So, now the election is over, and the war is still raging, and most of us are left with sadness and trepidation. I try to walk lightly through the political sphere, keeping my thoughts and words where they belong, in the world of spirit and healing. And yet I received many calls asking “why is this happening?”
We are here to hold Love and Light--at least those of you I imagine reading my website! Sometimes this sounds overdone and trite, love & light, la la la!!. And yet, it is my truth, the belief that gets me through bad election results, teenagers, endless chores, pain and suffering of all kinds. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, that everything is a lesson.
However, in the past year I have made a concentrated spiritual practice of simply opening to ANYTHING I find difficult. If I feel resistant, fearful, angry, controlling...any of the less appreciated human emotions...first I open to the feelings and honor them, really allowing them to be okay without judgment. Then I work with my intention to embrace the situation with an attitude of love and acceptance. This doesn’t mean I have to like it or understand it, or that I won’t use my understanding to make changes or set boundaries. I simply realize that the obstacle is in my life for some perfect reason for me. I work to understand other people’s perspectives, and I choose to remember there are lessons in everything. “How is this a good thing for me? What am I learning? How could this be positive in some way that I can’t see yet? How is this part of my darkness, my split self?”
I have noticed that when I truly open my heart to a difficult situation, there is a tendency for it to change. Sometimes the other person changes or seems to change. Perhaps my attitude shifts and I see the other person differently. But I have proof that when I give up my attitude of being right and seeing others as wrong, stuck, deluded or just plain evil, that somehow I feel better and they seem to act differently.
Applying this perspective to the politics of the world, we know that separation, hatred and war have been part of our experience for many thousands of years, and yet it doesn’t have to be that way. There have been peaceful, thriving cultures. We can still hold our vision, open our hearts to a positive outcome, even in a time where many of us feel very concerned about the future possibilities inherent in so many world struggles.
In this moment, we can do whatever we can to create a better world. Person by person. Gift by gift. Healing by healing. There’s lots to do now. If the Republicans get to be in power for another four years, it is likely even more services and benefits are going to be cut. It is likely we will have continued economic issues in this country and around the world. We can help each other. We can hold the Light in the face of fear and uncertainty. We can continue promoting peaceful politics. We can keep looking for solutions.
It’s important that we don’t harden our hearts and add darker energy to the split between people. The Republicans won (fairly or not). There must be a reason for that which is difficult for some of us to see. Finding a way to be truly open to the present reality is a worthy spiritual challenge, and an attitude more likely to build bridges of healing than by holding resentment, anger and fear.
Love. Compassion. Healing. Peace. This is what we’re here for. Channeling these energies through you in every encounter in your day to day life will make a difference to everyone you meet and ultimately will make a difference in the state of the country, and the state of the world. And, you’ll feel better too.