Reflections Upon the Global Pandemic
Sharron Rose, Guest
Waking Times
Our world, our future, all that we have known is being altered right now, all around us. Everything that we are, the essential nature of society, our hopes and dreams are undergoing a substantial and radical alteration. Yet at the same time, this challenging situation offers the potential for a powerful time of healing, of deep personal reflection on who we are, where we have been, and where we are heading.
Due to the all-pervasive influence of social media, the internet, and the mainstream news, we are being inundated with a lot of information. Lost in the media haze of “spin,” bogus reporting, and talking points, which reduce deep issues that affect both our day-to-day reality and our future to mere sound bites, it has become more and more difficult to discern the false from the true. It is as if through the vehicle of this global pandemic all of our thoughts and feelings, all of our collective dreams, visions, and nightmares are being stirred up and brought forth for all to see.
While it’s good to keep an open mind towards witnessing the very serious and haunting condition of the current world situation, it’s easy to become bogged down in this and let the extreme negativity of it cause fear, depression, anxiety, and despondency. Therefore, as we travel through this challenging time, one of the most important things we can do right now is shift our focus inward, to reconnect with all of the healing practices we have learned and the many being offered by teachers across the globe from so many of the world’s spiritual traditions.
In recent years, we have been deeply concerned about climate change, about our relationship with the outer material nature, but what about our inner nature, our energy bodies, our emotions and thoughts? What would happen if during this period of self-isolation we started focusing on these realms of energetic interaction?
In this time of inner reflection we might ask, ”What would our planet look like, feel like if we could learn to center ourselves, calm our emotions, clear away the shadows, open our hearts and senses, and truly listen to each other, trusting the inner intuitive voice of spirit? Practices such as Qigong, meditation, yoga, and other healing arts teach that each and every one of us has the power to heal, the power to let go of anxiety, fear, anger, dis-ease, etc. stemming from old wounds and situations which have haunted us throughout our lives. These practices help to fill us with abundant life-force energy; free us from these painful experiences, boost our immune systems, and bring us to a grounded place of joy and inner peace.
I always like to say that within every challenge comes an opportunity for growth. At this crucial moment in time we must have the courage to come face to face with the serious issues that are confronting us personally and collectively. With every thought we are affecting the shape of the future, with every action we are creating beauty, joy, or suffering. When we have the courage to look deeply into the mirror of our minds, the psychic knots that bind us unwind, and the karmic veils are lifted. In this moment we can see with true clarity the pure essence of our being. We come face to face with our eternal nature. Time dissolves into space and all things appear in the perfect simultaneity of the state of pure immediate Present. This is the moment of true awakening. It is the still point between the thoughts, the pause between the in breath and the out breath.
The road ahead is filled with dangers, to be sure, but it is also a road towards a future that can be far different from the present or the past. The tools that we have at our disposal and the knowledge that we possess are spiritual gifts that we must give back to all humanity at this pivotal moment in human history.
Living in the midst of this time of change has made us deeply aware of the fact that many are waking up, questioning the reality unfolding before us, and actively looking for solutions. We have the potential to reshape our reality and change our world. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, there is a great upwelling of energy towards creating a caring and sustainable future, a path to individual, community, and planetary healing. We could all use some of that.
Meditation
Begin by closing the outer doors of your perception and turning your awareness inward. Discover the place of spaciousness and serenity within yourself, as clear, calm, and still as a cloudless sky. Imagine the essential nature of your mind to be like that sky. Sense the pristine beauty and clarity of your own spiritual essence shining in that spacious sky of your being as luminous and radiant as the sun.
Now picture your thoughts and emotions as clouds moving across the sky – sometimes soft and fluffy, sometimes immense and stormy. Sometimes the clouds are so dense that they totally block the light of the sun. Never forget, however, that like the radiant energy of the sun, which continuously shines behind those clouds, the crystalline clarity of your own true spiritual essence can always shine forth, undisturbed by whatever appears before it.
Breathe in slowly and imagine radiant life-force energy from the center of the earth rising upward into your feet through your legs and pelvis, supporting and grounding you. Feel it rise up your spine and flow through your body, nourishing every cell. As you breathe out, see it radiate from the top of your head, like a glittering fountain of light, creating a protective toroidal or egg-like sphere around you, enveloping your body with its warmth and brilliance. Feel this powerful nurturing light sweep away all negativity, fear, and dis-ease like a strong cleansing wind, filling your luminous energy body with its healing power, creating a vibrant shield of love and protection.
About the Author
Sharron Rose has spent the past 40 years working in education, the performing arts, the healing arts, and filmmaking to investigate, integrate, and impart the knowledge and wisdom of ancient cultures throughout the world. Twenty years ago, she co-founded Sacred Mysteries Productions, for which she has produced numerous documentary films and received grants and awards honoring her work in the arts. She is the author of the Visionary Award-winning book, The Path of the Priestess: A Guidebook for Awakening the Divine Feminine.
Click here to visit Sharron’s website.