In the midst of this crazy time for the globe, I've been reflecting on what I want to say and how I want to say it.
What? and How? are two questions that I imagine many of us in the world may be stewing on right now.
What is going to happen?
What do I do with myself?
How can I help?
How will we come out of this?
How will things be different when the dust settles?
Despite all of the chaos that I hear about when tuning into the news or social media, there has been a new sense of calm and stillness that is difficult to put into words. It's a feeling. A kind of massive slow down which at certain times feels like an actual planet pause.
Ever since physical distancing started and hunkering down at home became the new norm, I've adopted a self care routine that I thank my intuition for guiding me into because it truly has been my saving grace.
Staying connected with nature and observing new life grow is one constant that I am relying on right now for reassurance. Being consistent with a daily 20 minute meditation has been essential to my maintaining balance (for the most part) and feeling grounded. It has felt as though source from Mother Earth has been blessing me with revelations of truth and healing so that I can stay centered enough to be able to help those around me and the people that I work with.
During one of my meditations, I was visited by the sun who was encouraging me to tell others about its healing powers by imagining that we could place the sun inside of ourselves. The heat, warmth, and energy of the sun would be our weapon to 1. protect us and 2. heal us from the inside out.
In a different meditation, I began to feel the weight of the world's economic crisis and literally felt my heart heavy as I imagined all of the people who are experiencing intense, raw fear about not being able to work and make money to pay for their basic necessities. This pain that felt so real and energetically charged was soothed by a visualization of trees turning their leaves into paper money raining on all of the earth. That moment in time felt precious. Fear and anxiety transformed into abundance and generosity.
This Monday's meditation revealed two words that have become my new mantra: Appreciate and Accept.
In some ways, I would like to believe that we are all being given this “coronacation” because a global transformation is in order and absolutely necessary for the well being of our Mother Earth and all of the hearts that breathe and live on it.
Of course, I know that for many people in the world, this is the furthest thing from a vacation or a time of relief. I want to honor that. There is no greater pain than the kind we experience when we lose someone we love or fear we may lose them. Fear and loneliness also cause us tremendous pain.
It's as though this pandemic has created an enormous energetic wave of grief and loss throughout the world that almost feels like a permanent veil we are all having to learn how to breathe through.
If you weren’t feeling your emotions before the virus, what emotions are you experiencing on a daily basis, now that it has impacted your community and loved ones in one way or another?
Loss of freedom and control constricts our hearts. Uncertainty rattles our brains. The fear we all normally carry in our bellies is being exposed and our anxiety causes an unfamiliar panic inside us that in certain moments feels impossible to tame.
With all of this going on, I can imagine that looking inward right now seems terrifying. But, what if perhaps all of this is happening for this exact reason? For the purpose to slow us down enough to take a pause and shine some light inside our self while we sit and feel this darkness?
Our 'normal' life goes something like this: So many day to day distractions, constant going, thinking, consistent pressures to do more, achieve more, make more, be more. The level of stress that most of us carry around in our bodies as a result of living this way is slowly killing us. The pandemic virus could potentially result in the same fate, the only difference being the longevity of our suffering.
I've discovered during this trying time that my antidote for fear is to practice two things – gratitude and generosity. Gratitude by feeling a deep appreciation for even the smallest of things and truly seeing the wonder in simplicity. Mindfulness helps me with this as it has been a close confidant of mine for the last 10 years. Being more present to what is rather than what I want it to be is what saved me from the dark depths of depression and anxiety years ago. And this ability to be present with myself, others, and life is what now serves as my armor while I learn to embrace being a spiritual warrior.
A spiritual warrior is one who lives in alignment with their truth through conscious choice of what they want to live for and how they want to live. My spiritual warriorship depends on God because this is the force that I believe to be in charge of all and everything for better or for worse.
The spiritual warrior inside me rests in peace asking these questions:
What will I choose to focus on moment to moment?
How will I relate to my own pain that ultimately stems from my fear of not being in control and not knowing for certain what will happen?
Thankfully the answers to my questions have already come to me from source during one of my morning meditations: I choose to Appreciate and Accept. I do this because I trust in God with all of my heart and accept his/her will.
I invite you to shift the focus of your What? and How? questions so that your moments of decision produce a better outcome for you and those around you.
What can I do in this moment to take better care of myself?
What positive affirmations will I choose to focus on to combat my fear?
What will my new norm look like when this passes?
How can I extend myself towards others so that I am less consumed by my own pain?
How can I move into a state of appreciation for what remains good and accept what is?
How will I choose to live more consciously once the pause button is released?
Please stay Pause-itive as Mother Earth takes some deep breaths before we are birthed anew. Sending love out to all of you.
**If you would like help or encouragement to create your own daily self care routine, please feel free to reach out. Self care = self love and this is what Root & Connect is all about.
“Prov. 3 Verses 5 to 6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
