“Everything is here to help us”. These words, passed down from a teacher and guru of mine, Matt Kahn, have proven their truth in my life time and time again. In graduate school I another teacher and therapy guru, Irvin Yallom, said something similar. “In therapy, everything is grist for the mill”. I have come across this sentiment often on my own spiritual path. Obstacles present with themselves opportunities. This has been said by masters for eons. I have happily witnessed many clients boldly turn and face the various challenges in their external and internal worlds and use the energy of the disruption for growth and change.
That the world is experiencing great disruption and turmoil right now might be the understatement of the year. Things were moving very rapidly even before Covid 19 shut down our schools, restaurants, movements, and economies. A great pause has been placed upon humanity. A grand opportunity for reset. If you look past the frightening headlines and breathless coverage, you may start to notice new ideas emerging. A questioning our separation and survival based living. This is not to say that there are not great challenges, and tragedies, and suffering as me move into what I have heard to referred as “the corona cocoon”.
I believe that our collective external world is a mirror to our collective inner spaces, just as my own personal external world reflects my own individual inner life. Where I experience turmoil and challenge in my personal life will invariably points me towards aspects of myself that are crying out for my attention and love. Our world is crying out for our attention and love. During this great reset, a good question to ask is, where am I holding my attention? In the noise and drama and problems? What opportunities are presenting themselves that I may be missing? What shadow aspects of myself that I have been ignoring are surfacing to be loved and released?
My challenge for myself is to use this opportunity, and the energy created from it, to take a giant leap forward in living my life from well-being and balance. Can I have the courage to look where my anxiety and fears are? When I am worrying about paying my mortgage, can I use this indicator to direct my gaze towards where in myself I am holding “lack” and “not enough”. Can I hone my discernment, in ease, and take the necessary precautions to protect myself and my family without going into fear? When my kids have been home for days on end and the chaos and screaming are making our daily lives into a marathon that starts at 5:00 am, can I use this challenge as a chance to stretch my ability to be patient and nurturing?
The filters through which we view our reality inform and direct our attention and the experiences in our lives. It has been said, “where attention goes, energy flows”. A unique opportunity unlike anything we have seen before sits before, offering us the time and space to toss out filters and beliefs that no longer serve us. As another teacher of mine, Jim Self, has said countless times, “How do you choose”?
Feel free to reach out to me if you are interested in exploring how you can choose to use this opportunity to take a leap forward in your own growth and development.