My thought of the week has taken about a month to formulate so that I could articulate what I've been pondering. It hit me Monday morning, "What's Your Vibe?". I have been thinking about how polarized people in our society have been feeling and how that polarization is getting amplified through the current political climate. It's not just politics though that is splitting us apart, but other world-views of religion, race and beliefs. One of my life's intentions is to work towards an environment of peace and harmony, both within myself as well as within all beings who tread this earth.
At times though, particularly through media portrayal, it seems as though we are being ripped apart and that gloom and doom prevail. So how do we as individuals who seek peace begin to reconcile the schism? As I contemplated this and other questions around division and unity, my thought of the week began to get influenced through three different lenses: Buddhism, Shamanism and Yoga.
I was listening to the renowned Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron on her recent 80th birthday. She was saying how one of her greatest concerns is that of polarization. She was speaking from the perspective of being a contributor to that division. As someone with a particularly strong viewpoint she may be unable to yield or see the other side, or if she demonized another viewpoint then she was actually participating in the process of polarization. She was adding another drop into the bucket of keeping things apart. As soon as she said that, a knot grabbed in my stomach as I thought to myself, "I too have participated...!".
It is this realization that asks the question of what vibe are you sending out to the collective whole and is it the vibe that is coming from your highest state of consciousness?
It's in that moment of awakening our awareness to how we are participating that the intention begins to shift into one of a higher energy. We begin to move from being unconscious in the role we play, to becoming more conscious. In that instance of waking up, is the moment where we recognize that we can choose what we put out there.
Shamanism is focused on the intention, the energy that we are offering to the world. If I know of someone who is suffering, sick or injured and I offer pity and sadness and keep feeding that thought, then I am sending that vibration out of pity and sadness. Instead, I can choose the intention of offering an open space of light, healing, ease and positive affirmation. It doesn't mean we sugar coat the "bad" things that are happening, but we recognize the suffering with a compassionate response and begin to shift the energy around it through a purifying intention. In other words, we want to avoid feeding the angry and hungry wolf, making it more powerful rather than nurturing the wolf of healing and kindness.
The above picture is that of Tibetan prayer flags which have the symbolism of sending out prayers to the Universe as the wind passes through them. The intention written upon the flag is a universal offering of healing, compassion and positive vibes. So my question of the week to you is "What are you sending out there and how do you change it if you want to make a more positive impact?". As I've said many times before, this practice begins within. What we do for our own personal transformation and growth starts deep within ourselves and, over time, the strength of those practices build. They become part of who we are. We often need to turn inward to do this first phase of raising our own consciousness, removing distractions and obstacles to assist the deepening of the practice.
In classes this week I've been asking people to notice where they feel it in their bodies when they are in the zone of connection. We all know it when we feel grounded and connected to the present moment. We know it when we are guided by love and release judgment. We know it when we hear our deeper inner voice guiding us. So when you're in that state, where is this living in your body? My suggestion is to get to know it well so that you can more easily manifest the radiant seeds that you have not only planted but are nourishing into existence.
At some point, and over time, the practices we undertake become so embodied that we more easily begin to turn them outward, sending them into the Universal grid and positively affecting all beings everywhere. If you want to up the quality of the vibe you're injecting into the world, turn inward, do your practice and then begin to share this heightened consciousness with others.
