Sacred Sweepers, Sacred Weepers

Over the weekend, I saw a photo on-line of women who had taken to Egypt's streets. They had taken to the streets to sweep, to clean them of debris remaining from the days leading up to the new transition to power and freedom.

This simple act of sweeping caught my attention as I thought of women, sweepers in my life and through time, my mother and grandmothers sweeping their porches and kitchen floors, pioneer women sweeping cabin floors, Native women clearing earthen tee-pee floors. Women now and through the ages have been sacred sweepers tending home.

Then I realized tucked inside the word "sweeper" is the word "weeper."

Everyone whose heart can hold the sorrow in the world is a sacred weeper, bearing witness to and sweeping up the bits and pieces of tears, heard and unheard through time.

Sacred sweepers, sacred weepers clearing space for returning home, Heart in the world today.

To Imagine: Something about routine tasks allow us when we're present to get into a rhythm. From this place, ideas and new energy often flow. Practice presence the next time you sweep, clean or wash the car and let yourself sink into the moment, the present. Or imagine yourself sweeping/washing cobwebs of fear, being in a rut, whatever holds you back so ideas, creativity and your heart can flow!

-Dawn! The Good News Muse, 15 February 2011