We are living extraordinary times. With great curiosity I have been following all that is happening around me and in the world.  I have been thinking that this really is a field day for the news companies. I open the tv and everywhere is online information about the deaths in each country globally, the chaos everywhere, you name it. It is becoming overwhelming to handle. I am not sure if it all is necessary. What is the purpose of the news? Even now that they were adding a couple of other news headlines other than about Covid-19, they were about an “almost dangerous” fire and one other incident “close to an accident”. Why are we feeding this side of humanity which wants to dwell on catastrophes and misery? Who benefits of it?

Fighting fear

Not falling into feeling the fear about everything is really important.  Try to resist the fear the news is creating. Minimize your bad vibes feed. Know only what you absolutely need to know- do you really need to be updated about deaths, horror pictures, recession schemes, renewing waves of the virus? Fear shuts down our immune system and activates the fight or flight. Our body cannot function normally and work against viruses if we are living in fear. So creating your own internal peace in these times is crucial. Find ways you can forget the environment and just concentrate on something else, so that your body and nervous system will get a break. Bake, knit, colour, paint, play, listen to music, anything creative to soften the nervousness if you have it. My favorite break out of it all is going to the woods, as we here can go out freely.  Just be in stillness and breathe. It has been scientifically proven that also by watching nature pictures and especially videos with the sounds of the nature we are able to calm our nervous system. Worth trying! Do yourself a favor.

Issues surfacing

During these times we all are challenged to face many of our internal issues which we may have not been out earlier. This crisis brings everything onto the surface. We can use this time as an opportunity to get to know ourself and get acquainted with our inner landscape, which we easily may overlook while performing busy life otherwise. Physical isolation brings you in front of yourself in a very different manner you may be used to. For the first time you may have time to actually think. Some experience great agony when they need to sit still in a house. We are very good in bypassing  or neglecting our emotions in everyday busy lifestyle. We may even keep the busyness for that purpose. Now all those which have been hidden are surfacing. It can be a good time to accept all that is and give it space. Not to push it back down. It can bring really valuable information for you, about you.

Initiation quest

In a spiritual context this may be felt like an initiation. About initiations I quote an excerpt from Lissa Rankin’s blog (I am a firm admirer of Lissa and her capability to interpret the world around us and express it in superb way).

“Initiations are supposed to be scary and painful. Traditional tribal initiations bring you to the brink of death. You may or may not survive. Nothing is certain. If you knew it was safe, it might not initiate you. To be initiated is to stare death in the face—to come up close and personal with your own mortality- without backing away from it. If you make it to the other side- which is never guaranteed—you are welcomed into the tribe as an initiated adult, and then much is expected of you. You are then expected not just to extract resources from the tribe, the way a child might, but to give back, to offer your gifts, to protect the tribe and serve the vulnerable.”

The shift

I strongly feel it is time for the humanity to go on this initiation quest, person by person. I hope we make it. What scares me most in this situation is the thought of not making it – meaning that we do not learn even from this and continue keeping everything as granted and exploitable. I wish all people could use this time to open their hearts, think why we got here in the first place and what we all can do to go on in a peaceful manner in the world after this crisis. People already talk that “when things are back to normal”. I wish everybody sincerely considers what is normal. I hope it is not continuing exploiting the Mother Earth, animals, forests and each other, as we have. We are given a HUGE possibility to make a great shift. Let’s use it wisely. Let us vision a beautiful warm-hearted world after this. Let us keep the simple gestures, which have been arising during this pandemic, alive. Helping your elderly neighbour; keeping in touch with friends in any way possible; ensuring family is fine.  Taking care of those who cannot themselves do it. Letting dolphins swim in the canals of Venice. Let us dream the most beautiful world we can imagine into being.

Stay safe and let’s hug tight when we meet after this.

Love,

Erja