The Times In Which We Live

(Author's note: I wrote this is July hoping it would be published this fall in a holistic magazine. Please enjoy the energy and sentiments of it, now. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, giving gratitude for all that is.... And May you feel the love, joy and abundance of the universe, within you, always. Namaste. Lori)

As a practitioner of energy work, I have had occasion to discuss these seemingly terrifying times in which we live with like minded entrepreneurs. As disposable incomes become more disposed on fuel and food, and vacations become “stacations”, holistic entrepreneurs and purveyors of healthy foods and lifestyles are wondering whether our services and products will be the next trend to go the way of the SUV and boating holidays.

Are our services nice-to-haves that promote peace, health and long life, but something that can be put on hold until the economy is stronger? Or maybe our clients might find a different method for what ails them that is covered by their medical insurance.

Others may wait for a new administration to feel secure enough to trust a more holistic approach for their troubles. Maybe our clients, friends and fellow practitioners can wait another half year to learn new techniques for relaxation and better health. It is only a half year, right? How much harm can we do to ourselves by waiting until we feel more secure?

Light workers truly see our responsibility and service to Mother Earth and Humanity as self growth, holding the space for others to evolve and creating the infrastructure for all of us to move together. For us light workers, these times that seem so channeling and wrought with potential for terrifying actions and outcomes are really just the opposite. To paraphrase my teacher, Kris Duffy, these aren’t terrifying times; these are terrific times.

These times are terrific because of the opportunity we have to step out of our hiding places onto the path where our services and voices will do the most good. It is time to step out in the faith that we have trusted so many times before to hold us, it is time to walk the talk of no fear. It is time to walk the talk of universal love, universal energy, and universal brotherhood. It is not time to fall back on the divisive ways of recession, digging our heels in, building our barricades, stocking our shelves, bolting the doors, arming the alarms, waiting for the potential thief to come to us on his terms. If divisive ways worked, we would be home by now. We would already All have reached Nirvana, if divisive ways worked. They don’t. Those of us who know this must re-double our resolve to break down the barriers between ourselves and others. But, most importantly, it is time for us to redouble our efforts to remove the barriers within ourselves.

How do I do this, you ask?

First, we all need to look at how we spend our time, not just our money. Does the time we spend further us on the path we seek? Or are we simply waiting for the clock hands to move to the next position that we prefer…the evening cocktail hour? The weekend? Don’t get me wrong. I think Miller Time is a divine time of the day. But, so is oatmeal time, service time, walking time and devotion time.

Do we use our time to further our efforts or thwart them? Can we, in good conscience, say that a force outside of ourselves is hindering us from moving forward? Or do we remember that all pressure and power is within? The trouble with realizing that all the power is within us is that we then only have ourselves to blame (or congratulate, for that matter) for our situation.

Thus, we need to spend more time on the actions that affirm ourselves and our path and eliminate those that don’t. Then, as the old phrase goes, follow your bliss and the money will come. Once you sort out how you spend your time and whether you are doing the things that thrill your soul, you will prioritize how financial resources are spent and obtained.

Secondly, we need to remember that true abundance doesn’t have that much to do with financial security. Try this exercise. Make a list of what makes you feel truly abundant. I bet the items on the list will look more like “smelling the warm grass on the community greenbelts”, “sitting in meditation” and “quietly contemplating the unlimited abundance of the universe” than it does “saving for the larger house complete with maid service” or “billing an extra 3 hours a week”.

Finally, consider how you feel about your own security. Do you feel secure in your daily activities as they exist today? If not, waiting for a new administration, a new protector or a new rescuer won’t help the matter. The answer to our troubles, indeed to the condition of the country and world as a whole, is where it has always been; inside each one of us.

Inside each one of us, individually and collectively, is the security we seek, is the abundance we crave, and is the love we desire. We only need to remember the vast unlimitedness that is our true self and work toward merging with this energy daily. Inside each one of us is the power to create and destroy our own plight and our own pathway. Reach for the invitation that the universe offers us. Inside our daily practice to grow and evolve, to help our fellow man, is the power to change our situation from terrifying to terrific.