Tsunami

Wake-Up Call

One of the scariest and more destructive of natural phenomena (along with volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes), a tsunami occurs when a large volume of water is suddenly and rapidly displaced. It’s triggered by an undersea disturbance, typically an earthquake or volcanic eruption, that causes a series of powerful waves to travel across the ocean at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour. Yet on the open ocean, the height of these waves seem so small that they generally pass unnoticed.

As these waves (collectively called a tsunami) get closer to the shoreline, their height increases enormously, even as their speed slows to 50 miles per hour. The distance between the waves, or the trough, can be considerable, taking 20 to 30 minutes from wave to wave. If the trough hits the land first, the water recedes rapidly and dramatically, followed within minutes by an enormous wave that initially comes as a surge. This receding is a clear sign of an impending tsunami. We can’t outrun the wave that follows, but we can avoid being swept up in the destruction by moving to higher ground.

You are getting a wake-up call. It may be in the form of a significant loss or other dramatic event in your life, typically one that you were not prepared for initially. You may feel stunned at first, surprised by the unexpected events that are occurring. Yet you also know that it is time to draw back the curtain of avoidance and denial, and confront the truth that exists in the subtext of this event. You are experiencing a real-life drama, so there is no need to amplify it more than it already is.

Often when you look back after something like this has passed, you can recall signs that foreshadowed it happening. There may have been obvious clues that you ignored or omens that were so subtle they were easy to dismiss as imaginings of the mind rather than the voice of your instinct. There are many anecdotes about animals, operating purely on instinct, picking up on clues and naturally seeking higher ground before an approaching tsunami reaches the land. To negotiate this wake-up call, listen closely to your instincts, while at the same time seeking the higher ground of spiritual truth.