Useful Tools During Challenging Times
We are living in a time of intensifying chaos – such as the social and political upheavals and clashes –and escalating ecological and environmental degradations.
Race and religious tensions, gender identity political battles, left/right ideological conflicts, silent but deadly Fukushima radiation, geo-engineering and chemtrails in the sky messing with the earth, acts of terror, war and threats of more war – the human race and the earth herself are being pushed by the never-ending deluge of threats to our very existence.
Our minds are numb, overwhelmed by wave after wave of screaming headlines. A sense of helplessness pervades and our failsafe, self-preservation program compels us to other distractions – to ignore, to forget. We want to escape.
Rather than escaping, consider going into observer mode. In observer mode, you see and witness the chaos, but avoid being emotionally overpowered and swept up by it. You rise above it. The emotions of fear, anger, hate, hopelessness are debilitating to the human psyche and we are aware of the damage or dis-ease they inflict on the human body. Not a good idea to allow these emotions to subjugate and control you.
But there are lessons in these events. What is it we can learn from these experiences for our own benefit and the greater good? We need to be open to ideas and revelations and truths, apply reason and thoughtful consideration, so we can grow and evolve and create the world we truly want. Observer mode is open to learning mode and learning provides the opportunity for creative solutions.
How can we become effective observers?
We need to be calm and composed– like the still eye within a swirling hurricane – and attentive of our thoughts (rational and intuitive), our emotions and our physical (bodily) sensations. We need to be mindful.
The standard tools for achieving this objective are: Nature, by getting sensually immersed in her beauty and grounded and connected to her; Meditation, through quieting the mind clutter and reflecting inwardly, and through Breathing practices, by moderating and controlling air flow to shift our gaze inward, either in conjunction with meditation or not.
I’ll add this affirmation courtesy of my friends the P’s, ‘Ever greater clarity of Mind and peace in my Heart.’ This is an effective mantra to use during your meditation practice for expressing your intentions and conditioning your space.
Two variations I want to share come courtesy of the Wing Makers, a group of travellers shall we say, who briefly appeared on the internet but have largely disappeared. Their true identity is debated, nonetheless their suggestions for individuals aspiring to realize their true identity and potential – what they term the Sovereign Integral (somewhat similar to this site’s term Human Becoming) – are worth considering as general tools and for conditioning the space during the observer mode.
The first is what they call the Quantum Pause Breathing. This breathing technique works as follows: draw an inhale for a count of 5, hold the air in your full lungs for a count of 5, exhale the air during a count of 5, hold the empty lungs for a count of 5. During the hold of full lungs you state “I am” and during the hold of empty lungs you state “We are”. “I am” simply means I, a separate conscious and aware being, exist now in this present moment. The “We are” refers to the concept that we are all equal elements connected and collectively one grander ‘I’ – like the individual drops which comprise an ocean.
Perform this Quantum Pause Breathing 3 to 5 times during the day.
A second tool offered by the Wing Makers is the practice of the 6 Heart Virtues. For them, the demonstrative action of love is through the virtues of: appreciation and gratitude, compassion, valor and courage, humility, understanding and forgiveness. Molded and guided by these virtues or principles/values, you become a loving being through their influence on your behaviour. That is a worthwhile objective in a world in chaos.
The 6 Heart Virtues is similar to the concept of a moral compass, the self-management tool for ethical behaviour and decision-making included in Management Development curriculum. The 6 Heart Virtues however are focussed on love, and the actions which express it, and the effects those actions have on tempering chaos and dousing negative emotions.
You can initiate the 6 Heart Virtues through daily affirmation to remind yourself how you wish to behave during the day.
So go into observer mode when faced with tumultuous chaos, and see what you can learn and accurately discern from the experience. Right actions are sure to follow.
