FAITHKEEPERS
So I’ve been a little bewildered that over the last week or so, not a day has gone past without someone saying they are waiting for my post on the current world health situation. To my mind there are no shortage of posts on the topic…
Personally I am limiting my exposure to short daily bursts of information from sources I trust.
As a human of this world, it is important to be up to date with the rapidly changing circumstances. It’s a responsibility I have especially as a daughter, mother and grandmother with a daughter and grand daughter living the other side of the world, as well as being a clinician and Interspiritual minister - I am being called to support, on an almost daily basis and must remain informed.
Being forewarned yet not fearful is a priority for me so I am countering each burst of news with conscious time outs to ground and balance – choosing to be prepared and peaceful. It's a work in progress...
As many of you know, morning daily practices to ‘set my compass’ for the day, are essential to my existence. For the last 20 years, the lessons of A Course In Miracles have been one of these practices. The course is based on the definition of a miracle being a shift in perception from fear to love.
It’s a choice I get to make from moment to moment and the daily lessons assist in making this shift more natural for me to do.
This isn’t about positive thinking – that can be quite stressful.
It’s about being peaceful. It’s noticing when I’ve gone into fear and asking myself how the fear, or whatever uncomfortable feeling I am having, is serving me in this moment and making the choice to replace it with a neutral or more comfortable feeling. Though the course teaches that there are no neutral thoughts...
I am at a place where, increasingly, I try to be conscious of the feelings that arise in me throughout the day. I believe very strongly that chemicals, such as hormones, released and the reactions that are occurring throughout my body can be determined by the thoughts and feelings I’m having. Uncomfortable feelings lead to unhealthy chemical release and reactions and comfortable feelings lead to healthy chemical release and reactions. This isn’t fluffy unicorn stuff - science has proven it. This has become a priority for me in looking after my overall health – more so than nutrition, supplements, exercise, rest, sleep - though ultimately all are impacted by my mental state. So for me, when I feel that bubbling up of fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, I know I need to convert it to feelings that promote the release of beneficial chemicals and reactions as soon as possible. Sometimes this happens in seconds. Other times I get so caught up in it that it takes a bit longer to be proactive...
You don’t have a choice when the feeling first rises in you. A situation triggers you immediately, however you do have a choice to notice it and convert it to a more neutral or comfortable one.
Last week I went to get some groceries for the first time, after being away for 7 weeks. I had heard all the hysteria about empty shelves and hadn’t bought into it – until I actually was in the energy of the hysteria at the shops and was faced with empty shelves. Fear and anxiety rose in me and I was tempted to put in my shopping basket, an extra item or two than what I really needed. As I felt the rush through my body and the tightening in my throat, which is how these feelings manifested in me, I took a deep breath. Over time I’ve trained myself to link that breath with my life mantra “I’m always looked after… life works” and I was able to remember what I was doing to my health by being in fear and anxiety, and made the choice to calm myself. Usually it’s as simple as breathing deeply and smiling.
It’s actually quite a liberating practice at a time like now, when most of us are feeling like everything is out of our control. Our thoughts, and how long we let them reside in us is one area where we have total control and the effects are far reaching.
Initially it’s not easy and to be honest there’s something addictive and self serving (in an unhealthy way) to stay in fear and victimness.
Let me assure you, however, that, in my experience, having practiced this over 2 decades (I’m obviously a slow learner), there is something more addictive and delicious about being powerful and peaceful and the practice is serving me well right now because goodness knows there’s loads of opportunities to sink into fear in the current, unfamiliar times.
Recently I shared this practice of converting our feelings with a friend who was experiencing some deep fear and anxiety. He found it very helpful and later sent me the attached quote as he said he was reminded of me when he read it. It’s quite a synchronicity as it comes from a book I read from every morning, A Deep Breath of Life by Alan Cohen. He shares of Oren Lyons, a native American, whose role in the tribe was “The Faithkeeper”. He explained the importance of having one person who consistently holds the higher vision. To be the voice of hope, an inspiration to remember the bigger picture when others forgot it. Alan says each of us needs to be a Faithkeeper. When others around us go into fear or confusion, we serve best by remembering the light and holding peace.
This speaks to me so clearly as something really valuable to embrace at this time. If it speaks to you to, lets be Faithkeepers together and create miracles everywhere we go, shifting the energies from fear to love…