A weird cloud caught my attention – Photo: L. Weikel
Weird Cloud
A day or two after the remnants of Hurricane Ida spawned tornadoes, torrential rain, and massive flooding near my home, I saw a weird cloud in the sky as I was taking a walk. I’m sure it shocks you all to know I took a photo of it. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever post it. Believe it or not, I take a lot of nature photos that I never end up sharing. But it felt sort of haunting.
In fact, it felt like I was being watched over or at the very least observed by an Elder or an Ancestor. Actually, while it sounds more romantic (or do I mean comforting?) to attribute a sense of guardianship or protection emanating from this Cloud Being, the truth is that I felt observed.
As soon as I saw it, actually, I was reminded of a Maasai warrior. It made me wonder what people of the Maasai culture would think of how we live. I can’t imagine that they don’t have a strong sense that life here on Earth is in danger, and that the western cultures, especially, are throwing everything into environmental disarray.
I comforted myself by observing (a tad defensively, I’ll admit) that at least I was walking (as opposed to driving a vehicle) and lucky enough to be surrounded by fields and forests instead of concrete, steel, and macadam.
No Judgment
Of course, while I write that I felt no judgment flowing toward me from this Cloud Being, I did feel a tinge of sadness around his edges. I’m not sure if the sadness was for Mother Earth as a whole or for humanity – or maybe just that faction of humanity that is inflicting itself on the rest of the world.
I wonder: what will it take for us to break free of the propaganda that’s keeping us locked in a cycle of believing we can’t afford to tackle climate change head on? We are in the midst of watching the world – and for those of us who only pay attention when it impacts us, our entire country – lurch from one devastating event to another.
Perhaps that’s precisely what this Cloud Being was wondering as well. What will it take? And will it happen soon enough? (Soon enough for what is the obvious next question…)
(T-80)