We’re All Gandhi Now
Written by Suzanne Eder | November 16, 2016 |
As I post this, it is eight days after the election and eight days before Thanksgiving in the U.S. Right now, countless good-hearted people are pleased with the outcome of the election and looking forward to what they feel is much-needed change. Countless other good-hearted people are struggling to make sense of what is happening in our beloved country and to find a genuine sense of gratitude as we head into the holiday season.
Many are trying earnestly to forge an optimistic perspective, even while feelings of shock, grief, fear and anger wash over them in waves. Others have tapped into a powerful core of resolve to be a potent force for good in our world, now more than ever. Still others are neutral observers, bearing witness to this unprecedented moment in human history and waiting to see what unfolds from here.
No matter where you are or how you feel about recent events, chances are you’re acutely aware that we are in the midst of a seismic, dramatic and highly emotional shift.
Yet this shift isn’t about changes in Congress or who lives in the White House. It’s not about the results of the election or the candidates who ran. It’s about us.
It’s about a shift that is occurring in human consciousness. It is our consciousness that creates what we see and experience in the world. And we’re in the midst of shaking loose entrenched patterns from a fear-based consciousness as we shift into a new consciousness grounded in love.
I realize how ridiculous that may sound, especially now. We are witnessing a profoundly disturbing level of loveless talk and action across the country. It is easy to feel horrified, angry, despairing – or all three. When we feel these things, we feel disempowered. And when we feel disempowered, we are unable to create the change we so deeply want.
This is why an understanding of human energy/consciousness is so vital. Because if we draw conclusions only from what we’re observing on the surface, with our five senses, we’ll miss the deeper meaning of what is going on. And what’s going on – if we choose to see it this way – is an awakening to the deeper truth of who we are. And who we are not.
Ancient spiritual traditions, New Age and New Thought teachings and leading-edge quantum physicists inform us that one thing we definitely are not is separate. We are not separate from each other, from Nature or from the very Intelligence of Life itself. We are individuated beings within an interconnected Whole, a web or matrix or grid of pulsating energy that lives within us and all around us.
We are connected not just through our relationships, our economy and our ecology, but through our very consciousness. We “feed into the grid,” as I think of it, with the quality or vibration of our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and actions – and our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and actions are, in turn, fed by the grid.
Many people, right now, are ingesting large doses of fear from the grid. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, paralyzed and terrified of our future. And yet…it is also possible to make a conscious choice about how we’re feeling. This is the profound gift of free will. Just because we can be affected by the grid doesn’t mean we must be.
Through our personal connection with the essence and the whole of Life – the Universe – the Divine – Spirit – God – whatever you call the unfathomable love, power and intelligence that created this universe and everything in it – we each have the ability to generate the vibrations that nourish us and send nourishment into the grid.
In truth, the intentions for respect, peace and harmony we’ve been feeding into the grid for decades have been catalysts for the shake-up we’re now experiencing. By feeding these intentions into the grid, any dissimilar or discordant vibrations have been made more obvious by contrast. They’ve been shaken up. This is the same dynamic that occurs when any one of us individually sets a clear intention for positive change in our lives.
I often give clients who are committed to shifting an old fear-based pattern, but frustrated when evidence of the pattern surfaces again, this mantra: “If it’s showing up, it’s moving up.” I want them to understand that the very act of intending to dissolve an old pattern will usually make it more visible. That gives us the opportunity to see it clearly for what it is – an expression of who we are not – and choose not to engage with it. Not to buy into it. Not to judge or defend it.
Instead, we open our hearts, reach for higher ground and let it go.
That same dynamic exists within the whole of human consciousness. See if you can feel the truth of this: the very fact that hatred and fear and suspicion have risen to the surface in our political arena and in our lives is because of the strength of our collective intention to live in peace, harmony, respect and cooperation.
Our powerful intentions are shifting human consciousness, and in that shift all of the old fear-based vibrations have become clearly evident. Rather than rumbling just below the surface of our awareness, where they are easy to ignore, they are now in full view so we can see them for what they are: expressions of who we are not.
They’re showing up, which means they’re moving up – and out – as long as we don’t engage with them. And by engaging with them I mean judging them, condemning them or giving our power to them in fear.
This doesn’t mean we won’t feel angry, judgmental or fearful. We probably will, and many of us already do. It means we make the choice to fully feel our feelings, to honor them as part of our life-force energy, and rather than using them to push against what we don’t want – which perpetuates conflict – we harness them in service of what we do want.
Through the power of our loving, peaceful and focused intentions, we bring our emotions into alignment with our highest visions for humanity. We vibrate in a coherent way that feeds our intentions into the grid. Rather than allowing ourselves to be affected by the discordant vibrations of hatred and suspicion that are being shaken up right now, we instead affect others by flooding the grid with vibrations of love, respect and compassion.
This is not an airy-fairy notion. It is a powerful act of transformation, because Love is infinitely more powerful than anything other than love.
Love is infinitely more powerful than anything other than love.
And of course love has many facets. It is kind, compassionate and inclusive, yet it is also powerful, focused and vibrant with conviction. It is soft and enveloping, yet when needed it is firm and incisive. The unifying principle is that Love elevates the Whole and each of us – all of us – to our highest good. So let’s feed Love into the grid.
Every time you treat a family member, colleague, acquaintance or stranger with kindness and respect, you’re feeding Love into the grid. Every time you choose to listen and learn rather than argue, you’re feeding Love into the grid. Every time you feel angry or terrified or overwhelmed and you pause to feel your feelings with self-compassion, without immediately acting on them, you’re feeding Love into the grid. Every time you soothe yourself or someone else, you’re feeding Love into the grid.
And every time you stand up for your desire for a loving, peaceful world, you’re feeding Love into the grid. Every time you speak your truth with clarity and respect, you’re feeding Love into the grid. Every time you’re willing to be seen and heard as a representative of fairness, balance and compassionate justice, you’re feeding Love into the grid. Every time you choose to harness the pure energy of your anger to move you toward what you want, rather than using it to push against what you don’t want, you’re feeding Love into the grid.
After seeding the grid with our highest intentions for decades, let’s not stop now. Let’s intensify our efforts. Let’s not allow the inevitable chaos of a changing paradigm to confuse, paralyze or deter us. Let’s trust more, not less, in our true power to effect change, regardless of who is in the White House.
We’re all Gandhi now. We’re called to literally be the change we wish to see in the world. Now is our time to stand so firmly in the heart-centered truth of who we are, we cannot easily be swept into currents of fear. We, instead, strengthen and stabilize the unstoppable force of Love that gave rise to this transformation to begin with.
I understand this does not feel easy. At times, it doesn’t even seem possible. I also understand that we must give ourselves the time we need to acknowledge and feel all of our feelings, and to sort out where we stand. I know that the enormity of what is happening, and the intensity of the almost unimaginable hatred we have witnessed, can seem truly overwhelming. That’s why we need to keep reminding ourselves and each other of this vital truth:
Love is infinitely more powerful than anything other than love.
We don’t need to wait for any system or any person to change before we can effect change. We’re having an empowering effect with our very Presence in this moment. Right now, we can fortify the grid of human consciousness with the only true, lasting power in this universe.
We can do this. We are doing this. Now is our time.