Covid, politics, planet, social justice––with so much going on all at once, everyday life seems overwhelming right now. Much of my energy is being drawn into worry, fear, anger and reactivity. It has been good to remind myself of these helpful words and ideas from my Teachers:

“There is so much going on simultaneously…Everything is in motion. That is why this is a good place to be making a change. It is easier to make a shift when things are already stirred up. There is less attachment. There is more freedom.” (A’riquea, Traveling Light, p. 91).

“Worry pulls you into the future––a future which has not happened and is therefore unknown. It can be remade between then and now. It is worth thinking about, so that you can be making choices when opportunities arise. But you cannot make choices in the future right now. Pull back to the tasks at hand––healing and energy movement.”  (A’riquea, Traveling Light, p. 91)

“Fear, itself, is not a bad thing. It can be a tool. The realization of fear is, literally, a call to action. Not away from it, but towards something else. Fear is a notice that disconnect is occurring. It is a reminder to reconnect. To reconnect, not with ego, but with Spirit.” (Universal Wisdom, Grandmother Dreams, p. 148)

“What would it be like if no one paid attention. If no one paid attention to what has been given. Everyone would be functioning as if they were the only person in the world. Stuck in their own bubble of pain and frustration, blaming everyone else for their circumstance in life, not taking responsibility.
Responsibility means response-ability––the ability to respond.
The ability to respond to what. This is the choice you are given. We will respond to that which we have given our attention. What we choose to focus on will determine our reactions and our actions. When you choose to focus on the behaviors of another, you have given up the ability to focus on your own behavior. This is a convenient dead end. It is difficult to focus on ourselves, because we will see that we are not perfect, that we are flawed. Yet this is what it means to be human. If we had no flaws, then we would have nothing to learn…Being perfect is a stagnant state.
…It will be very important to hold to the feminine principles in these times, not to join with reactivity and anger…Be secure in knowing that the feminine is respected and welcomed.” (A’riquea, Traveling Light, p. 111)

The masculine principles of action, reaction and control will not be helpful in this time. What is needed are the feminine principles of inclusion, unity and acceptance. Overthinking is a masculine principle. Intelligence, the ability to solve problems, may help me reach greater understanding. But the feminine principle of consciousness, the ability to feel, is how actual changes are made. Lasting change happens through the body, not the brain.

“Be aware of your wound. Don’t help it to grow, let it be healed; and it will be healed only when you move to the roots. The less the head, the more the wound will heal…Live a headless life. Move as a total being, and accept things. Just for 24 hours, try it––total acceptance, whatever happens. Someone insults you, accept it, don’t react, and see what happens. Suddenly you will feel an energy flowing in you that you have not felt before.”  (Osho, The Transcendental Game of Zen, St. Martin’s Press 1994,  p. 57)