I wanted to share a few thoughts about current conditions. First the obvious: This has perhaps not been the best year we have experienced together, eh? I have been half-joking with friends that it almost seems Biblical: fires, pandemic, riots in the cities, election tension, hurricanes, drought, locusts, windstorms—oh my!
This has created tension in our society that you can easily feel. What can we do? For myself, I try to focus on the fact that there are always two things going on in any situation: 1) the external circumstances, and 2) my reaction to those circumstances. I have discovered that my fretting over things does not generally fix the things that are troublesome. I wind up with two problems then: the original problem, and my feeling of distress.
The solution is not to close our hearts to the troubles of this world, but to open our hearts even more. Compassion and service are the antidote to our personal stress. In fact our brain is wired in such a way that stress can only occur when we are focused on ourselves. There are so many needs these days, spending just a little time helping a friend or worthy organization can uplift an entire day. Our mind is linear and projects current troubles out into the indefinite future. But the universe is cyclical, and as surely as day follows night, things pass (it's ok to hope for sooner rather than later!).
And lastly, try to surround yourself with beauty and positive people and energy (no, this is not a shameless plug for coming into East West — but, well... do!) You can just hang out with some crystals to bring some beauty, light, and healing into your life.