewfox.org/). his calling led him to be excommunicated from the catholic church and formulate “creation spirituality”. he speaks truth in big ways, challenging those in power and encouraging us to heal the world.
while we may not have matthew’s charisma or training, we each have gifts that heal the world…a smile while walking to the shops…a visit to a lonely neighbour…participating in a community art event…mentoring someone who needs guidance…signing a petition or marching on a protest to protect ancient woodlands…standing up for women’s rights to their bodies…walking a labyrinth with healing intention.each one of us is a shard, holding divine light. each one of us casts that light into the world. no matter how big or small the act, we each are capable of contributing to tikkun olam.how will you live today as that light?