My mother had great faith in pharmacology. Such was her belief in its ‘cure’, she could not see the extent to which, pervasive dis-ease is a symptom of world-weariness, that sickness silently stalking our disenchanted co-dependence on ‘The System’, robbing us of the will to live. It is hard to swallow the truth-pill that there is no cure for such dis-ease.
Plants can be our allies in healing but only if we understand that we, each of us unto ourselves, is the greatest healer we will ever know. Only we can bring about the systemic change required on all levels - physical, mental emotional and spiritual - to create optimal conditions for health and well-being. When we harness this energy, there is no end to healing. Unfortunately, we have become unconsciously programmed to believe we do not hold the power of healing within and so, like dependent children, we find ourselves relying on technological devices to monitor and inform us how we are, as we go about our daily busy-ness.
Throughout our lives from birth to death, we are inculcated to dependency and so, we cling to strings, which attach us to a matrix (1) like babies in-utero, believing them to be an umbilical cord, without which, life cannot go on, when in fact, they are more akin to puppet strings. We then convince ourselves that they are chains, binding us to a beast we call ‘The System’. Yet strings are but flimsy things and like a bad dream, we may awaken to find there was nothing holding us at all.
With each registration of the person we believe ourselves to be, from birth and baptismal certificates onwards, we enter contracts with ‘The System’. Of course, as new-borns, we could not give consent and so, mother stepped in and gave consent for us. Why would she not? She entered a contract with church and state on our behalf to afford us protection in the world, just as a shepherd might be entrusted to protect new-born lambs from predators while a flock roams the hills.
This is a fine arrangement when it works and the balance of the contract is kept. In my view however, the original contract has been long-since broken in myriad ways and is thus, void. The shepherd is, at best, sleeping on the job and at worst, gone rogue, trading the sheep to line his own pockets. Sheep, at least, can claim ignorance. We, on the other hand, cannot. Ignorance of The Law is no excuse, according to one of its maxims. Thus, while we may believe that participation in and compliance with The System confers ‘entitlements’ on us, this is not so. We have a duty to know The Law and to uphold its balance in our lives.
“The 1930s was the time of the shut mouth and the closed eye and the hardened heart. There were two black clouds covering the pleasant face of the country. One of them was the Catholic Church and the other was the state. They made prisoners of our minds and bodies and ‘twas that bleak for awhile, we were afraid to take note of the beating of our own hearts.” John B. Keane, ‘The Little Book of John B. Keane’
Though some might say things have improved exponentially since Keane shared his views on 1930s Ireland, I would argue that the improvement is cosmetic and those clouds loom still, albeit in different guise.
We speak of ‘The System’ as though it is something separate from us, when in fact, we give life to it with every contract we enter into, either explicitly or tacitly. This could be seen as a reverse umbilical cord, whereby our energy feeds The Matrix. These contracts are tools with which to navigate The System. We are not, however, provided with instructions on how to use the tools for our benefit. Those, we must discover and learn for ourselves.
We have a duty to understand every contract we enter into, especially when they bind and enmesh us further. If we fail in this due diligence, we are punished for ignorance, through being subjected to any and all vagaries of The Matrix, with no protection from Father, who was left behind when the estate was abandoned. Thus, we are herded like sheep, from one pen to another and traded at market value.
The Matrix is created by us for our benefit. However, it has grown monstrous. Therefore, we must take back our own power and self-responsibility; stop waiting for a purportedly benevolent shepherd to guide us and then being surprised, not to say outraged, when that same shepherd leads us into the wolf’s lair.
The mesh of The Matrix is so intricately woven, most don’t see it but for those who do, it is everywhere, all-encompassing and sometimes suffocating, except for small pockets, like underground caves, where its reach cannot go because it is starved of energy in the form of attention. In these pockets, lies the key to our salvation because it is here, we remember that The Matrix is of our making. It has no life of its own but what we give to it. Only life can create life.
The incorporated entity (2) we refer to as ‘The System’, is merely a shell, animated with our energy and life-blood, through transfusion of attention and creativity. However, we have forgotten ourselves as creators and mistakenly believe the shell to be a prison, from which, we see no escape. Even now, as it disintegrates around us, we cling on like ship-wreck survivors to flotsam.
How would it be then, if we were to remember ourselves as creators; re-imagine the world as we would like to see it and focus our full, unquenchable life-force and creative energy in that direction?
My mother departed on 16th March 2022. Still, she remains with me in my heart and in my dream of New Earth - a re-imagining of Heaven on Earth in the form of thriving, healthy communities beyond The Matrix, living harmoniously with all other life on this planet. To this, I dedicate my full creative energy, in honour of my mother. I can think of no better time to re-iterate this dedication than today, when there is a new moon (symbol of new beginnings), coinciding with a solar eclipse, which to me, signifies hope because while light may be dimmed by darkness, it is nonetheless eternal and will remain bright, long after the darkness has passed.
Death of the Matrix : Birth of a Creatrix
Where to place the anger I feel
towards a system refusing to heal itself?
No trace of remorse for the pain thus caused
in relentless pursuit of wealth
but evidence left of this murder by stealth
in veins clogged up and grotesque
while the corporate body wears emperor’s clothes
now sodden with throes of death.
All life force gone in the face of disease
too far on to redeem
with needles and drugs, replacement parts
as though we believe
the heart will beat for us.
Still, the poisonous swell
crescendos and bursts
on littered shores of fool’s gold
that glitters, though not worth the cost.
I witness it all, the deathly pall
that hangs on too long to sustain.
Lest it break my heart
I must let it depart
so that birdsong can sound again.
Beyond redemption, it cannot be fixed
neither cured nor tricked into changing
then let it go, let it slide away
make space for the brave and new
a truer vision of life on Earth
as seen from Heaven’s view.
And how will it be
this brave new world
prayed in with dreams of love
learned from mistakes and birthing pains
forged in the lines of our blood?
Let my focus go there
and my broken heart swear
an unbreakable oath to you:
Your death is avenged
not with swords and revenge
but by life re-created from truth.
© Áine Fortune 2022
Artwork Credit: Stepha Lawson : languageofbirth.com - courtesy of Pinterest
Etymology of the word ‘Matrix’
late 14c., matris, matrice, "uterus, womb," from Old French matrice "womb, uterus" and directly from Latin mātrix (genitive mātricis) "pregnant animal," in Late Latin "womb," also "source, origin," from māter (genitive mātris) "mother"
The many figurative and technical senses are from the notion of "that which encloses or gives origin to" something. The general sense of "place or medium where something is developed"
The mathematical sense of "a rectangular array of quantities (usually square)" is because it is considered as a set of components into which quantities can be set. The logical sense of "array of possible combinations of truth-values"
Source: etymonline.com
‘Incorporated’ meaning
United into one body; combined.
Formed into or organized and maintained as a legal corporation.
United or combined together to form in one body.
Formed into a corporation and registered with a government body as such; made a legal entity.
Beautiful piece Aine. From matrix to creatrix, yes, it feels to me like the solar eclipse has really set the stage and it is up to us now if we want to stay tied to the collapsing matrix or start creating the new. It's where I put my energy too now. It feels like collapse and creation simultaneously, personally as well as collectively. Firm foundations are being put in place to replace the old as it dissolves.
Really nice piece Aine. Thank you 😊 💓