Global grief & the Emotional body
When I was reflecting on what message was asking to come through this month, I felt many emotions swirling around my consciousness. We have been navigating a lot as a collective, and it does not seem to be slowing down. In fact, what I have been witnessing and experiencing personally has been ramping up significantly. We live in a time where we can increasingly witness all the violence, sadness, and grief of our fellow humans. I have recently had several conversations with people who have expressed the thought that there has always been a lot of violence in the world - a lot of bad things happening - but we have not had the technology to be aware of it all. I have been mediating on this recently and what came to me was that there is a deeper reason for that - Unity.
We are a species that feels emotions even if we do not directly experience something. We can hear a story, read an article, or watch the news; and even if the trauma we are taking in with our senses is not our own, it can still be stored in the body as such. Now, of course, it may be beneficial to scale back the amount of distressing information we are taking in. Especially if it is putting your nervous system through a lot. It can be different for each of us, and only we have the knowledge of that based on how we are feeling in our bodies. This may seem like a negative concept at first; but if you think about it a bit deeper, this human trait also can unite us. When someone hears about a tragic event many things can arise… Things like the desire to help and to get involved in some way so we can ease the suffering of others. This may take the form of donating time, items, or services to a cause. This can also be a call to get involved in activism, and/or create groups to effect change for the better. This is the beauty that has come from witnessing and feeling global grief. This may not stop the immense pain that we are feeling for our fellow human beings, and it may not extinguish the anger we experience at the wild injustices that are taking place, but it does allow us to drop into our hearts and create love where pain and hate once stood.
Allowing ourselves time to integrate and process all that we are taking in is of the utmost importance. If you feel overwhelmed by the tragedies as of late, it is completely normal. There is no overnight fix for the things we are experiencing; and that can feel daunting and tiring. I invite us all to mediate on the word Unity. What does it uniquely mean for each of us? How does it feel to imagine us united globally? How does it feel to imagine replacing hate with love? For me, it creates an ease and space in my heart that can accommodate many types of people and their diverse life stories. It allows me to open my mind to what others live through when no one else is watching. It weaves a tapestry of interconnectedness that we already share but may not be fully aware of; and it reminds me that home is just an idea until you put your heart there.
