APRIL 2020 BLOG

THE GREAT SHIFT – UNCHARTED TERRITORY

We are now experiencing a collective shift in our global society. In the past blog I reflected upon the many plagues that came as teachers to all societies indicating the need to shift our understanding of Nature. That is the way humans have evolving – pestilence, war, famine and pandemics to name a few, coming upon humanity over thousands of years. Therefore, we were forced to evolve as biological beings, mental (psychological) beings and spiritual beings. It is like a collective rite of passage created by a sense of darkness coming into a light of understanding and awakening to the reality that we are all one.

Now the global community is facing the new reality that asks us to take hold of our old sense of connectedness. The coronavirus is saying that we are all in this together and evolving together.

This pandemic is unlike anything any of us have ever experienced in modern times.

Whether we’re facing sudden economic hardship, fear for our health and the health of those we love, grief over a devastating loss, or the unnerving prospect of being homebound for months, all of us are being challenged to rapidly adapt to a life and a world we couldn’t have imagined a few months ago.

This collective fear and anxiety lead us to the eventual fear of death. Yet, our body says: “STOP”! We must face our feelings and be present to what is. Whether it is our fear of abandonment and left alone or being overwhelmed by the on-going spread of the virus, we feel sick without the actual disease taking hold of our body. The collective need to STOP and listen to our body and at the same time listen to NATURE – our mother Earth. 

The human SOUL seeks to evolve and to grow by making the journey into darkness (the unknown). Therefore, all the events we are accustomed to, as usual; like travel restrictions, closure of religious places, self-isolation and so on, are teaching us to seek the inner place of soul.

What is going on? Here is a wonderful inspiring quote by Richard Hendrick OFM:

“Suddenly I woke up one day and everything changed, all Disney magic faded, the Chinese wall was not as strong, now New York sleeps, and no roads lead to Rome. A virus is crowned as the owner of the world and gave us an account of our frailty. We do not know if the damage is deliberately or is an irresponsibility by  ourselves, but the threat is there -  stronger every day, and memes do not cause much laughter, hugs and kisses were transformed into dangerous weapons and product shortages  show us once again how selfish we are, so selfish that some  say: "no problem this virus only takes oldies" as if we never had our parents or as if we were not going to be old ever.

We want to assert our "right" to decide whether to let live or not to others and now we realize that we cannot even decide for our own life. A planet that today is not only a mask for a virus but also covers our vulnerability mixed with pride and so we wash your hands for not recognizing our responsibility just as the ancient Pontius Pilate.

If there is fear. If there is insulation. Yes, there is panic buying. Yes, there is disease Yes, there is even death.”

Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM - March 13, 2020

But they say in Wuhan after so many years of noise you can hear the birds again.

They say that after a few weeks of silence, the sky is no longer filled with smoke but blue and clear.    

They say that in the empty streets of Assisi people are singing from their homes and keeping their windows open in balconies so that those who are alone can hear the voices of families around.              

They say a hotel in the west of Ireland provides free meals and home delivery.

Today a young woman I know is busy handing out flyers for the neighbourhood with her phone number so that the elderly can have someone to call.

Today churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are preparing to welcome

and protect the homeless, sick and tired.

Around the world people are decelerating and reflecting.

Around the world, people look to their neighbours in a new way.

Around the world people are waking up to a new reality. So strong that we really are. What little control we really have.  TO LOVE is what really matters.

Then we pray and remember that:

Yes, if there is fear, there must not be hatred.

If there is insulation, but we do not have to be alone.

Yes, there is panic buying, but there must not be no selfishness.

Yes, there is illness, but the disease does not have to be a disease of the soul.

Yes, there is even death, but there can always be a revival of love.

Wake up and choose how to live today.

Today breathe, pause and listen behind the torments of your fear.

Birds sing again, the sky is clearing, spring is coming, and we are always surrounded by love.

Open the windows of your soul and if you cannot walk on an empty street, so DANCE at home.”

CONCLUSION

This is the time that Nature is giving us as a gift for all – rich or poor. It is said that 65 billionaires in the world have more money than the 300 million poor. Hope that they will help - eh? But we need to take a positive attitude and do what we wished to do when we had so much work and had no time to enjoy PEACE.

So here is a suggestion or two:

1.       Develop a daily ritual with your family. Yoga - like the FIVE TIBETANS. (see YouTube for a

demo).

2.       Summon the elders and spiritual teachers by creating a sacred space and arrange the four directions: NORTH, SOUTHEAST & WEST – stand in the middle and call your teachers and then Listen.

3      Pay attention to the energy that heals:    

    Body – experience your body energy.

      Intellect – become aware of your symbolic imagination.

     Soul – enter the place of the heart and note the mythic messages.

       Spirit – become aware of the essence of the universe (Nature) speaking. Stay calm in a solitary space like a forest.

Recommended book:

Plotkin, Bill. Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche. New World Library. Kindle Edition, 2003.

Bill Plotkin’s prophecy:

“When we have the situation beyond our individual souls. The industrial world seeks to exploit this lovely planet with its flowering meadows, its sky-reaching forests, its flowing streams, the wildlife of its forests and fields until only remnants will exist. Yet now, as we begin the twenty-first century, we start to realize that the industrial world has had its day. Those of us who have lived through its twentieth-century dominance believe, as I do, that a new age is dawning. The industrial-commercial world can go no further.”

Michael Meade podcast