Dealing With World Convulsions
This was not the article I intended to send today. But I
know that many of my readers, all over the world, are upset about the results
of Tuesday night’s election in the US. And those results did not happen in a
vacuum. Sure, there are always political swings one way or another and wars and
financial crises, etc. But right now those things are happening on a global scale
and affecting far more people than usual. The world goes through this kind of
global upheaval now and then and it is intensely uncomfortable when it reaches
your part of the world. Some of my readers, I know, live in parts of the world that
have been convulsing for a while. Maybe you have never known much but chaos.
But most of my readers are in the West and are used to stability. Paradigm
shifts are rare in the modern history of their countries. It is much nicer to
be past it and reading about it in history!
But here we are. And what are you to do to deal with the
stress? Of course the size of the stress does not really change the approach
you need to take to be at peace. It also does not matter if you are stressed
about something going on personally or globally. I recommend my 4 Habits for
Inner Peace. If you have the book you may want to re-read the habits. I will
discuss them in this context here. You can do them in any order. And if you
find only one or two work for now, just do those. Use what works!
Habit #1: Commune with Truth Daily
This is the most transformative of all of the habits. And it
leads to the other habits. It means turning your mind inward, stepping out of
time, and resting in Truth for a while every day. When you go to do this you
will probably initially find your mind processing. (See Habit #3). Let that
happen and let it wind down. Then remind yourself that this is your time to be
with Truth. You can return to the world afterward.
This practice is necessary to help you to detach from the
world.
Habit #2: Turn Within to Truth Throughout the Day
This is a mini-version of communing with Truth. Simply take
moments throughout the day to turn your mind inward and remember that only the
Truth is true. You can do this at any time, no matter what you are doing or
where you are because it occurs only in your mind. It’s just a moment. If you
have more time, then you may want to close your eyes for a minute or two. This
practice, too, will help you to detach from the world.
Habit #3: Call on the Teacher of Truth for Guidance
If your thoughts are churning then have a discussion with
the Teacher of Truth (Holy Spirit) in your mind. It may help to do this in
writing, which can take you into your deeper thoughts and feelings. Just lay it
all out to the Teacher of Truth: Your thoughts, your fears, your hopes, your
anger, your guilt, etc. Doing this can help you to quiet your mind so that you
can commune with Truth afterward. It can also help you to see how your beliefs,
not the situation, cause your feelings of upset.
Habit #4: Allow Love to Extend Through Your Mind to
Remember That You Are Love
When you look on something that upsets you, turn your mind
inward to Truth. When you touch Truth, It automatically extends to what you
see. How this shows up for you will be unique to each situation. But each time
you will feel liberation from guilt and fear. This is not something that you
make happen; it is the result of willingness to have Truth in your awareness.
You will only find detachment from the convulsions of the
world when the Truth is true for you. These habits are how you use your experience
in the world to grow your awareness of Truth. At first they take conscious
effort. But in time they become, well, habits. They will be your automatic
response to stresses in your life or in the world. Detachment will come easier.
Comments
Things don't have to be at the upheaval level for us to turn to Truth...but that usually is when we turn to Truth. Just saying.
I think you have misinterpreted Christine's comments. She was saying that she turns to Truth EVEN WHEN things are going well, but that it's most difficult when things are going badly. She was not advocating that we hope for hard times to turn to Truth.
Driving home from bagpipe practice tonight, I really felt that "only Peace is Reality"...it really hit home, so to speak....as I drove, I looked at the road, the lights, the other cars, and buildings...I thought and really knew how Consciousness (God, Divine Love, Spirit) is the Substance of all of this form...I think as the split mind, we are always looking for meaning, and we seem to love it when everything is FUBAR!(look it up, WWII expression)...we love to blame "other" for our upset. The personal self demands to be the innocent victim.
A classroom is not a jail cell...we're students, not prisoners.
"Stay with me," said the Holy Spirit to the weary traveler,
"stay with me."
"stay with Me, stay with Me . . . "
thank you.
n
Copied from the NY Post online
• The University of Michigan offered its traumatized students coloring books and Play-Doh to calm them. (Are its students in college or kindergarten?)
• The University of Kansas reminded its stressed-out kids that therapy dogs, a regular campus feature, were available.
• Cornell University, an Ivy League school, held a campus-wide “cry-in,” with officials handing out tissues and hot chocolate.
• Tufts University offered its devastated students arts and crafts sessions. (OK, not kindergarten — more like summer camp.)
• At campuses from elite Yale to Connecticut to Iowa and beyond, professors canceled classes and/or exams — either because students asked or because instructors were too distraught to teach.
And they ( the parents) all should consider that their reaction to Trump’s win goes a long way towards explaining precisely why he did.
What Christine said was "it is rare/harder or impossible to "turn to Truth" (unless one is aware) when "everything is going their way" (his/her way).....in fact, almost no one "turns to Truth" when "getting"...
It needs no defending. It's perfectly alright to have that belief. I just offered my belief which is what goes on in my life.
liz, im wondering about this, the way i felt writing this. ive been really recognising that not only what i defend myself against is attack, but also almost all of the caring for, or championing, or defending of other people. like.. the louder i proclaim that 'x' or 'y' doesnt matter and that we are all perfect in truth and equal in value/worth/acceptableness, the more deeply i buy into the 'fault' as faulty, and the more i see a victim. and a perpetrator. whether im seeing something physical, or unloving perspectives on life.. i do it all the time! deb triggered an experience in me on the blog 'trust takes time with people and with truth' which brought it home that i was choosing insanely. and i keep seeing more and more of those choices though they still usually FEEL like logical effects! so im wondering, liz, do you feel that what ive written here (in relation to my responding to anonymous comment to wills post) is an expression of opposition, or of joining? i felt there was a lack i could fill, a gap in understanding i might bridge, (a harshness i might help smooth ;) ) so the ego probably jumped in first.. then what happened??!
Hannah I don't feel up to going through that right now.
Carinos, Deb
Carinos,
Deb
You are loved my dearest brother.
Just saying;)
Deb
The past few days was in this looking. Talking with others I would take a breath and a pause and ask, who or what am I identifying as? The effort is remembering to pause and allowing silence. Letting go the idea of awkward silence has helped to make space as Presence.
So it be written or spoken I pause and ask, who or what am I identifying as?
The classroom carries on.
Peace Out,
Deb
Remember, you are never upset about a situation in form. You are upset by your thoughts about the situation.
ive been practising 'come into the room, woman!' a LOT, (even during the surreal days) it has a wonderful domino effect if i let it! and what you wrote here "Turn what you want to do outward (heal the situation) inward." just released the quilt behind the question you responded to. i felt guilty about trying to change/heal/fix, but your reminder that healing was still my goal, though i was miscreating, projecting, and making not truth true, just dissolved the guilt! so when i feel that urge in the future, i can come into the room a few 'levels', smile at what i was 'doing', and then see what comes from a space not driven by lack and needs and importance.
i CAN do this. whether i will or not ;) remains to be experienced! lol, ok ok, chosen :D