The power of our attention – really the level of our energy – defines our capacity for connection to self, others and the Infinite ~ Kate Griffiths
Yesterday I found out that two family members have been seriously ill with Covid and in one instance it happened within two days of receiving the vaccination. And something of deep personal value was shattered into many pieces by Benji who was in a hyper mood. It was an intense re-entry after a blissful two week break. I did what I had to regarding the routine, mundane aspects of life – washing, shopping, cleaning etc and I built in lots of space to grieve and rest.
And recently the other thing in my awareness has been the increasing polarisation on social media around vaccinations and all things LGBTQ. So my sense is that you too may not be feeling fully settled one week on from “freedom day”. I hope the following words from Julia Hollenbery, Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle, help.
This moment that humanity is living through can be considered a door or a hole. The decision to fall into the hole or go through the door is yours.
If you consume information 24 hours a day, with negative energy, constantly nervous, with pessimism, you will fall into this hole.
But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, to rethink life and death, to take care of yourself and others, you will go through the door.
Take care of your home, take care of your body. Connect with your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself, you take care of others at the same time.
Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Adopt the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader vision.
There is a social demand in this crisis, but also a spiritual demand. The two go hand in hand. Without the social dimension, we fall into fanaticism. Without the spiritual dimension, we fall into pessimism and futility.
You are prepared to go through this crisis.
Grab your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal. Learn to resist by the example of the Indian and African peoples: we have been and continue to be exterminated.
But we never stopped singing, dancing, lighting fires and having joy.
Don’t feel guilty for feeling lucky in these difficult times. Being sad and without energy doesn’t help at all.
* Resilience is resilience through joy!
You have the right to be strong and positive. You have to maintain a beautiful, cheerful and bright posture.
This has nothing to do with alienation (ignorance of the world). It is a strategy of resistance.
When we walk in the door, we have a new view of the world because we have faced our fears and difficulties.
This is what you can do now:
– Serenity in the storm,
– Keep calm, meditate daily,
– Make a habit of encountering the sacred every day.
Demonstrate resilience through art, joy, trust and love. These words spoke to me because the Hopi Indian Chief is asking us to use discernment and to find our own answers by going within.
More than ever I feel that we are being called to come together and so create a ripple effect that can support humanity. This is only possible if you allow your feelings to be fully present. In so many branches of psychotherapy, the focus is on labelling, analysis and dissection with the impact of removing yourself from the immediacy of the feelings. With inner knowing comes the awareness that we are both wounded and whole.
So my final offer to you is to join me and others for a Conscious Conversation. The reason being that in these challenging times we are called to come together because then we can create a much more powerful impact. Our next one will be on Thursday 26 August at 6pm BST/ 1pm EST/ 10am PST. You need to register here. And whether you join us or not take a moment to pause and notice what is present; what you are focusing your attention on. This will be a gift in itself.