September 2020: Historic California Fires

As of 8-25-20 1.2 million acres have burned forcing 170,000 evacuees (Ruiz-Grossman, 2020). These statistics do not tell the story but indicate the magnitude of these historic California fires. The worst yet. And we are not finished, as this is the beginning of our fire season.

Fires have endangered our oldest growth redwoods in Big Basin, yet I read they are surviving in spite of being viciously burned. The state park, California’s first, has the largest stretch of old growth coastal redwoods south of San Francisco, with trees that are, in many cases, more than 1,000 years old (Cowan, Hubler, Patel, 2020). What a statement of the potent power of trees to reach beyond current threats and survive. We must listen to their message. Now.

The fires are devouring and destroying our states natural riches: vast swaths of forests, grasses, ecosystems. Our seashores, and national parks surrounding them: our places of refuge, destroyed, as fires rage for miles close to the sea.

Our towns, communities and families are forced to evacuate across Northern California and other areas of the state. Families run from fires while losing their homes, memorabilia — possessions embodying lineage and the safety of hearth and home.

A Deadly Reality

There are deaths.

Air quality is unbreathable, uninhabitable, and extremely dangerous as winds spread the fire smoke across the Bay Area. I look out my window to the dystopian vista of settled haze and stinking pungent odor.

The inferno is the price of climate change and our neglect to turn emphatically toward our reality. We are now experiencing the effects.

We are scared, uprooted, anxious as we wait for disaster warnings and power outages; we read daily of mounting devastation.

We are all suffering the pain of loss of life, homes, air quality; we are suffering the loss of peace of mind, comfort in our own homes as the madness of evacuation risk fills our minds and a sense of panic lives within us underground.

And we are in Covid times – a double-whammy – What else can befall us. Oh yes, an election! Some of us salivate for release from the psychopathic president.

For Blacks, the burden of police brutality continues and we live in panic with them. Black Lives Matter yet the deaths and trauma continue. This marks our life with deep groves of pain – the pain of injustice. Blacks are gunned down, shot in the back with children watching. (today’s news in Kenosha, Wisconsin)

In spite of everything that feels grim right now there will be change and therefore this too shall pass and again we will have transformed through our suffering to feel our strength, power and willingness to help, share, and love through our suffering. We will keep going, no matter what just like the burned redwood trees in Big Basin.

I am leaving Mill Valley for a time and will be working from Port Ludlow, WA. I wish each and every one of you on the West Coast safe harbor and peace of mind in these troubled times.

To check out more of Dr. Frisch's Blogs: https://orgonomictherapy.com/blog/

References:

Cowan, Jill, Patel, Sona, Hubler, Shawn. (2020, August 28). California Today: Memories of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/california-fires-big-basin-redwoods.html?searchResultPosition=1

Ruiz-Grossman, Sarah. (2020, August 24).Historic Fires In California: 1.2 Million Acres Burned, 170,000 Evacuated. Huffpost.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/historic-fires-northern-california-largest_n_5f444964c5b6c00d03b2e283