Dear Tom:
I still read my horoscope everyday hoping for some insight into my day. Since, Suzy and I share the same sign, Capricorn, we often kid each other about the day’s prediction. Today I had a different thought. What if I read my horoscope with a new perspective. To “prophesy” in old Hebrew did not mean to predict the future. It meant to activate the living, sacred essence within oneself, so that’s life’s energy could create something in the world. A prophet activated and stirred a community in this way.
So instead of waiting for my horoscope to come true, what if I actually act on it? Instead of waiting for that old friend to reenter my life, I take steps to find such a friend. I go to work expecting a challenge and its successful completion, instead of dreading the prediction ” you will be given a new assignment today.” I initiate “a major change in my life,” not just wait for it to find itself on my desk at some point in the day.
No, I am not suggesting that a horoscope direct my life. What I am saying is instead of waiting for my dreams and fantasies to come true I cultivate the ability to revive and enliven others, a situation in my life, or a part of myself. I take the time to breathe new energy into something in my life that seems tired or worn down.
The prophet Ezekiel had a vision in which he was taken to the valley full of dry bones. The voice of God asks him, “Can these bones live.” Then he is commanded to prophesy to the bones so they can breath and reform to make new bodies. I think we are a called to stir our community by infusing new life into it. We are also periodically called to reform ourselves to fit a new form that fits our purpose in life better now.
Your Friend,
Webb
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