On Friday mornings I lead two classes. One is a Heart Meditation, and one is Slow and Easy Qigong. Before we started Friday morning, one very experienced meditator was saying how some people are having trouble keeping up their spiritual practices at this time. It is always challenging, but now it is easy to be overwhelmed.
Spiritual practices play important roles in your lives. They strengthen your spirit and emotions. Through having a specific practice, you can release the many thoughts and emotions that take seem to take over. And if the practice is suited to you, you can arrive at what we call in Chinese Medicine as Yuan Shen. The Yuan Shen is your original self-absent all the imprints of experience and traumas that cloud our mind/spirit. Getting to the Yuan Shen is a struggle sometimes but that is why you keep up practices so you can be defined by your original nature and not what you might perceive as inflicted on you.
Now it is important to be in an expanded aspect in yourself and not to be motivated by fear. It is far better to be able to offer love to all situations.
At the same time, I hear from many people that they have entirely stopped inundating themselves with news. While this is a natural response to everything happening. There is another truth. Creating a balance between a strong inner world and participating in the outer world brings the potential for higher levels of consciousness. I’ve watched many spiritual people say to just not pay any attention to it. Just stay grounded. Breathe and meditate. How can we find our stride? Avoidance won’t be a viable option long term. Our society is a reflection of consciousness.
Most of my time is spent on my spiritual development. I attempt to be in an expanded, grounded state and find higher states of being. At the same time, I pick and choose what outer world things I participate in. I’ve written to my conservative Senators about nominees twice. I could just as easily be working on something ecological or for women’s rights or for the homeless. I honor myself by working toward protecting the earth and all people. The truth is that I’m not living in fear. I’m doing what I can to contribute. And I don’t feel weak at all.
The moral of the story is to keep up your commitment to your spiritual practice regardless of circumstances. From your place of clarity let yourself participate with your light and love shining through.