California’s record rainstorms are a blessing, a hardship and a spiritual experience

LOS ANGELES -- In a state crippled by drought, how are we to make sense of the destructive storms that have led our governor to proclaim a state of emergency, even as they fill our reservoirs and replenish our fields?

Here at last is the life-giving water we’ve yearned for: nourishing, regenerative, cleansing and essential, especially in the wake of the state’s driest three-year period on record. And yet, these desperately needed rains have been responsible for mudslides, flooding, power outages and, most tragically, the loss of lives.

It may feel like California is being cursed by the gods, but in fact humanity’s relationship with rain has always been paradoxical. Rain has the ability to