Creating Islands of Sanity Yes, we are swimming in an ocean of chaos. Who or what can save us from drowning? Only we can. Wise ones have counseled us - when we find ourselves in dark times, create islands of sanity. This guidance brings to mind the Native story of Sky Woman’s fall to earth, and how the small and humble muskrat was the only animal able to dredge mud up from the ocean floor, and how Sky Woman patted it onto turtle’s back, creating land on which to rest, an island, now known as Turtle Island. The islands of sanity which we are charged to bring to light could be akin to that of the story - sanctuaries, refuges, firm ground on which to set our feet - where we can hold one another’s hands, where we will not drown, where we might plant something new, where we can allow our tender hearts some respite. And in our tender hearts is where we must begin, to look for and abide in our very own islands of sanity. They are a given, unquestioningly present, born with us, and the proper place to begin, heading out to find and to create islands of sanity in our wounded world.
Rumi's Caravan - Our attempt to create an island of sanity