Mother Earth is cleaning her house, dictators are ruling countries, darkness seems to be the coloring of life, wars are ongoing across the globe, people are filled with hatred and defiance, and brothers and sisters are pitted against each other. You may believe this has never happened before in the history of the world. Approximately 5000 years ago society began shifting from goddesses and female deities holding prominent roles to patriarchal cultures where male dominance became prevalent. Looking back 1000 years ago those living in the Middle Ages experienced a world of feudalism in which a rigid societal structure was characterized by nobility holding the wealth and the majority , the serfs, lived in poverty with limited rights and oppression. 100 years ago in America women experienced the right to vote; however racial segregation laws still were in force in different parts of the United States. 50 years ago we witnessed a surge in the environmental movement in the early 1970’s with Clean Water and Endangered Species Laws going into effect. Also the world saw personal computers developed. A mere 10 years ago a rising passion and shift in diversity and more equality was present , and Technology was increasing. These timelines reflect a shift in consciousness. Even with the changes over the past 5000 years human beings and the collective consciousness still remain at times divided and have not yet reached global unity but we are making progress!
We may feel as a collective we put one foot forward and get pushed back a yard. Our hopelessness and despair may echo within our thoughts and even in our night dreams. Have you decided it is nearly an impossible feat to find peace? The ever continual news updates may add to our angst leaving us in a state of anger, fear, and overwhelming unsettling helplessness. But just as past beings in times existing before our present struggling to live in chaotic experiences, a golden sliver of hope over hopelessness can be found. Hope and Light does not erase the suffering around us. A perspective of internal peace matched with inner strength is created when we choose to reclaim what we thought we lost. Taking it in baby steps using practices that have worked in our past by giving ourselves sacred space..not to ignore what is occurring globally…but to process without being paralyzed in fear like a rabbit running for its hole to hide in.
When we remember who we truly are..when we live the very best versions of ourselves, we can triumph without living through each day as if it were our proverbial battlefield. Acts of resistance over what seems dark heaviness is possible. I personally look for the gratitude daily in what I presently have in my life. Gratitude has become my security blanket that has been the key to uncovering the strength I forgot I had. I would like to invite you to try some simple steps . The worst thing that can happen is they are not a solution for you, but I am of the mindset why not try and see what happens. We can always return to feelings of defeatism . Here are some ideas:
-Every day focus on three things you currently have in your life that you are grateful for. Focus on what you have…not what you don’t currently have.
-Go outside in nature. Listen to birds, walk in your neighborhood and/or park. Sit in the sun or under the moon and stars.
-Create at least one thing daily to express your feelings: Use writing, humming or any form of music, art, gather rocks, shells, and sticks to make a creative design outside.
-Volunteer in your community at a nursing home, at a food bank or food pantry, at a community garden. Our community needs us!
-When your mind drifts into the good ole days of the past or the fear of the future remind yourself where your feet are in this moment. Express gratitude to your feet that they are inside shoes.
-Do the next right thing, even it is a little thing. The task you can do next can shift your focus from the overwhelm back into the present.
-Light one or more candles in the morning to remember the radiance of Light that always lives within you. Focus on the beauty of the flame both in the candle and within yourself.
-Limit the time you spend watching the news and the time you spend on social media.
-Take deep breaths as you put one hand on your heart and one on your belly. This is our natural gift of being human…to inhale and exhale. It is such a calming gift we can give ourself.
-Talk to someone you trust: a friend, a family member. It is amazing how verbalizing what is replaying in our head can be lessened just by telling it to another.
Choosing hope over hopelessness can be found by picking simple strategies and incorporating them in our lives. When life gets too much, find a Life Coach or other Professional who will be honored to offer guidance.
” Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
“If you knew that hope and despair were paths to the same destination, which would you choose?” -Unknown
Jaguarwind 