Sailing Along

After having spent nearly a year back in Hawaii, I have returned to Seattle to reconnect with this beautiful, vibrant city and offer healing body work at this very interesting and challenging time for humanity. It has been an interesting experience being back in the city, which offers a very amplified and bustling energy, while also allowing for a deeply introspective and calming quality as well. I think this is one reason why so many people are drawn here, why it is a place of such creative potential and progressive thinking, and why it has become an area well known for having an abundance of alternative and holistic practitioners and training programs.

One aspect of being back on the mainland, as well, is the propensity for people to become hyper aware or possibly even agitated by the events in the world, the constant updates of violent happenings in the world via news media, and a sensitivity to the plight of the world. One thing I can say about Hawaii is that, despite the fact that many people there are aware of the goings on in the world at large, it is quite common there to interact with people who are more interested in focusing on their immediate community and being only peripherally aware of the world outside Hawaii. While it is more difficult in Seattle to pretend that the rest of the world simply doesn’t exist than it is to do so in Hawaii, I think during times such as these, where our sensitivities seem to be more in tune and amplified than ever before, and where so much of our experience depends upon our own state of mind, our own attitude and the perceptions of the world around us, it is very important not to lose center, fall into emotional chaos, or get caught up in the fear porn of the corporate media, when we still have the option of being focused and intentional in the way we meet our day.

There is also a lot to be said for focusing more on what is immediately possible and available in our community, than getting too caught up in the plight of a conflict happening on the other side of the planet. I do not mean to insinuate that it is inappropriate to experience emotional attachments or frustrations over continued evidence of instability and violence in the world, however what is becoming angry, depressed or fearful over far away events really going to do for you and those in your immediate environment? All any of us can do is our best each day, and sometimes the most simple solution to these problems is to tune them out. Turn off the television, skip reading the news online or in a political magazine, and go out into Nature and find the strength to be peaceful and present in these turbulent times. Investigate what action you actually can take to be more involved in your community to bring about more peace, awareness and fellowship. It may not seem logical, but every focused and intentional act we perform, every moment we choose to be peaceful and centered, produces a profound effect on how we meet the world and the effect we have on our environment and the people with whom we interact.

Each of us has the power to refocus his or her thoughts, emotions and attitudes toward effectuating a reality experience that reflects one’s preference rather than what one is looking to avoid or prevent. We can charge any situation with love, positivity, optimism and faith even in the face of overwhelming chaos. This is not about blind faith or wishful thinking. Science has observed numerous times that what we observe is actually altered by the focused attention of the observer. What is the greater contribution, being “aware” of, and subsequently informing everyone else about, all of the bad things happening in the world, adding to the anxiety and fear, or choosing to focus upon something more positive that has the ability to promote peace in the world? Even on the smallest scale, such as our immediate environment, we have the power to shift the energy profoundly by choosing to focus our attention in a manner that uplifts rather than the alternative.

It is important to remember now more than ever that the power of consciousness is a tool that can be refined to do a lot of good in the world. What we focus upon, and our attitude towards it, informs what is being co-created by the collective at any given time. Remember that the next time you notice an onslaught of news coverage about war, disease, inclement weather warnings, and anything else that promotes fear. Are you serving a corporate agenda that seeks to distract the masses and shift their focus toward fear, anxiety and instability, or are you serving your own agenda and that which you truly would like to promote in the world around you? This is the power of choice that is before us all in each moment.