June, 2010

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

About Adaptability.

Dear friends,

Quite a number of years ago I was visiting with an elderly neighbour. We were having a cup of coffee and talking. He was telling me, what was then fresh news, about the diminishing numbers of fish in the waters off the east coast of Canada. Fishermen could no longer catch enough fish to make a living and the processing plants that employed most of the other community workers were shutting down.

My first response to this information was, “Oh what an opportunity for people to do something different with their lives.”

But to my neighbour, this was a great tragedy. “These men have been fishing all their lives. Their fathers and grandfathers before them were fishermen. They love their work and way of life. They do not want to do anything else with their lives.”

Fish decreasing, species ceasing, wars destroying, floods and droughts annoying. Volcanoes spewing ash and earth's belly wound spewing oil into the ocean to the ruin of many plants and animals and their environments. Family members dying, getting laid off work, being diagnosed with a serious illness.

So many things we don't want.

What then is the story we tell ourselves about this? How do we react? How do we respond? How do we adapt?

The basic spiritual advice contains words like these.

“Live in the present moment. Don't worry. Be happy. Practice compassion and unconditional love. Set your intention for the highest good of all. Energy follows thought, so think about the solutions rather than the problems. Trust in the greater power of the Creator. Do not judge. Channel light. Practice equanimity in the face of adversity. Be harmless.”

We each have our own unique set of mantras to advise us how to behave to transmute the natural negative emotions (anger, grief, outrage, blame), that come up when we are confronted by something we don't want.

It is invariably helpful, as well, to look at the Big Picture. We chose to come into incarnation in human bodies to take on a piece of the “mess” on this planet. This is what esoteric literature calls “the ancient law of evil sharing”.

When I was distressed about species becoming extinct, old trees dying and such, I did a shamanic journey to ask for understanding about this. My guides were the rocks at the center of the earth that I call the Mothers and Grandmothers. They told me that species do not die out. They transition to another dimension where they live and thrive. I could visit with them there any time I wanted to. When one species leaves the earth plane, it gives a chance for another species to evolve and take over the functions of the departing species. This is a natural process.

“Identify with us,” the rocks invited me. “We were the first Beings here and we shall be the last.”

There are many traditional creation stories and Earth's history stories that talk about this time of struggle and conflict that we are in the midst of now. They tell about the shift of energy that is happening and how we are slowly coming into a state of greater harmony. The short time span of one human lifetime is but a small drop in the ocean of the Big Picture. The healing crisis of an earthquake or volcano spewing ash (which rebalance the energies of Earth) or an oil gushing hemorrhage may reek havoc with human lives and plans for days or generations. However, in the grand scheme of things, for the body of Earth, is this any more than that ghastly gash you had on your leg when you fell off your bike when you were eleven years old?

Good thing our souls are immortal!

Which is, of course, why we want to practice being part of the solutions rather than aggravating the problems. That way, if we choose to come back again in a future body on earth plane, we can enjoy the results of our efforts.

In the same literature that talks about the “evil sharing” there is the further commentary:

“This must give place some day to the new 'Law of Ancient Dominating Good' which lies behind all that God made. This law must be brought into activity by the spiritual will of man."  (From: Alice Bailey Esoteric Healing, page 133)

Enough to think about for this month. My contemplations on my personal experiences of adaptation and the gifts of history continue. I hope to put some of these into words for the next monthly message.

Meanwhile, enjoy the changing of the seasons, that are moving into long daylight hours for those of us in the northern hemisphere. I will be sending out my solstice reflections when that happens.

Blessings,

Rita.