Are you familiar with adrienne maree brown’s work? She’s a post-nationalist writer, doula, activist, Black feminist, and among the visionaries engaging in “radical futuring.” She’s also the wise soul who said,
“Things are not getting worse,
they are getting uncovered…
what feels new is the unveiling;
the heaviness is the increasing weight of the truth
becoming undeniable as more people believe it.”
Whether you’re an activist, an engaged citizen, or trying to get through the day, there is a collective anxiety in the air. A fear for our safety and children’s future. A panic from the change and uncertainty. A desperate desire to do something to be part of the solution. An overwhelm resulting in paralysis and numbness at the magnitude of the repair and reimagining required.
All of these thoughts and feelings are normal. We are a nation, a world, in the depths of collective healing: the first step is facing what’s been hiding in the shadows (I speak more to this in my post Entering a new era: a solstice sermon).
I know it can feel extremely unsettling. Part of me actually finds it reassuring to know that as painful as this process is, on the other side of it, awaits more beauty, freedom and belonging for everyone.
How then do we handle the weight of these wounds? Honestly, I think the best place to start is right here, right now. Today’s teaching is about the power of returning to the present moment.
The anxiety in the air can trick us into feeling like we're perpetually unsafe. Our nervous systems are likely in fight, flight or freeze mode more times than not. The anxiety in the air can also get us stuck in our heads, somewhere in the past or future or some distant place across the globe — leaving us too often untethered from our embodied reality. There is refuge and agency in returning to the here and now. "The present moment is the safest place to be," a spiritual teacher-friend once wrote.
Let that idea sink in: The present moment is the safest place to be.
One way to return to the present moment is to return to our physical senses. Try it. Take a moment: Really open your eyes, what do you see? Now close your eyes, what sounds do you hear? What smells captivate your nose? What taste lingers in your mouth? Place your hand on your heart, and feel your body. Now ask yourself: “In this moment, am I safe?”
When we come to our senses, we come to Spirit in the here and now, and we remember we are okay. We remember things are not getting worse; they are getting uncovered. We are a nation, a world, in the depths of collective healing. On the other side of this is more beauty, freedom and belonging for everyone. Deep breath.
Here's when our agency arrives.
While the present moment is the safest place to be, it’s also the wisest and most compassionate. It equips us to better understand our role in this moment. When we invite our anxiety and fears to relax by tuning into the present moment, we now have access to everything: not just our mind (which is now more clear), but also our body, heart, and soul, to surrounding nature and the infinite cosmos, to that spiritualicious energy that connects us to all living things, to everything that ever was and ever will be, to eternity. From this sacred place inside each of us, the most loving, efficient, fearless, and generous response can emerge.
May it be so. And may today you touch and taste and hear and see the world right before you. Let this be a gift you offer toward our collective healing.
SPIRITUALICIOUS REFLECTION PROMPTS
Anxiety is so common for so many of us. Yet how well do we know our anxiety? Here's a recent session with a client and how she started to better understand hers. Use the reflection prompts to better understand yours. Reach out to me for a session if you want to work through your anxiety together.
Working with a client recently, she described this collective anxiety in the air as a heavy cloud sitting on her head. What images come to mind when you are feeling anxious or worried?
My client said her mind would often spin out about what she should do, place impossible expectations on top of her, and give her unending reasons to feel unsafe. What stories do you tell yourself when you are feeling anxious or worried? Are they true? Can you know for certain if they are true?
The client then described feelings of powerlessness and anger inside her. What additional feelings emerge when you are feeling anxious or worried?
She also realized that by being stuck in her head so much of the time, she was missing all the life and opportunities for healing and connection happening right in front of her. What opportunities are you missing in your present life when you’re feeling anxious or worried?
Understanding how anxiety shows up inside you equips you to more easily call attention to it the next time it appears. When it does, you can both witness it and return to the present moment with a practice. My client chose to place a hand on her heart and say to herself, “I am safe, and my feet are on the ground.” What mindfulness practice do you want to start to relax your anxiety and return to the now?
It's possible when we engage our practice, some important insight will break through. My client discovered that anxiety cut her off from her body and its wisdom. She committed to more bodywork in her life. When you engage your mindfulness practice, what insights break through for you?