Mohammad, a young Syrian non violent activist refused to leave Daraya, staying to help the inhabitants trapped there. He was killed on November 30, leaving behind a wife and two little daughters, including one recently born whom he did not have a chance to know.
Louise, beautiful thinker and international peacebuilder, is experiencing her fifth round of cancer. She has decided to do everything in her power to remember Wholeness (the opposite of dis-ease, which is the effect of separation) and come back to it at each moment. She is giving talks about the healing and the repair of the World, reflecting on the correspondence between cancer at the individual and global levels, continuing to inspire others to heal themselves and the World around them, continuing to be a living example of Peace.
Brian* is among the too many soldiers who are coming back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, their bodies and minds apparently broken, not knowing how they are even able to keep breathing. He has become a drug-addict and his life is a constant nightmare, yet, he refuses to cede to hatred.
Karen* is one of too many mothers who have come to see me recently, desperate, wondering what was the wrong they did that their world keeps falling apart – divorce, disease, loss of their home, kids in trouble, death, more disease, loss of job, bankruptcy, poverty…
Those are only a few of my “extraordinary ordinary heroes”, making me feel humble and in awe of the capacity we have as human beings TO BE PEACE – not to find or create it, to actually be it – in the midst of trouble, in often the worst circumstances. I know from my own personal experience that troubles can be small or big. A heart break, disease, job loss, death of a companion, an accident, difficulty having a child, solitude, war, natural disaster… for whoever faces any of these challenges, it is tough. There is pain and hurt and at times despair. All the pain in the rest of the world does not make ours less. And, at times, in spite of our best intentions and all the work we have been doing on ourselves, the old patterns associated with the hurt kick in and start overwhelming everything…
How then, in the midst of all that trouble, can we still be peace or come back to it? Here is a fairly simple meditation / exercise that you can do any time.
If you can, find a place where you can sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths, first in your belly, helping your lower chakras (where our fears and insecurities rest) gradually expand, and then feeling (imagining, visualizing… whatever works best for you) roots growing at the bottom of your spinal cord and/or below your feet, going very deep, helping you feel grounded again. Then, feel (imagine, visualize…) and remember your connection with the energy from above.
Now, just that much can be difficult to attain in the middle of a crisis, when we are feeling anxious, fearful, vulnerable… so try at least to focus on your breath, staying in the belly first, and then allowing one hand to be on your belly, and the other one on your heart chakra. From there, visualize or imagine a container deep within yourself out of which all thoughts flow. Go deeper: at the very center of the container, imagine a candle flame; it is there. Now, you can make the choice and the commitment to yourself that this flame in you will never, ever even flicker, no matter what. This is your container of peace, the place where you are peace. This is from there that you can be and are the peace and harmony you desire in your life. Come back to it as often as you need.
This has helped me and others I know. What helps you remember that you are Peace in the midst of chaos or at the heart of a difficult crisis? What helps you get back to it, nurture and grow that little light in you?
* Names have been changed to respect the clients’ privacy
Béatrice | Contemporary Shamanic Healer
With special thanks to my dear friends Alison Carter and Pam Sanders for having inspired and supported this process for me!
Béatrice Pouligny
Allowing The Light
December 2012
Dear Béatrice, Once again, this time without knowing it, you have allowed the light to flow in to the heart of my present crisis- a small thing compared to what many others are experiencing around me and the world over, but a big thing for me. Your message validated my heart’s intuition: return to the breath, to the body, to the light within. To be Peace, I find I have to reconcile with myself, to accept that my desire for life abundant, in the midst of all the risk and insecurity is good and right. I have to let go of the “what ifs” and having giving time to thought and dialogue listen to my heart, to the call to life in me. Oh, by the way, I didn’t realize that today is special in a symbolic sense. No wonder! But every day is, too isn’t it? All my love,
A.
So sorry to hear that you are going through a hard time my dear… At times, sorting out our thoughts and feelings is even too difficult. Just going back to that little light somewhere in us can be an easier way to re-discover a sense of Peace and Harmony in the midst of it all. Much Love Light to you Antoinette!
Beatrice….I think of you often and the journey we took. You are a constant light of inspiration. I continue to BE PEACE everyday because I have come to realize that it is all there is and all that truly matters. I like to think I bring PEACE with me to the situations around me and the people I meet along the way….it is a constant thought and it remains in my presence in every moment. Thank-you & God Bless!
Many blessings to you Rose for having the courage to take that path! Much Love Light to you.