Dreaming of Siberia

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Ever since I read Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, I have been dreaming of a place that for most people is mainly associated with extreme weather, heavy snows and prison camps. Siberia. A place in Russia situated between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. A land of endless snow and ultimate coldness. A scary place. At the end of the novel, the protagonist, Raskolnikov, confesses his crime and is sent to a Siberian prison for punishment. Sonia, his girlfriend, follows him because she had promised to follow him up to the end of the world.

Siberia has got a special significance for me. I often dream of it at night and secretly long for it during the day. It means so much more than all the things that make people dread it. It is the land of endless snows and heavy frosts, but also a land of redemption, the symbol of a fresh start, of a new life and a new beginning. Although associated with prisons and exile, it is, in a way, a symbol of freedom. Spiritual freedom. The freedom Christ has promised us. “The truth will set you free”.

It is the centre of the labyrinth, where we suddenly realize the monster we’ve been chasing is within ourselves, but also a chance to defeat that monster, to prove we are stronger than it.

It is about reaching a higher spiritual level, free from the chains of guilt and remorse, from a tormented conscience and a torn heart. The point when we become a new being, as pure as Siberian snow. The wind might roar, the frost might bite, but nothing compares to the liberating feeling in our hearts, the revelation of divine love within us.

In the middle of his punishment, Raskolnikov found the three most precious things in life: peace of mind, true love and a reason to go on. The endless white has turned into a symbol of the infinite, reminding us that, although we are limited as human beings, we can overcome our limits and follow that deep longing inside telling us to go further and deeper.

Siberia is the symbol of suffering, but not a destructive suffering. One that builds us and takes us to new spiritual levels. It reminds us that God has astounding way of reaching to us, and suffering is one of them.

When I was studying the methods of teaching in college, I came across the idea that the key to improving and learning is setting your goals a little higher than you can reach. Pushing further, trying to exceed your limits is the best way to find out who you are and what you’re capable of.

To someone used to the modern western philosophy, this might sound weird. We have been taught to seek the easy way out. But the shortest route is not always the best. We talk about exotic islands, palm trees and people lying on the beach. Yet, each one of us carries a Siberia inside.

Short Prayer for This Morning

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Lord God of all, thank you for this brand new morning, when everything seems so pure and fresh and another chapter in the book of my life is ready to unfold.

Open my eyes to see your greatness, open my ears to hear your voice, open my heart to surrender to your will and my mind to learn and understand your truths.

Make me a part of your great plan. Take me to places and situations where I can grow in faith and love and to people in whose lives I can make a difference. Use me to bring comfort and inspiration to those in need.

Amen

Prayer for Those Who Cry

My Lord, thank you for the gift of tears, for with tears comes surrender, and only in surrender can your work be made complete in our hearts. Please bless all those who cry and be with them every single moment of their journey, every step of the way. Hold their hand and when the pain becomes unbearable, carry them in your arms and let them find peace in your comforting embrace.

Take them to a point where they can grasp the hidden meaning of their tears; make them mature enough to see the whole picture and understand that everything works for their good and even bad things and situations are a blessing in disguise. Turn every tear that falls from their eyes into a drop of living water, cleansing them and setting them free. Teach them that surrendering to your will is the only real treasure they can have and help them grow in this understanding, so that they can let go of all the false treasures they are clinging to.

Let each and every one of their tears be a gate into new dimensions of faith, hope and love. Turn them into real people, with their hearts widely open and ready to receive your blessings. Make their faith stronger, so that it can turn their tears of pain into tears of gratitude and overwhelming joy. Let their heart be set free from all their worries and torments.

Blessed are those who can cry, for no flower ever grows in a dry desert and the soil needs rain to turn the seed into a tree. Let our tears water the soil of our hearts and make it fertile for the good seeds we bear within. And when the flowers bloom, and when the trees bring good fruit, let us remember you and the wonderful ways in which you work in us.

AMEN