Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The time traveler



I thought for sure I could guess at least most of the 10 oldest cities on earth, but I was so wrong! I'm Eurocentric, for sure. Most of the oldest, consistently inhabited cities are in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey and Iraq. Of course!

Paris did not appear in the top 10 at any site I googled. Nevertheless, it's old.

One of the places I'm sorry I missed seeing while I was there is the Musee Carnavalet. There are artifacts there from settlements on the Ile that date back 10,000 years. People have been on and off that island in that ancient river for a long time. Consistent settlement goes back somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 years.

Paris reminded me of Varanasi in so many ways. Both cities are ancient, have a very powerful spiritual vibration and history. Both cities feel vortextual, as if they are very slowly spinning, kind of like a revolving restaurant. I've never gotten so turned around as in Paris and Varanasi. It's interesting. I assumed Paris would feel more like Rome but it didn't, at least not to me.



The U.S. is such a young country. Our oldest cities go back a few hundred years which is really nothing. In Paris, I kept thinking about how short our human lives are. It took several lifetimes to complete Notre Dame, can you imagine? You could have lived a very long life and only seen it under construction. Boggles my American mind.

I'm happy to put Paris somewhat behind me. Of course I'm still thinking about it - I'll be doing that for a long time. By "behind me" I mean I've felt normal now for awhile. The energy is settling. I'm relaxing. This is a good thing.

As for the ongoing ancestor work, instead of going back in time to feel their pain and listen to their incessant griping, I'm encouraging them to check out the wonders of the lives of my siblings, nieces, nephews, and grand nephews and grand nieces. Another grand nephew was born yesterday. Mom and son are healthy and happy. Our tribe is fruitful.

The history of Paris includes a lot of ups and downs. The city has been sacked, burned, abandoned, conquered - so many times! There have been kings, queens, presidents - even an emperor. There was a war that lasted 100 years. Can you imagine? Heads have rolled in that city, I tell you. And yet the soul of Paris rises from eras of chaos, always more beautiful, magnetic, graceful and alluring than before.

The Holocaust is over, grandmothers, aunts, grandfathers, uncles. We must rise from its ashes. If Paris can do it, you can do it. C'mon ancestors - c'mon!


2 comments:

  1. I love Paris, and I love Varanasi. I would never have thought to compare them, though!

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