Today’s post is a bit longer than usual, because I’ve been mulling it over for a long time, and I just don’t know how to say it in a briefer fashion.
So, if you feel like creating a new reality with me, please take a deep breath and a couple of minutes. I appreciate it.
I’m hearing from a lot of people who are distressed about what’s happening in the world right now.
We’re in a time of chaotic change.
Chaos is messy. It’s disruptive. For many people, our current events will have intense and life-changing consequences.
When chaos is happening, we feel vulnerable. And if we’re not comfortable with that vulnerability, it’s easy to slip into defensiveness, anger and polarization in an effort to find stability and security.
However, if we can find a way to stay open, to seek true connection, to stay with discomfort, to embrace uncertainty, to let our soul hopes expand beyond our ego fears, together we can create a new, more expansive reality.
We can hold space for the evolution of human consciousness.
It won’t be easy. Every day the headlines invite us to give in to division and self-righteous anger.
We’re in this together.
You and I and yes, even all those people you might be thinking of as “the problem,” because they voted a different way than you did, or are posting things with which you disagree, or who you’ve come to think of as privileged, elitist, racist, blind, misogynistic, ignorant, disengaged, too political, too sensitive, or misinformed.
All of us, the liberals and the conservatives and the “I don’t cares” and the “I don’t know what I am”s, we co-created this reality.
So, what do we do now?
We dig deeper to find strength and courage we didn’t know we had.
We seek to understand.
We weave kindness and humility into our fierceness.
We treat others the way we are asking them to treat us, whether they deserve it, or not.
We remind ourselves, moment to moment, to live in accordance with what we say we believe.
What I believe is this: Somehow, everything I need is right here.
Somehow, my soul participated in co-creating what I see happening. So I need to take responsibility for that by doing more spiritual and psychological work.
One piece of that work is the five steps of Conscious Manifestation I write about in my book, Everything You Need Is Right Here.
Whenever I focus on the five steps, I get more clarity on what actions I’m called to take. And I have more confidence that those actions are coming from a place of inspiration and empowerment.
In case they are helpful for you, here are those five steps:
Step One: Decide. Next time you find yourself angry, worried, frightened, or despairing about the world situation (or anything in your life), ask yourself: “What does this feeling tell me about what I really DO want?”
What are you afraid to lose? What do you want to protect? What’s making your heart hurt? Underneath all of those feelings is an intangible, universal experience your soul is seeking: Joy, Love, Peace, Freedom, Security, Connection, Creativity, Beauty…you get the idea.
Focusing on those expansive, intangible experiences will allow you to release your attachments to form and outcome (in other words, you can let go of thinking you know exactly how things should be manifesting).
Then, start bringing your attention, again and again and again to every tiny instance in your life that resonates with the energy you want to experience. Your attention to that energy will cause it to expand (for yourself, and for the world).
Step Two: Know Yourself. This step involves a deep commitment to self-awareness, and particularly, to shadow work. The shadow is the aspect of the human personality that remains hidden deep in the unconscious.
How do you become aware of your own shadow? Notice what infuriates you, frightens you, keeps you up at night. Consider the people who drive you insane and consider what they are triggering in you. Spend time in meditation, prayer, spiritual direction or counseling to help you get clarity on the ways your apparent enemies are also your soul’s teachers.
Collective transformation begins with the hard work of exploring our connections with the people and situations that cause us pain. Fierce compassion opens the door to moving beyond polarization into courage, community and possibilities beyond our imaginations.
Step Three: Befriend Your Body. Your body is your first manifestation project. It’s also a receiver and transmitter of energy. Allow it to inform you. Pay attention to your physical symptoms. Develop a practice of compassionate presence toward your body.
When you can learn to stay connected to your body, even when that feels hard or scary, you gain power to transform the physical energy you are experiencing (rather than going unconscious around it and feeding the collective shadow). Learn to discern the difference between the short-term relief of giving into habitual patterns, and the amazing power and peace that comes from choosing to love whatever is happening, over and over and over again.
Step Four: Raise Your Vibration. Be mindful about what you allow into your consciousness. Take regular fasts from the news and social media. Get outside. Listen to uplifting music. Meditate. Move your body. Smile. Connect with people who are present to your pain while also inspiring you grow. Find communities that bring you joy, peace. laughter and healing tears. When you notice yourself repeating an old pattern, engage in a vibration-raising activity until you feel capable of responding productively.
You can only create transformational change from a place of inner power and peace. Do whatever you need to do to get there.
Step Five: Be Here Now. Let go of the past and the future. Be fully open what is happening in the moment, because The Presence is in the present. When you’re in the moment, you’re open to inspiration. You have the courage to take inspired action. And inspired action creates magic and miracles.
The world could use some magic and miracles about now, right?
We are able for this work. I know it.
May the peace that passes understanding be yours.
Kimberly
P.S. If you want to learn more about the practicalities of working the 5 steps of Conscious Manifestation, you can download the introduction and first chapter of my book, Everything You Need Is Right Here: Five Steps to Manifesting Magic and Miracles for free at
https://kimberlyschneider.com/go/everything-you-need-book/
