God lives in the paradox, truth in oneness
This article is about our oneness and how we create the world we live in. I see expressions of God in the paradox. When there is a tragedy, we find community. When we experience deep grief we can also find immense joy. When we label something good or bad, happy or sad, right or wrong, we can get lost in the label and miss the gift. It is the taijitu (the yin and yang). When we get clear about how we’re contributing to this world connection, it’s easier to open to God in the paradox.
Our planet, people, plants, microorganisms, and alien entities are all connected. We communicate with each other through our dreams, our breath, the wind, electromagnetic frequencies, our buying power, our thoughts, and prayers. With the truth of this statement, we have both the power to create our reality and the responsibility to do so justly.
An elder in our community, Gerry Boylan, often reminds us that what we witness lives within us. If we didn’t have war and violence within, we
wouldn’t see it as an expression in our world. I fully believe this to be true. It offers me the hope to believe in world peace because it gives me the
chance to take responsibility for my part and do something about it. Mahatma Gandhi said to ‘Be the change we wish to see in the world’. This has been a guiding light in my life.
A Shamanic exercise I learned from The Power Path, guides us to take inventory of our lives. This is a great practice annually to get clear about living from a place of integrity. Our martyrdom does not serve the collective. Our blame does not create positive change. When we get clear on what is serving us and what isn’t, our purpose is able to flow through us. To take inventory, you must ponder where you spend your time and what gives energy or drains it. Do you love tidying your home because you appreciate order and clean living? Do you love your work because it fulfills the ability to express yourself? Are there people in your life that drain your energy? We are responsible to know why we do what we do and allow what we allow.
This is especially true for our familial relationships which are so near to the heart. We must move beyond the idea that we’re obligated to serve in some capacity when it creates a sacrificial energy. We can be in a relationship that supports the collective when respect and honesty are incorporated. Enabling creates victimization which leads to a cycle of depletion, upset, and hurt. This isn’t the frequency where we create a better world.
It’s also really critical that we become aware of our addictions.
This could be anything from caffeine to control to cocaine. When we get disrupted internally, there is plenty we can seek to soothe ourselves. Did you know you can be addicted to drama? It literally releases a chemical that when frequently activated over time can cause us to seek it out in order to feel what we have learned to be normal.
This awareness is critical in our modern society of convenience. Algorithms know what we believe we need, and we lose the ability to question when all we see makes us believe we’re right. What would happen if we slowed down to contemplate? Have we lost our sense of wonder?
Here are some suggestions for a more peaceful community. Please sit with these over days and see if your perspective shifts as time allows greater awareness.
What excites me?
What do I do with my anger and sadness?
Who is affected by my buying habits?
What makes me feel safe?
Where does my trash go?
What brings me back to the present moment?
How do I build more trust in myself?
Where are my energy leaks?
Who is affected by my vote?
Where does my food come from?
What can I do right now to make a difference?
When we bring our shadow to the light we heal. These practices sometimes need to be sipped a little at a time, allowing the feeling of disruption to rise and settle so we can intentionally remove judgment from what we’re learning about ourselves. God is found in the paradox. It is through our greatest suffering that love is born.
