I post weekly oracle messages on Instagram as part of my spiritual work to aid those that might find them useful in shifting their perspectives with challenges they may be facing. When I woke up this morning I felt slightly anxious which I seldom do these days as I have learnt to become more balanced and centred with daily meditations and breathing exercise.

Exert from the post …

“The Search – uncertainties of the crisis crippling the world forcing us all to question our existence, our truths. With quarantine measures in place and our ways of life changed in the blink of an eye we….
Remember – realize how much we have taken so much for granted and perhaps remembering the priorities we placed on things rather than people forcing us again to….
Purification – be truthful with ourselves and make those heartfelt changes that matter at the end of the day…truth shall set you free as they say….this crisis is forcing us all to take a hard look at ourselves and what is truly of value and matters most……Peace is always there however it’s our behaviours that has to change.. “

I kept thinking about the Instagram post and if I had worded it incorrectly or conveyed the message in a negative way. I came to realise that the perception and energy of the words ‘Social Distancing” and “Quarantine” can have a negative effect on the mind and perhaps further impact those who suffer from mental illness or are feeling isolated.  Effectively, we are not socially distancing, we are merely creating a physical distance in order to stop the spread of the virus. Words have a powerful effect on the mind depending on the tone and context they are used in, and so by shifting our way of thinking and choice of words, we are able to benefit from protective measures and take our social responsibilities seriously. So I have made a mental note to only say social responsibility from now on.

The use of social media and other telecommunications platforms to stay connected both professionally and personally has greatly increased over the past few months. From news anchors to celebrities finding novel ways to run their TV shows from their homes, and many ordinary citizens taking to social media creating music and movie parodies using the COVID19 as a theme, taking a comedic approach in coping with the pandemic in turn being empathetic with each other. People sharing their gratitude about the simplest of things such as sleeping in and spending more quality time with their children and loved ones. People connecting or reconnecting with family and friends whom they have not spoken to in a long time. People working from home wearing PJ’s or trackies and feeling good that they have saved petrol money and not be stuck in peak hour traffic. So many other important and precious moments being experienced where before a lot was overlooked or taken for granted. I see and feel that the world is becoming more connected now and for the right reasons whilst mother earth – our planet is healing herself.

“When our sense of safety and security is threatened and we are forced to take a step back from the chaos and go inward, we start to see for the first time the beauty that surrounds us and all that we take for granted daily. Allowing us to make positive changes to our daily life so that we become aligned, balanced and heart centred and handle all challenges with integrity and wisdom in all areas of our lives” ~ Ann S Keightley

I remembered something my mum had said as an observer of all the chaos taking place the past 3 months- the good the bad and the ugly as I’d like to call it. She said it was great to see people starting to be helpful and kind to one another and how people are waking up and in many ways changing the way they live and conduct their lives. Respecting nature and mother earth and more importantly each other. And then she paused and said “how long will the changed behaviours last for?”

This is the most beautiful question and I agree with her and I am absolutely certain there are so many people in the world who are witnessing and experiencing all the positive changes taking place ask the same question.  For my part I have seen peoples respect and awareness heightened and shifted rightly so for those who are health, medical and sanitary workers and those in the front line helping provide food and care services – healing the world. Those who have been doing this all their lives selflessly – Crisis or no Crisis, as it is part of their humanity and until now, have been in the lower end of the pecking order or looked down upon from those of wealth and celebrity status being idolised and given more importance and extraordinary pay packets. These are just a few highlights to show how unbalanced our societies are.  The scale has now started to tilt I feel.

The health crisis will change for the better,  cures will be found and people’s lives will be saved and the virus will be defeated. However when the dust settles and we move forward will the changed behaviours remain and become the “Norm”? Our new realities being kindness, love, compassion, respect, support, and equality on all spectrums?? I know I might be silly in hoping for a utopian society however is that what COVID19 came to teach us all??

To quote an ex client and dear friend of mine Andrew Dessmann, who has worked extremely hard over the years doing so much inner work and made amazing changes in his life:

“Are we going to actually get the lessons long term or go back to our toxic behaviours the minute we’re allowed out of our rooms again? Whilst there are some positive changes slowly taking place, the increased posting on social media I’m seeing is proof that we are still seeking external validation and distraction from our own accountability as individuals, who make up the collective. All of the regular, every-day distractions that would normally enable us to avoid looking within and ‘waking up’, are quickly being taken away, but those of us who have woken up weren’t given a choice to run away from it and perhaps that’s what Covid is now doing on a global level. Apart from being a little bored, it seems that we are not ‘suffering’ to the same extent that others are with the situation.

 As within so without, and on the back of my own journey, I see our collective connection with the Earth, as a larger scale version of our individual human experience. When we are off track or missing the lessons, our external circumstances often worsen and become louder until we ‘get it’.

I’m reminded of a session around this time last year with my Kinesiologist, in which we discussed the energy coming in 2020 and the fact that if we didn’t have our ‘stuff’ cleared by then, the universe will drag us kicking and screaming to where we’re supposed to be. Of course, we were not predicting Covid-19, but is it possible that this pandemic is the Universe` way of bringing in that energy and forcing the changes that are long overdue?”

AUM Shanti

~ Ann S Keightley