Dear all,
I hope you're faring safely in these turbulent times. I imagine that the full spectrum of human emotions is unleashed as humanity faces a collective crisis, one that brings us to the edges of our individualism. Personally, I love being home, I revel in solitude, I feel well resourced and practiced for this time after being a freelancer working from home for the past 4 years. And, I have a ton of love and capacity for the world right now, and desire to share whatever I can that may be helpful. I'm hearing about the hard edges of this time as people are forced to isolate for safety, and all that it brings up.
"Long ago the word alone was treated as two words, all one. To be all one meant to be wholly one, to be in oneness, either essentially or temporarily. That is precisely the goal of solitude, to be all one." Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes describes in Women Who Run with the Wolves.
We are not alone and we never were. All spiritual texts point to our interconnection, our oneness, and our impact on one another. This includes all living species, and this gorgeous planet we call home. I was walking with A (six feet away, of course) and she reminded me of adrienne maree brown's words in Emergent Strategy. That birds in a flock fly together close enough to feel each other, or a change in direction, and far away enough that they don't crash into each other's wings.
This is our chance to be that kind of flock. More than safe, we have the opportunity to be our full, real selves, while being carefully, choicefully connected. What a gift, tucked away in the heart of a crisis.
From the physical dimensions of solitude to a spiritual one, each human being's aura is about an arm's length of space all around us. This is our particular energy bubble. When we pray, clear space, meditate and center, it's this space that fills up with all the good stuff. When we feel peace after meditation, this is where it's held. It is a healing light radiating from an open channel within, and it surrounds and immerses us, including our entire physical bodies.
When we don't protect* our energy, those of us who are highly empathic, sensitive, or absorbent, will often be affected by all the things in the environment. We can walk into a room, and feel real funky all of a sudden. I've often had the experience of feeling great in my own emotions, walking into a crowded space, and having sudden anxiety. Or a stomach ache, or migraine. I can tell right away that it's not mine, but an absorption of energies I didn't see coming or prepare for.
What we have here now, is a chance to get right with ourselves. The social/physical spaciousness being asked of us in a coronized** nation is an opportunity to explore the full breadth of our wings. Who are you when you're alone for copious amounts of time is potentially scary, and potentially awesome.
At first, all that has been unseen or unheard or unprocessed will rise to the top. Remember what I said about this being a meditation marathon? That still applies. Do what you do with this. Pay attention, resolve/forgive/clear space where needed, or tackle head on what needs further practical action.
As you let stuff out, you create space for new energy to enter. My pathway for this is prayer before a flame (a portal to the divine), but yours may be a walk in the park, listening to music, dancing, silence, writing, or something else. Do your thing. Go with your own intrinsic flow. Find the stream, and follow it to get to the river of energy that carries you to purposeful action, or purposeful stillness.
Let us prepare to be centered birds in the giant flock of humanity, so that we are all-one, together and apart at the same time. Let us learn to feel our own feelings, clear our own energies, and come energetically free to others in our circles. Let us practice distinguishing our needs from those of others, while increasing our capacity to communicate choicefully about all of this, from an aura's width away. Let us be whole, fully human, whether in our scared feelings or in our strengths. This is a chance to practice what will serve us for the rest of our lives. And if we realize the full potential of this moment, it can be a massive paradigm shift for humanity, for the planet, for generations to come.
When this time is over, who do you want to remember being? When this story is told in future, what role do you want to have played? As this world unravels, what seeds do you want to plant for the new one?
* For more on energy protection and to figure out what kind of intuitive you are, check out Dr. Niki Elliott's excellent book - I Feel Your Pain: A 7-Step Survival Guide for Empaths, Intuitives, and Highly Sensitive People.
** Coronized - This word came to me yesterday. Do you like how it's an intuitive combo of corona-terrorized, while rhyming with colonized? I don't like to think about colonization of course, but I can't help it. The roots of so much systemic injustice are in histories of colonization of land and place and people, in histories of violence on a mass scale.
While this is not a time of explicit colonization, coronization is forcing us to divide in order to conquer virus containment, and that is an old tactic. Be apart, but don't be divided my friends. Here's how to be together apart right now, from an expert on meaningful gatherings. Simultaneously, here are some tips from an introvert on how to enjoy being alone at this time.