At last I get round to a bit of an update on our little journey in Sicily. For the past three weeks we have had Elizabeth Coveney (known her for 49 years!! Our ‘kids’ grew up together for years), Annie Macintosh (a director with Andrew Chua and Gayle in their company, Authentic Business Catalyst) and also for a few days at the beginning of that time we also had Jenny Rettig (Switzerland) with us. It is wonderful to have the ‘right’ people who carry something for the relevant phase – not merely right in the sense of what knowledge / insight / wisdom they carry, but the story they hold. Eventually people (land???) does not catch what we proclaim but what we carry – ‘I do not have…, but what I have I give to you’.
We had four main loci – Agrigento, Palermo, Catania and Siracusa, with a central focus. Phase 1 was a discovery of the colonisation that is the common theme in the history of Sicily; this phase was a focus on the healing of the (toxic) feminine and the toxic masculine. Never possible to absolutely state what is ‘masculine’ and what is ‘feminine’ but they are rough terms to help. In this phase Gayle with the others took a lead (hate to admit it, and of course would absolutely deny it if challenged, but way over my head). Along the way we encountered three female ‘saints’ – Agatha (Catania), Lucia (Siracusa) and Rosalia (Palermo). Their dedication to Christ and the Gospel, led for the first two to be martyred (Rosalia was not martyred but walked away to become a hermit)… Later then colonised to become protectors. The end result was not the rescuing of the feminine but the disappearance of the feminine under the guise of being rescued.
Always hard to explain… and the last thing that would be a reality is that we are in some way ‘experts’. Bumblers along. I take great encouragement from the story of the woman who put her two coins in the Temple treasury – there seems an amazing connection to the pulling down of the Temple and its wealth with her little act. I hope a few of our antics might serve something bigger changing.
Today Annie and Elizabeth left. We moved to a new accommodation and tomorrow move again (no idea how many places we have dragged our cases into now!). On Saturday we have family arriving and till Tuesday will enjoy that context, all getting us ready for our final phase (4th – 19th March(approx)). That phase will be very different and has to bring our time here to a conclusion. That north east corner holds the third corner of the island / book; it is where Garibaldi left the island on his further conquest of the ‘two Sicilies’ to mark the end of the significant phase of creating the new united Italy; and was very central for a ‘proto-crusade’ and the sixth crusade. Christendom in full force!
We began (not planned) in the place where Garibaldi entered the island; we then move in this final phase to where he left; thus marking the beginning and end of the recent colonisation. We came here with the ancient map of the Queen of Europe with the orb (Sicily) in her hand with the cross over it – Christendom; symbolising the rule over the world. So, for sure this element of Christendom will be a focus… and while praying in Palermo two things came clear also: we need to visit the financial quarters of Milan (the financial centre of Italy) on the way home. Anyway more on that when we get there! And that before long we need to get to Istanbul (planning for this in April) to pray into the well that (militant) Islam draws from. Now a big subject so here goes.
There are three monotheistic faiths that claim to be rooted in Abraham’s journey: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. (Of course none of those faiths are monolithic.) I have long believed that Islam draws from Christendom well. Sharia law and Christendom are not very far apart! There is a connection between the entry of the Mosque (Hagia Sophia) into the Christian Cathedral that accelerated the spread of Islam. Putting their house inside the Christendom home was a key. (Of course I could be well bonkers on all this, but has been a conviction for a decade or more.) It seems to me that it will be the end of the ‘Sicily adventure’.
We came here believing that this small place (in global terms) held some keys for a bigger change and the Istanbul part will be a gate from West to East. And economic issues and Christendom are key issues in our world that are manifesting way above the surface.
On the journey goes! Maybe Etna will respond in this final phase as there still is a rage that needs to manifest and there needs to be an (out)rage against all previous abuse.
We do our small thing… others do theirs and it will enable God to do something none of us can do.
Bit of a ramble, some of which might make sense.