REFLECTIONS UPON THE GLOBAL

PANDEMIC
April 24, 2020

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.