suffering
Finding Peace And Strength In Trying Times
The past few months has been a very trying time for all of us. It is easy to get worked up over where we are right now, and become anxious about the future.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, a wave of fear and worry crashed over us. We were wondering if there would be ‘enough.’ Enough food, enough hand sanitizer and disinfectant, enough hospital beds, enough money to pay the bills, and even enough toilet paper! No longer were we looking to ‘keep up with the Joneses.’ Instead we were looking to make sure our households were safe and just had the basics.
During this time, I was reminded of all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books I read as a young girl. She also lived in a time when they were not sure if they would have the necessities to live out a harsh winter. Here I was now, all these yea healthy and protected. Everyday items universe tie into all of this you may ask? Many have wondered if they were on the right path with decisions being made during this crucial time. Worrying if work will be there for you we normally would take for granted suddenly took on a new significance.
These fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, and subsequent lockdowns all over the world, have also caused many of us to wonder if we were on the right path with decisions being made during this crucial time. Many have been worrying about our jobs and businesses, and whether or not we will be able to pay our bills.
Your Soul Contract For Spiritual Evolution
Your soul is quietly pushing you to experience and achieve certain things in this lifetime, because before we came here we designed a soul contract. There are certain challenges and traumas we put into this contract, to elevate our consciousness. Through our tears we conquer our fears.
We don’t elevate all at the same rate. Our purpose here is to elevate spiritually as speedily as we can, without harming or hurting others. The purpose of our evolution process is to complete the contract, or fulfill the mission.
Each person’s journey is unique and very personal. Sometimes our families do not support us in our soul evolution, and friends may not understand what is going on in your life, but this is not about anyone else except you!
When we evolve spiritually, we develop a higher consciousness and become a better version of ourselves. But in order to elevate, we have to want to learn, grow and expand. In order to evolve, you have to let go of anything that is holding you back. People often struggle with this, but no matter what, we have to be willing to change and grow. To become our better self, we have to learn our lessons in this lifetime.
We all have our own path and our spiritual journey, because we have our own specific blueprint when we arrive on the planet. It pretty much outlines what we are intending to accomplish in this lifetime, and why we chose to come here at this time.
On The Positive Side Of A Pandemic
These are painful, difficult times. There is a lot of uncertainty in our world and it is so hard to see so many people suffering. However, there are also many beautiful, magical, heroic moments happening everywhere on the planet.
These moments of unity and love, occurring at the same time as so much hardship and pain is occurring, is what will matter most in the end. It is important during times like this to balance the darkness with the light. In today’s post, I wish to therefore focus on some of these more uplifting, inspirational trends of recent weeks.
There is a man in Spain whose upstairs neighbor was in the hospital due to a Covid-19 infection. The man reached up high every night and fed the hospitalized man’s dog on the balcony of his apartment, thus keeping the dog alive throughout the owner’s hospitalization. Sometimes the smallest act of kindness can have the most lasting impact.
In some places, pet shelters have been emptying with more people recently adopting cats and dogs as companions. In the process more animals are being spared euthanasia and given good homes. Many people are now being comforted and loved by their new fur babies during a difficult time.
Nurses, doctors, truck drivers, janitors, grocery store workers and many other service workers are now being praised as heroes. There is a new appreciation for the important work they do. Some wealthy people have donating money, time and energy to feed people and support the unemployed.
Replace The Naysaying With Faith, Courage And Hope
The world has come to a standstill, as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us are in still shock that a microscopic virus could pose such an exponential risk that it is now altering our entire way of living.
Some of us have also become paralyzed with fear, overwhelmed with thoughts of how our lives might be forever altered. I too have had my moments, when I have felt that the latest news headline was just one too many!
I have heard a lot of deep concern from people in recent weeks, especially over health, safety and economic outcomes. I have been advised by well-meaning friends, for example, not to make any major life changes and to put on hold significant endeavors, because the economy might not ever recover. I was even warned by a well-meaning neighbor not to venture out too far from home, because of the threat of getting hurt and needing to be transported to the nearest emergency room, where I could then contract COVID-19 and possibly never recover.
