The world is coming to a screeching halt, people are pushed into a forced retreat. Countries are closing borders and we are in lockdown. Climate Change didn’t stop us. The rapid increase in homelessness didn’t stop us. Neither did the massive wildfires and extinction of wildlife stop us. Nothing could halt our race. But a tiny virus did.
We had to stop one way or another. It is so quiet out there, birds are singing and some people too. Pollution around the world dropped drastically and animals come out from hiding. Folks are helping each other and we are hopefully remembering what matters. Yet, it’s not all beautiful as many are sick, struggling financially, or feel isolated and terrified. Yes, it brings suffering, tears, and loss. In these challenging times, my love is with you.
And at this moment when we are forced to stop and have to face what is, will we awaken and turn? Will we take care of our planet, of each other? Will we live in a different way, in alignment with creation? Will we stop our self-destructive train? Being forced to stop do we remember who we are? It is not a given that we will. It depends on each of us. But there is a great opportunity in the pressure cooker of adversity and this forced retreat. Take it! Many of us are here to hold the space, to guide, to help. Take a hand and go to the core of your being. Meet yourself, dive through.
And it is not only about our personal healing and awakening, but to be able to touch the world with real love.
As I am working with people from every corner of the world, I hear so many different stories of the quarantine. One man from India told me how the poorest in his neighborhood had nowhere to go after the police demolished their cardboard box homes. He used to bring them food. But now he is not allowed to go out unto streets. What happens to people without the privilege to shelter in a cozy home? What happens when they can neither work nor find food?
Some experience the quarantine as a welcomed stop from the rat race. They practice yoga online, be creative, plant in the garden, and discover how beautiful life is when walking a little bit slower now.
Others feel isolated or imprisoned. Many don’t know how to pay the rent and feed their families. And some folks in Germany get well taken care of by their government. Italians sing from their balconies, but do we know what’s going on in their homes and hearts?
We share many colors of experience, none is exactly the same. It is not just the internal, it’s the external that influences each of us as well. If we live in privileged countries with kind folks surrounding us, this quarantine is far more easy to live through. And if you sit on the street, it’s tough. Very tough.
We tend to generalize, to assume and project our own experience unto others. But for compassion to flower I find it helpful to look deeply and as the Native Americans say: “to walk in each other’s shoes”. Because Oneness is not sameness. This situation invites us to get to know each other across the borders, beyond our preconceived ideas, to reach through to the heart, even if we have to do it online.
To do this simple human thing from time to time and ask: “How are you? How is this situation really for you?” creates the bridge and makes a world of difference, maybe for the fellow who lives next door to you.
Sending you strength and a kiss across time and space right now. Nicola
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