Spiritual Wisdom Gained Through the Pandemic & What We Can Take with Us

Throughout the trajectory of this pandemic and the subsequent restrictions it ushered, I asked myself one overarching question: what are the lessons we must learn on a collective scale?

As much as we have no doubt encountered infinite and exponential hardships, those of us who are spiritually aware or already awakened had an innate understanding that perhaps there was a greater purpose behind the events that took place, despite the myriad challenges of living through the lockdowns, government restrictions, small business shutdowns, and more.

Although we griped about everything that happened outside of us and sorely resented the personal and economic hardships that proceeded them, when we ask most individuals who have faced different kinds of challenges about what they gained, through having lived through such experiences, many of them will admit that had it not been for those specific issues they faced, they would not have gained, for instance, virtues such as patience, humility, or compassion.

Truth be told, as much as we may not enjoy looking within and asking ourselves the more intimidating questions, the majority of people who introspect on a regular basis, can and will admit that there has been at least one silver lining amidst this global crisis.

Before the lockdown became an inescapable reality in March 2020, I had been craving some kind of change I could not yet conceptualize. I was already well aware that the Matrix we were existing in, was a far cry from the manner in which we were truly meant to live and that our souls were suffering as a result.

As I began to turn inward more and more and look at aspects of my life and being that needed healing, it became ever clearer to me that the life I was living was hardly conducive to this healthy and conscious life I so longed for. Finally, shortly after the pandemic hit, I realized that the restrictions provided an opportunity to delve deep within and journey into a realm of self-discovery. I took it as an invitation to grow, heal, and ultimately, to expand my state of consciousness.

Here are some examples of some spiritual wisdom many of us have gained, along with ways that we can carry these pearls with us in our back pockets as lockdown restrictions continue to lift day by day:

1. We’ve gained patience.

We’ve had no other choice but to practice patience. No longer could we go wherever we wanted or needed to. We often had to wait in long lineups just to get into a grocery store or take our turns walking down a single aisle in lieu of violating the social distancing regulations.

As much as we have been programmed to want and to receive what we desire almost instantly, our ability to practice this virtue has been put to the test. We became aware that we must slow down and tame our reckless thoughts and habits. No longer would they be tolerated. In addition, patience builds moral character and can be a precursor to living a more mindful and compassionate life.

As we move into less restrictive times, we have the opportunity to carry these lessons forward by being more conscious of those around us and in the recognition that their desires and intentions are just as urgent or valid as our own. Therefore, if that means we must pause to wait our turn, then so be it.

2. Surrendering to the great unknown.

The longer we live, the more aware we likely become of one fundamental truth: very few outcomes are solely within our scope of control. Change is, in fact, our only constant. As a result, we have two choices: either we learn to radically accept this fact or feed into our own suffering through nonacceptance or the denial of it. Although many of us have been conditioned to view surrender through a negative lens or label it passive, surrender takes a lot of strength. It requires a silent courage and is no small feat. Nor is it for the faint of heart.

Hopefully, we can carry this wisdom onward and apply it to broader facets of our lives, such as in the recognition and acceptance of the fact that not everything is meant to last, including our jobs, youth, the relationships we find ourselves in, and so on. Even our hurdles are temporary and sometimes not entirely within our control. Que sera, sera. What will be will be.

3. Facing our shadows.

With the inability to visit family and friends as often as we would have liked to, this pandemic has unearthed a deep void within so many of us. Increased isolation has almost forced us to face ourselves with honesty and integrity. More time alone and without many of the convenient distractions we used to bury ourselves in meant more time to sit in our discomfort and reflect. This is unfamiliar and even frightening for many but is necessary in order to become more conscious of our shadows and transmute them. We have been blessed with the opportunity to become alchemists.

For those of us who have used the time to go inward, we can effect positive change in the world and in those around us. We can be present with ourselves as well as with others in various contexts from here on end, and hopefully, this will in turn lift the vibrations of those with whom we interact on the daily. This then has the potential to have a ripple effect. If so, we can collectively shift the state of our planet. It all begins within us. As within, so without.

4. We’ve become more grateful.

Being truly grateful for what we have right here, right now has been one of the major learnings that we’ve received due to this pandemic. We’ve finally become more appreciative of our physical bodies and have realized the importance of physical health.

The pandemic also opened the gateway to greater emotional, mental, and spiritual awareness. A lot of us have begun to embrace the importance of our emotional well-being and have thus begun to take the necessary steps to preserve, restore, and maintain our emotional and spiritual well-being.

The lens with which we used to view our relationships has begun to change. A lot of us have woken up to those relationships that we can see as being tied to our essence of living and have let go of those which have outlived their emotional and spiritual purpose.

5. Alignment with Self.

This pandemic has given a lot of us the opportunity to become more attuned and aligned to ourselves—our values and greater purpose. It at least gave me the opportunity to do so. It gave me the much-needed time and space to sit with myself amidst my own chaos and find my inner voice, which I had been ignoring and dismissing for a long time. It has forced a lot of us to reach into the crevices of our minds and clear out the unwanted, rotting, and the not-so-purposeful.

While this alignment may have assumed an upward trend for some, some are still grappling to make sense of it and some are still hiding behind the comfortable and convenient. However, it’s only a matter of time before each one of us will have to take stock of who we are and who we want to be.

As I write this, the image of the Osho Transformation Tarot Card continues to flash before my eyes. Perhaps, it’s my subconscious’ way of trying to tell me that true alignment with ourselves requires us to bear the pain of transformation.

Indeed, we are all grappling with existential and spiritual pain. Perhaps, in the larger picture, it is all leading us and the entire world toward more alignment.

Just like Mother Earth is clearing out the unwanted from her space, it’s time for us to do the same.

Genuine alignment demands that we bear the pain of transformation because there is no greater reward than that transformation and alignment itself.

6. The power of “Que Sera Sera.”

“Que Sera Sera

Whatever Will be, will be

The future’s not ours to see

Que Sera Sera

What will be, will be”

My mother used to sing this song when I indeed was a little girl, and even when I didn’t understand what it meant, the words “Que Sera Sera” stuck with me. For me, this pandemic has truly awakened the power of “What will be, will be.”

It has made me, and perhaps a lot of us, realize that the idea of trying to predict and control outcomes and situations is a mirage. It keeps us occupied with our worries, anxieties, and future planning, but in reality, it amounts to nothing because the future is not ours to see and will not be.

What we have is now. This moment, and before we realize, this moment is gone.

So, we can either get consumed by our illusion or this mirage of so-called control or simply be present in this moment because what will be, will be.

The fact of the matter is that until and unless we are thrown into the uncomfortable and painful, we will not heal, change, grow, or transform.

With destruction comes an opportunity to rebuild.

Perhaps, the biggest lesson embedded in this tragedy for all of us is to transform into better versions of ourselves.

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