When the Ground Shifts: Holding Bondi, Holding Each Other

Yesterday's violence in Bondi has moved through Australia like a shockwave.

Not only because lives were lost; though that grief alone is profound; but because it fractured something quietly held in our collective psyche. We do not see ourselves as a country where this kind of violence belongs. There is a shared belief here that public spaces are safe, that our children can move through the world with a certain ease, that these stories happen elsewhere.

When that belief is broken, the impact is not just emotional, it is somatic, energetic, and communal.

Many of us are feeling it in subtle ways: a tightening in the chest, a heightened alertness, a sense of sorrow that doesn’t quite have words yet. This is collective trauma moving through the field, asking to be acknowledged rather than bypassed.

Holding our Religious Communities in Care

It is especially important to name that Jewish communities across Australia are likely feeling this moment deeply.

For many Jewish families, there may be anxiety for children, for visibility, for safety, for what the future holds. As a non-Jewish Australian, it is not my place to speak for the Jewish community; but it is our place to stand alongside them.

We can do this simply and sincerely:

• By reaching out to local religious communities or organisations with messages of care and solidarity

• By letting Jewish friends and neighbours know they are held, seen, and not alone

• By offering support without asking for explanations, education, or emotional labour

Sometimes presence is the most meaningful response.

It also feels important to name that when acts of violence occur, fear often spreads far beyond those directly harmed. Entire communities including those who share cultural or religious identity with a perpetrator can suddenly feel scrutinised, blamed, or unsafe. The actions of an individual are never representative of a whole people. Our care and compassion must extend to all who are feeling the ripple effects of this moment.

What We Can Choose- Individually and Collectively

In moments like this, it’s easy to feel helpless or overwhelmed. But there are meaningful actions available to us, even in small ways.

We can:

• Gently but firmly call out racism, discrimination, and bigotry when we see it

• Report online content that incites hatred or violence

• Refuse to normalise dehumanising language, even when it’s uncomfortable

• Engage trolls with clarity and boundaries or starve them of attention when engagement would escalate harm

These acts may seem minor, but they shift the tone of the collective field. They interrupt the quiet spread of fear and division.

And for those of us who work energetically, somatically, and spiritually, there is another layer of response available.

A Call to Come Together in Healing

If you are a Reiki healer, energy worker, or someone who works consciously with intention, I invite you to join me this Friday evening (19 December) at 6:00 pm (New South Wales time).

Wherever you are, pause. Ground into your body. Connect to your heart and hands.

Together, we will send healing, love, and steadiness:

• To the families and loved ones of those who were killed

• To the communities across Australia who may be feeling fear and vulnerability

• To all those carrying shock, grief, or unease in the aftermath of this event

There is no need to fix, change, or force anything.

Simply bring your presence. Your compassion. Your willingness to hold light without bypassing grief.

When many people focus intention together, something subtle but real shifts. This is not about denying the pain, it is about meeting it with steadiness and care.

Choosing Who We Are in This Moment

Australia’s identity is not defined by a single act of violence.

It is shaped by how we respond when safety is broken by whether we turn toward one another or away, whether we harden or soften, whether we allow fear to divide us or compassion to connect us.

May we choose presence over panic.

May we choose humanity over hatred.

May those who were lost be held in love.

And may those who are afraid feel less alone.

With love and care,

Jodie The Healing Bower