Moving Beyond Shutdown to Consciousness
Hi ,
What does the shutdown of our government bring up for you? I have noticed that this question creates an assortment of reactions depending on who you ask. There are distressing events playing out right now weighing heavily on us all.
I’ve noticed that my reaction symbolizes two ends of a spectrum. On one end I’ve noticed indifference or denial, and on the other anger and resistance. While these two reactions appear to be opposites they have a very familiar underlying source- fear.
I imagine it’s unlikely to honestly see what is happening in our society today, and not experience some degree of fear. Have you allowed yourself to reflect upon and acknowledge fully what is going on?
We are situated in difficult times and the future seems uncertain, but how we understand these events and how we respond is significant in determining the form of our uncertainty. Uncertainty or the unknown scares us because we see ourselves as separate beings in a material world. Feelings of separation are the source of fear.
On the other hand, we can also view the unknown as filled with limitless possibility and abundance, which is our true nature. Fear that arises out of separation disconnects us from our feelings of wholeness and abundance. I say this because looking at uncertainty with fear, we collectively create our worst nightmare. So what do we do when fear naturally arises as a reaction to stressful and challenging situations and has the power to create that which we least want?
I believe that, when we own our fear, we begin the process of healing ourselves, creating agency and urgency within. Owning and accepting fear transforms energy into consciousness, which can then be used to create sustainable change. We then bring this agency and urgency to the collective consciousness. Through consciousness we co-create by—what we think, what we feel, what we do and how we behave.
Imago theory underscores that unconscious thought patterns and behaviors generated by fear can lead to the success or failure of relationships. We co-create experiences consciously or unconsciously, in relationships as in the world, and we find ourselves in this moment at a place where unconscious co-creation is devastating, hurtful and destructive.
Consciousness has a powerful impact on the people around us and we can set in motion their conscious natures even if they are not aware of it at the moment. This is true in all relationships. With our conscious presence we can deal with hurtful and negative behavior in a more effective way. We can operate in this way because owning our fear transforms it into energy and power to create the change we desire. We create it by stepping into it ourselves as models of what a conscious empowered person looks like.