Releasing Pandemic Fear
I have to say I feel compelled to write about the pandemic that is going on and give some historical perspective. There is nothing new about pandemics because pandemics have been happening since we have been recording history. Whether this is a man-made virus or not remains to be seen ̶—maybe it came from another species via cross-contamination —but what we need to focus on is that it is here, and we must deal with it.
Now, as far as I know, this sort of thing has been happening since as far back as the Justinian era in 541 CE, in the city of Constantinople, called Istanbul today. At that time, there was a plague carried into the city on bales of grain from Egypt. It was carried in from the rats that were in the bales of grain. Could it have been prevented? Who knows, but without proper antibiotics or sterilization, the plaque spread wildly until 50 million people had died.
In the 14th century, there was a plague in Europe called the black death that killed 50 million people. Using their walled— in cities for protection the Italians learned to quarantine themselves during times of plague.
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the 100—years war that went on in Italy from 1337 to 1453, with over a century of warring tribes fighting to take over territory. What the Italians did to protect themselves was to build high walls around their cities. You can see these cities today if you go to Lucca, Siena or even one of my favorites San Gimignano. The reason I’m mentioning this here is that in Ferrara, Italy, when the black death came in 1576, no one from that city died from the plague. They quarantined themselves in behind the walls and didn’t let anyone in until the plaque was over. As a matter of fact, the word “quarantine” comes from the Italian word “quarantino,” which means “to seclude yourself for 40 days.” The people of Ferrara used anti-microbial herbs and oils, quarantined themselves, and used personal hygiene to ward off the pandemic. The Italian physician Girolamo Fracatoro wrote a paper outlining his theory that a contagion is spread person to person through touch, clothes, and objects. They therefore adopted the practices cleansing of streets, burning of infected clothing and sterilizing objects.
In the 1600s, the Great Plague in London killed over 100,000 people in just 7 months, and then London was hit again by a Cholera epidemic in the 1800s, that killed hundreds and was found to be emanated from the drinking water supply. Cholera has also plagued India countries in Africa, and other developing countries, all through contaminated water.
The US had a terrible smallpox virus epidemic that wiped out 95% of the Native American population during the 1700s, although they may have deliberately been infected as a form of germ warfare to wipe them out. This has not been verified but it has been speculated that blankets infected with the disease were deliberately given to the Natives as gifts, after which they came down with the virus and become deathly ill.
This fear of dying from a pandemic is in our collective consciousness, and many of us may be triggered by the events of today. I have a free meditation video on my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nycrJm_gim8 that you may find helpful in calming down your fears and getting you through this tragic time. I present it as a small offering to help us all get through this. I truly believe if you take the proper precautions, you should be able to get through this and find that it is a blessing in disguise. Here are the positive effects of the pandemic. The planet is cleaning itself up, the air is clearing, and the water is not being polluted. Crime rates are down, and the animals don’t seem to be affected by the virus and are thriving. The sun is still rising in the East and setting in the West. We are getting in touch with our inner voice and praying and meditating in huge waves as people are get together online and pray for the planet and its inhabitants. We will get through this, and we will be stronger for it. Blessings to all and stay safe.