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I believe in the way of life. A kind of belief, that every given moment occurs for the good and that there is nothing really to fear. I know that when the situation seems gloomy, it is still part of the way of life. Today I regard life with more ease, but with the understanding that we are a one-time creature. Despite my belief in reincarnation, I know that this present circle is for once only. My body, my voice ,my thinking mind, my surroundings and my country, my family and friends, all these are once only.
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Passing Into the year 2012 is suddenly brought upon us. Maybe the prophecies, the expectations and the many discussions about it, may possibly be what is drawing so much energy, but entering into the year 2012 is a once in a lifetime moment, with the embodiment of ancient prophecies for this specific time. Now.
If I reduce everything to one moment, to this now, then nothing else exists beyond now. As the Australian Aborigines say “Everything outside of the present moment is called dream time “.
At this unique moment in time, I am self examining, moving from the past to the future, examining what connects the two of them, considering what to forgo at the present time and what to take with me on my journey. Where do I draw my strength from as a woman, in order to walk this earth?
This very earth which is burning of late with issues concerning feminine power and the female status. This question brings back memories of interesting and strong willed women in my family, with the understanding, that the future cannot exist without the roots of the past and the past exists only because it created the future. I too, am between the generations, between the ending of a year and the beginning of a new yea
ֿTwo women - two worlds
My grandmother Kalma was a great teacher. Every morning she would wake and sit in front of her mirror, just as she was, hair unkempt, before brushing her teeth, with her eyes still belonging to the night. She would look at herself in the mirror and say “Good morning my beauty, what can I do for you today “.That was the way she planned her day, aware of her needs and wishes. She was a special woman, extremely wise, full of life and abundant with exciting and beautiful stories. She arrived in South Africa from Russia at the age of 5, after a long sea voyage, where she remained until she immigrated to Israel with her family in the 1960`s.She always wore large colorful dresses with large turban-like headgear, just like the African mamas. She loved to end each day with a glass of arrack or brandy. Kalma passed away without warning leaving me with memories and stories, which will accompany me all my life.
My second grandmother Chana,my father`s mother , was the one who instilled in me the love of writing and left in my hands her writings, which she composed throughout her whole life. She wrote of her family`s journeys during the first world war, their escape from Europe ,her loves and tragedies, her moving to Paris to study psychology and immigrating to Israel to establish the new state. Of her writings which I love most, is the awakening in the morning of the 13 year old girl, or as she wrote “at the age of my thirteenth year “… with all the renewal of nature, the heart and the senses of her thirteenth year, are swept away with experiences full of curiosity and wonderment taking shape around her, and of herself.
I remember on awakening in the morning that my first glance was towards the window. If the sky was clear and the sunlight penetrated my room, forming windows of light on the floor, my heart would leap with no end of joy and happiness. This would put me in high spirits for the whole day. I wanted to dance, to sing, to play around, but most of all, I wanted to run outside barefoot and feel the cool grass under my feet.
Grandmother Chana was one of the suffragettes (suffragettes were a world movement of women fighting for equality and civil rights for women, which started at the end of the 19th century, a kind of feminist movement). She did not lead an easy life. She passed away and in her heart she hoped and wished that her writings would not be forgotten in the dark.
Two women two worlds, so different and one family.
The past and the future
The past of the two women, who were actively part of bringing me into this world, is not only the past but also the future. They not only signify my roots but also my vision. I inherited my future from them and the seeds of my vision. Both were strong women, one optimistic, and the other a little less. One from a religious home the other from a secular one, but mainly each one of them took her place in this world, without being ashamed of her femininity and with you my beloved grandmothers, I pass into the new year.
Like every woman, be she rounded, thin, tall, short, old or young, but always beautiful, we give birth to the New Year and maybe this year, the women will bring peace and the men will have to protect it. If we do not allow women to voice their feelings, show their love for man, for nature, for their children, to write, to stroll the streets, to sit where they choose and continue to create on this earth, sadly this world will cease to exist. It is like preventing the earth from bearing fruit. Like a human conquering mother earth, the human being masters the feminine power from within and therefore conquers his own heart. We as men and women should stop this.
We are reborn into a year which is attributed with many fears, hopes, and the end of the world theories, or the beginning of a new era. To me it sounds much like being on the verge of an imminent birth and if we treat it as such, all the emotions will still be there, but we will know that this is a new beginning which we can shape .It is exactly like waking up in the morning to a new day. Wait before you open your eyes, feel where you have come from, be thankful for whom you are and then, and only then, open your eyes to a new day.
I will take this year moment by moment, hour by hour. It has been said that the time of this year will be very rapid, so it is well worth enjoying and maybe this is good advice for Life.
Every moment - is a whole lifetime.
A Happy New Year to everyone.
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Translation: Toni Ziv
Lee Ziv works in reconciliation in the Middle East, especially through music. She produces, writes, is a project leader, a tour guide and a mediator between people and cultures, thanks to a lot of hope. Lee is one of the founders of the Musaique Project.
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