Hey everyone, if you're like me, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information bursts about covid-19 AND/or the general sense of panic/advice-giving/speculation etc. I'd like to share a slightly different perspective, in the hopes of offering some calm and grace.
Let's all take a deep breath first, together.
Inhale (peace) - one...two...three...
Exhale (worries) - x....y....z....
If you need to, take another few of those as you appreciate all that is okay or even good about your health, family, and community, and hopefully that can create some space within you.
I absolutely agree with and am adhering to all the practical and medical advice. This post is not meant to replace or question those! Please take care of yourself, self-quarantine when necessary, wash your hands, check in on your loved ones and be a good community member locally. Be self-responsive as well as thoughtful about those with increased vulnerability through lower immunity or lower access to resources. Here is what I want to add as a spiritual frame to sustain you in these challenging times.
1. This is a meditation marathon. Every challenge is a training ground for spirit, and this situation is no exception. Notice everything. However you respond at this time, be aware of it. Let it be a conscious choice aligned with your values, not a reaction based on fear or scarcity. This is a chance to deepen self-realization by pausing and reflecting as your routines, attachments, and distractions dissolve.
2. Cleanse cleanse cleanse - A reframe away from the medical/biological sense of containment or contamination. Cleansing is a very spiritual practice. When we cry we are cleansing the soul of pain. I always used to wash my hands before praying and eating, so now, it's even more frequent and reminds me of how sacred all parts of me, and all parts of life/the world, truly are. Cleansing your living space is also an excellent opportunity to clear out dead energy zones. Feel the difference! Light a candle, light incense or other sacred plants your people may burn, set out crystals, make magic.
3. This is a return to Simplicity. For those of us with material means who are used to going out a lot, there is a reason the cycle of production and consumption is slowing down drastically, or halting in some places completely. This is a chance for us to return to warmth of our own hearts and homes, and see what's there. Are you at peace where you live, with the people closest to you? With what you're doing in your daily life, in the little moments, the in-betweens? Take stock. Make it count.
4. Ground yourself, in a good way. Not just like airlines are grounded, but grounded like trees with deep roots. This is a chance to become connected hyperlocally. Get to know your neighbors, be in a shared community of support and exchanges based on care. My wonderful neighbors sent out an email to all of us (a community of 93 apartments) offering their "hearty teenager" up to get supplies for anyone who needed it, and themselves as resources for anyone. What gems of human beings!
5. Release your attachments. You'll really start to notice what you *need* and what you're *attached* to. I love coffee, but going to coffee shops to write/read is a routine that takes me out of my working-from-home daily life. It's a chance to be a part of a community for me as someone who's often indoors due to work or health/chronic recovery in the last year especially. Now I can let the "shop" go, keep the coffee, and realize I really value being in a community that sits quietly and reads. Food was often the activity, but connection to people was the real yearning. So many of my attachments were pointing to desires and values - pleasure/joy, soul nourishment, community, and creative environments.
6. Practice Sacred Solitude*. There are introverts and there are extroverts, or a mixture of both. There are people who usually work outside the home, or usually work inside a home. If you are home more and have the chance to be alone, this a chance to re-examine your relationship to solitude. Consider renewing your sacred solo rituals. Re-awaken what brings you joy, or nourishes your creativity and spirit. When we come out of this, you'll have gained something new within yourself, not just shrunk from how scary "inner world living" is.
7. Replenish your magic! So now that all this stuff has fallen away, and you're socially spacing out (or losing it), go be. Just be with yourself, spend some more quality time there. Maybe do some/all of the things that you love, that you need, or that you can. Perhaps you are drawing or singing after years. Perhaps you are shaking jiggling dancing like fire. Perhaps you are praying 5 times a day. Perhaps you are finally getting to catch up with all your long-distance loves coz your birthday's in a pandemic (oh wait, that's me), but whatever it is - feel in, follow your instincts, and go with it. When I was hospital bound last year due to a parent in the ICU, I wrote endlessly in the waiting room, took walks around the entire hospital campus, and prayed a lot. It all kept me sane and tethered and free, simultaneously. Find what's gonna work for you. Every little things helps, especially when it becomes a daily practice, it becomes an anchor to find yourself by.
*on sacred solitude - I realize I'm writing this as a single person who lives solo and is kid-free and pet-free. For those of you who are couples, house-mates, families, and have small children especially, I do hear that being packed in with the tribe is way harder than being solo would have been! Pros and cons my dear people, I hear you. As someone with chronic illness who has often felt the biting edge of solitude or lack of access to a care community, I share this offering from my specific experience. My home is open to any parent I know who wants to and is able to get away from their own fam for a bit! #homesanctuaries