A Great Awakening

By Kyra Christopherson

Finding a “new normal” during this incredible time of global shift, I have been needing to find balance. Every day I have been finding solid balance during walks–morning and night. Looking up at the sky–both morning and night, I imagine and feel my connection to both our earthly realm and the wonder of the unknown. Here, I offer some ways I have been able to secure balance and witness such incredible light during the darkness. During my days I have needed to balance time to create online content and time in nature. I have needed time for solitude and time for connecting with others. We are finding ourselves in this unprecedented time of learning–learning new skills, new ways of being with others, new ways of being with ourselves. Through the process of seeking balance in what can feel like a dark night of the soul, transformational tools (mindfulness, emotional awareness and self-compassion) have been essential.

Mindfulness is not something that removes you from your life, it brings you into the presence of your life. It is like bringing light into the caverns of your mind. You can practice mindfulness when you walk, when you make food, when you are working. Anytime you bring present awareness to what you are doing…but ultimately who you are being in the moment. It is dealing with the here and the now. We can practice mindfulness in such a way that relieves the suffering around us. Engaging in our daily routines and actions, it is inevitable that we will encounter the human
experience of suffering. Mindfulness can come in an instant, when we do not run away from the suffering we are experiencing, rather to embrace the true nature of it. Looking into the suffering provides understanding into the making of the suffering.

When we practice mindfulness, we are bringing silence to our mind and returning to our heart space. Enlightenment is crucial for ourselves and our society. Enlightenment is awakening to the real situation. The enlightenment era brought reason to further our knowledge of the universe and improve the human condition. This is another time of quickening information, knowledge and skills. The faster we wake up to both universal intelligence, as well to our own emotional intelligence or emotional awareness, the better chances we have for improving our future. Do not
despair, believe there is light.

Bringing light to our emotional awareness alleviates states of suffering because we can see the impermanence of each emotional state. As the waves of various feelings rise and fall, we can return to a stillness. Eckhart Tolle said “stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.” Our hearts can seem tumultuous at times, riding the waves of emotions. It requires practice to tune into the silence of the heart–to seek that stillness. There is profound wisdom in listening to our heart–and what emotions are arising. Blocking emotions can create larger energy blocks and dis-ease in our lives. Allowing emotions to arise, be acknowledged and then to be released allows the emotions to teach us. Emotions may be warning signs for new actions.

I know recently my emotions have been heightened. Recently a situation sent my heart racing. There was an opportunity to sense the suffering–the trigger that had been a long-standing emotional wound since childhood. Bringing emotional awareness to the moment, allowed me to move through the situation (even though messy and uncomfortable) with new actions and ways of setting boundaries. Aligning ourselves with light–enlightening ourselves to our emotions, brings a freedom and chance to be true to yourself. Being in tune with our emotional body enables us to embody a new way of being. What are you feeling called to embody now? Using tools of transformation allows us to look more fully at ourselves, and thus transform how we experience ourselves in the world.