By Alecia Rice
Q: I’m emotionally sensitive and often feel overwhelmed by what I see and feel going on in the world. Everything feels so heavy, unstable, and divided. It’s getting more difficult not to give up out of discouragement and despair. Is there some way to overcome these feelings? — Seeking Silver Linings
A: Dear Seeking Silver Linings,
These times sparkle with immense opportunity, yet bristle with fear and danger. They’ve been prophesied for millennia across the spectrum of global spiritual beliefs. They foreshadow a time of fear, separation, discord, and earth changes. Current circumstances appear to be in alignment with such, yet we can rise up out of the despair. We can counterbalance these concepts by choosing a higher vantage point while managing our personal energy.
Humans haven’t been able to mentally and emotionally adapt rapidly enough to 24/7 technology and communication. Our cultural villages have exploded overnight into a global metropolis of electronic interconnectedness that spans fences, borders, oceans, and belief systems. Our screens broadcast and spawn more of the negatively divisive than the positively unifying. Suspicion and fear of others has grown much more rapidly than understanding and acceptance. Many struggle with cognitive dissonance as these accelerated shifts challenge ways of life, belief systems, and personal identity.
Our human duality and hypocrisy are on full display. No matter the viewpoint, one can easily locate resources that confirm their bias. The security of the old (tradition) rubs up against the fear and insecurity of the new (progression) as we collectively hash out what’s true and where humanity goes from here. The veils are being pulled back to reveal the truth that many of our long term systems are broken and don’t equitably serve the whole. So how do we bridge this duality?
We’re living in a “this OR that” time when many demand that we pick a side. The concept of “OR” is divisive. Ego and side-choosing is what’s accelerating the chasm between us. I encourage moving into the concept of “this AND that” which is more unifying and inclusive. We might believe one thing, but does that mean that another thing can’t contain truth at the same time?
As we move into higher consciousness, we’re called to curiously seek out truth, even when it challenges what we believe. It may be difficult at first and may cause discomfort, but can you find some truth in both sides of the following?
It’s possible to believe in God AND science; to love one’s child AND despise their actions; to be gay AND Christian; to be pro-choice AND pro-life; to believe in gun control AND the right to arm and defend oneself; to advocate for Black Lives Matter AND be pro-police. Developing a practice of seeking and allowing space for another’s opinion countermands the dissidence of our seeming differences and builds bridges of understanding between us. Intentionally shifting perspective alchemically alters the perception.
It’s best to discern what we will allow into our energy field. GIGO=Garbage In Garbage Out. If we’re constantly watching cable news programs, the “tone” and bias that commentators share will skew our point of view on what’s happening in the world. The words they choose will reveal their intention. If they’re red-faced, speaking loudly and angrily while name-calling and using language that belittles and dehumanizes “them,” they’re not balanced, and have an agenda to negatively influence us about the “other.”
Other ways we create lightness is to practice mindfulness by remembering to release and accept those things that are out of our control. Fear makes it hard, yet intention makes it possible. We can seek ways to contribute something positive towards issues that we’re passionate about, instead of resisting what we don’t agree with. Resistance keeps what we don’t want present, for what we resist, persists. Intense defiance can breed an internal field of pain, animosity, and stress. For better health, we can practice noticing and neutralizing the resistance we feel in our body towards others, although this doesn’t mean that we give up on what’s right.
The current schism is squeezing us from one level of consciousness to another. Humans don’t like change and often have to be uncomfortably forced into it. We can’t change what another believes, yet we are energetically responsible for encouraging peace or discord. If each of us remains accountable to compassionate positivity, the world can change overnight.
“As above, so below, as within, so without” implies that our processes influence the energetic layers above and below us. When we elevate ourselves, we elevate the global village. Time to raise the vibes!
Alecia Rice integrates higher concepts with wisdom to bring forth balance, perspective and clarity. She’s a personal advisor, speaker and gatherer of women. For perspective on life issues, you’re invited to text questions and comments to 681-321-1109. Discussions continue at Ask Alecia on Facebook.