Now that the dust has begun to settle, we are all asking "now what?". Where do we go from here as we move forward into the more hostile territory of the near future? Because we know it will be tough. The harder path was taken. But this harder path gives us the opportunity to accelerate growth and transformation if we can negotiate it skillfully, and with wisdom.
We want to do something, to act somehow to promote and protect our values in this changed landscape, but are often unsure of how to proceed. On social media, groups for social justice and change are promoting themselves heavily, while countless individuals are writing blog posts or bringing forth ideas for action. Many, myself included, have resolved to do what we can to help others who are being bullied or having their rights threatened. There are countless ways in the outer world we can help.
This is well and good, but we also need to realize that simply pushing back against a pendulum will only keep it swinging. We live in a heavily polarized world and as long as we continue to act exclusively at that level, the situation will not resolve itself. My closest inner colleague and partner in spirit has reminded me that if a problem is intractable on the level at which it occurs, then it can only truly be resolved from a higher level. In other words, if we limit our actions to a ground game only, meaning if we only act and react within the physical world, nothing essential will change. Real change must begin with the spiritual level.
For many months now I have been seeing a vast network of light spread across the planet. It is formed of infinitely complex threads and corridors of light, breathtakingly beautiful. It looks like the networks of veins and nerves in the human body, intersecting in countless points of light like the stars in the sky. It is alive and I interact with it, for I am one of those points of light. We are all within it and informed by it. It is made up of a staggering variety of beings, energies, and levels of consciousness, levels upon levels, systems within systems. It exists within the body of the planet, and extends far beyond its surface. Energy arrives from the cosmos and informs it, and it flows outward from the Earth in turn. Music helps me see it. It is both dance and dialogue.
Over time I have been introduced to a group of nonphysical workers who oversee and manage this network of light. As I have joined them in their work, I have learned that we can all participate in this living system of light, and that the system is supporting and informing the expression and evolution of the planet, us included. Right now a foundation is being built within it, to ground a way of being that can be characterized by unity in diversity, and strength through soul expression. The web of light holds these ideal patterns like a reservoir, and we can draw upon it for strength. Through this network, this energy is available now to all who wish to ground those ideals through their physical actions.
Unity in diversity means that we are stronger when we honor and support one another's differences: different talents, perspectives and expressions. Stronger than if we compel one another to conform to a universal system of what is allowed and what is not, which has been the overarching paradigm for thousands of years. Strength through soul expression means we draw our strength not from a one-up/one-down model of competition, but through bypassing that entirely by aligning with, and expressing from, our souls.
I believe soul alignment is key if we are to act with wisdom. This is a message I have heard over and over again from my inner colleagues (another David Spangler term) every time I talk to them about how to proceed: "Align your incarnational self with your soul. If your waking awareness is aligned within your authentic center, your soul, then no matter what you do it will carry the soul's energy into the world." (Once I got this, I stopped worrying about whether or not I was doing the "right" kind of creative work: it all was.) So I think that the more of us that there are who can do that, the better off we will be.
The soul carries our innermost nature, our most authentic selves. From the soul's perspective we have a more expanded view of a situation and its context, as well the wisest course of action. We don't have to go on a spiritual quest to find our soul. We are held within our soul, always. All we have to do is find a quiet time and place to invite our soul's energy to speak with us. It is the "still, small voice", and it carries wisdom, and a great deal more. My friend in spirit told me that the soul is a vast field of experience. It is not limited, but limitless. It is the deepest, truest, most nourishing home we can imagine.
Everyone's soul is different, with different flavors, trajectories, genealogies. All of this makes up a very unique constellation of energy which is you. The most radical thing we can do in our current world is live from, embody, and express what is in our souls, the truth that is in our souls, the light. Our personal style. What we care about and gravitate toward. As souls we have intentions that we put into play when we incarnate. When we explore and contemplate all of these aspects, we will begin to find where our strengths are, what types of action we are most suited for, what area of life will support the fullest expression of our gifts. Some may find they are drawn to very public, outward forms of action, such as fighting for women's reproductive rights or working for political change. Some may want to help with minorities issues and the bullying epidemic. Some may take on the culture of the idolization of the rich, or the gun culture, or the culture of violence we are immersed in. Others will direct their efforts to the planet's health and protecting other species and the environment. These can all be powerful outer expressions of soul energy if we do them because we want to, deep down inside, and not out of reactivity, anger, or fear. If we act from the latter, we are not acting from the soul.
Frankly I am terrible at all of these things, although I feel strongly about them. I am a dyed-in-the-wool introvert and practically break out in hives at the very thought of involving myself with a group effort (the nonphysical planes don't count, apparently). But there are many other ways one can express from the soul on a private level and still make a positive contribution. One very powerful way is to create. A very large part of my own soul expression, and soul energy, goes out into the world through my art, not only to those who buy it, but also to those who see it online.
Creativity can take unlimited forms, including writing, the living environment we create, how we interact with others, and so on. Everything in life can be a creative endeavor when we unplug from the status quo and conditioning and plug into our souls instead. We can also make a great impression on people by the way we choose to present ourselves in the world. I ask women "How would you dress, how would you look, if you only did it to please yourself? How would you look if you expressed what is in your soul?" These small avenues of soul-expression can have large ripple effects. By empowering ourselves with our soul light, we can inspire and empower others to do the same. And every time we choose to act or express from our own individuality and not from the dominant paradigm, we stop feeding the cultural paradigm the energy which has kept it going.
Still others will choose to work primarily on the nonphysical levels, through meditation and energy work, ceremony, ritual, and work with inner coworkers. While this type of work will go unnoticed and unseen on the outer levels, it can be extremely far-reaching and powerful, and have concrete effects on the physical level. The numbers who do this work are growing steadily.
So there are as many avenues of soul expression as there are people. As we develop our soul connections and express from our souls, we will each have a unique way of doing so. The important thing is to honor one another's path of expression. We might find ourselves judging someone because we think they should be doing something else. Or we might compare our path to someone else's and believe our work isn't as important. Be careful of that. If we want to be fully accepted and supported, we have to honor one another's choices of action.
Standing in the authenticity of our souls, we express with wisdom, from a greater perspective. The soul is not domesticated. It is not conditioned. It is not afraid. It is not nice. The soul is powerful and filled with an undiluted wild beauty. It radiates. It knows what is, and is not, supportive of life. It does not see the world in black and white, but is able to respond with wisdom to the unique circumstances in each situation. It does not look to an outside authority to tell it what to do: it is connected to Source, and knows.
We are meant to be connected into the light of our souls. This is our destiny and birthright as human beings. When we can direct our gaze first to that light and align ourselves with it, rather than orienting our gaze outward to the problems of the world and our reaction to them, we will be given all the strength, protection, understanding, empowerment and wisdom to act in the most effective, transformative way possible.
And then we will see real change.
Blessings,
Dawn