Potential

So the other day, my roommate started talking to me about all the crazy volcanic activity in Iceland. She had recently returned from the Coachella Music Festival and several bands were absent and stuck in Europe because of the ash cloud preventing travel from there. She showed me a couple of pictures of the volcanoes and they were amazing. Here's a couple:

Numero Uno

Numero Dos

As I saw these images, I was quite amazed at the raw power of the Earth. These volcanoes are the areas where the unseen depths of the Earth burst forth and create new land, new fertile spaces for life to begin flourishing. Iceland is one of the youngest areas of the world that is also inhabited by people, and the landscapes there are amazingly diverse and beautiful. But if you look at these pictures, this place of raw potential seems quite destructive and, well, hectic. The plumes of ash themselves birth lightning storms while glowing red lava spews from beneath. It's a really big contained cloud o' crazy! And yet, because of these intense places, new beauty is allowed to spring forth. The ash and destruction of the volcano is the perfect birthing ground for anything that the Earth is capable of creating. Volcanic ash is some of the most fertile ground around.

It's interesting to see how this craze of light and dark and smoldering and spewing can really be a creative force. This is also something quite common in life (if you're into it). In order to learn something in this life, to truly LEARN something of worth and importance, something else internal must die. We often hold strong to beliefs or ideas that make us comfortable. And when we are confronted by a seemingly contrary belief, a storm brews inside of us. And sometimes, we can contain this brewing storm to a point where we feel like the inside of ourselves is exploding and dying. But when the storm has cleared, we are left with a field of potential growth. We see the landscapes before us and the many possible seeds that can begin sprouting.

I remember I was housesitting for Anne many months ago and got obsessed with her True Blood DVDs. There was an episode where Tara's life has basically been blown to bits and she is speaking to a woman who said "Maybe life has just cleared out all the things that weren't working for you. Now you've got room to rebuild, decide exactly what you want your life to look like and make that happen." So even after a crazy insane dramatic storm, we have cleared away some useless debris. Once the dust settles, we actually have a clearer vision of what lays before us and is waiting to manifest. And we have the option to chose what we want for ourselves. A volcano may be hard to survive, but it is a beautiful and natural process that gives you all the choice in the world.