Unfortunately, we do live in a world that tends to replaces the concept of hope with just the opposite. Therefore, with the best of intentions, these naysayers have chosen to focus only on gloom and doom. I don’t mean to dismiss the tragedies some of us might be witnessing up close, or from afar, as they are very real and deeply painful. But I am also making a huge effort to hold on to hope.
For example, when people suggest that there won’t be a cure for the virus, I remind them that our collective health is in the custody of the Divine and that life will continue to thrive on this planet, under the protection of Spirit. Without any doubt, I believe there will be a cure for Covid-19, whether via a scientific breakthrough or herd immunity.
The Spiritual Significance Of A Global Pandemic
Remember that defining moment recently, when the novel coronavirus finally made its way into your everyday reality? Your spiritual well-being and metaphysical beliefs were probably the last things on your mind. In fact, the spiritual meaning of this pandemic will not be a major consideration for most at this time. But in the dark, difficult days that still lie ahead, the Covid-19 pandemic will increasingly reveal its profound spiritual truths. And in its devastating aftermath, we will have no choice but to acknowledge and embrace its spiritual significance in our post-pandemic reality.
When Covid-19 was officially declared a global pandemic, and made its unwelcome way into international news headlines, many people reverted to the ‘first law of nature.’ They responded instinctively with their best personal strategies for self-preservation.
Some hysterically stockpiled a lifetime supply of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, while others stubbornly gathered en masse at street festivals, religious gatherings, and even at their nearest beach, despite medical experts and authorities advising against it. Many simply carried on with life ‘as normal’, until they could no longer ignore the writing on the wall.
Meanwhile, the least anchored among us, tried to alleviate their overwhelming anxiety and confusion by seeking certainty in fake news, superstition, and the outlandish fearmongering of conspiracy theorists. Some went into hardcore survival mode, compelled by their lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality, while other still continue to choose the path of least resistance: denial. And in-between these polar opposite responses, the best, and worst examples of human behavior continue to surface all over the world.
Now Is The Time For Love
There is a lot of anxiety in our world at the moment, due to the ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus, or Covid-19. When this kind of crisis arises, it affects us in the deepest and most primal parts of our inner being. And who we choose to be in such a moment truly matters.
I believe that now is a time for healing. Not only from physical disease, but also from a state of unconsciousness and disconnection that many of us have been fostering, long before we even knew terms like ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation.’ It seems to me as though these terms are just the articulation of an already existing condition that has been in existence long before Covid-19 arrived.
If you are currently fearful and anxious, it is understandable. Be patient and gentle with yourself. If you are struggling to cope, do not hesitate to pick up the phone and reach out to someone that you trust. If you feel isolated, now is the time to freely speak the words, “I love you.” If you have something of value to share, now is the time to give. If you can assist, now is the time to help. Now is the time for love.
There are those that would perpetuate fear at this time. I recommend not listening to such negative voices. Abstain from indulging in conspiracy theories, and trust that, as it is written in Luke 8:17, “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be known.”
Instead, turn your ear to voices of unconditional love, kindness and compassion. If you have enough ‘soul force,’ become that voice for others. As it is written in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”
Coping With Anxiety In Times Of Uncertainty
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world at the moment. The year 2020 is fast becoming a year of rapid and dramatic changes, like the world has not seen in a very long time. And we are only three months into it!
Some anxiety is a normal part of everyone’s life. Currently, the world news is full of reports producing fear and anxiety for many people. The key is how each individual will be handling the news.
Especially highly sensitive and empathic people, like myself, are having to deal with the intense daily energy of our current reality. As I’m writing this blog, I can feel my own anxious feelings surging about the current coronavirus pandemic.
There are many ways to relieve anxious feelings. Whatever produces the anxious feelings is either real, or imagined. Either way, it is each person’s reality that matters. If it is real to you, then that is your reality.
It is my belief we are all in this together, and we will get through it together. My own mind feels like it is on a roller coaster ride. My rational mind says we are doing all we can to control what’s going on, only to hear something an hour later that brings some new fear and anxiety.
Riding the wave of emotion, not denying our feelings, but also not wallowing in fear, helps us to have hope and find our inner strength. Having hope, and doing the best each of us possibly can to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, is all we can do. Continue reading