... healing does not mean we simply bypass and feel good and great all the time. Healing means we develop the ability to feel what we feel and do what we are called to do, pursue our spiritual imperative to transform the world, and speak Truth to power. So give yourself the space to feel what you feel and then to heal.
Rev. Raymont Anderson
Our world is going through intense challenges and social stress, not only in Northern America but across the planet. Yesterday, in the United States, the Rittenhouse verdict polarized and troubled an already polarized and troubled nation. The words of Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers point to the irreconcilable tragic nature of the shooting in that state: “No verdict will be able to bring back the lives of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum,....No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve.”
My colleague Rev. Raymont Anderson of the Spiritually Motivated Social Action Committee reminded us on social media--before the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict was announced--that in the presence of so many urgent, tragic, important social and world issues, that we must stay present to whatever we are feeling so that we can move through them without being retraumatized and retriggered by them.
Noting the examples of the murder trial of Ahmaud Arbery, the Rittenhouse trial, and the effort to reinstate Nazi ideology in many countries internationally, and other emotionally disturbing issues, Rev Anderson points to the appropriateness of feeling deeply traumatized and troubled by what we perceive happening in society. If we are not present enough with what we feel, we may become vulnerable to retraumatizing ourselves and not giving ourselves the space, grace, and capacity to heal truly.
How do I stay present with what I am feeling?
For me staying present means I try not to run toward activities, food, other things that take me away from experiencing my feelings. I try to witness my feelings without adding a meaning of good or bad to them. I try to witness what I feel before I act. James Crews is the author of The Path to Kindness who on his blog, tells the story of the first time he and a friend heard a grown man--a meditation teacher--call himself honey, with a hand placed over his heart to demonstrate how the students might be more gentle with themselves when their minds want to run away.
He writes:
It’s been years
since we sat with legs twisted on cushions,
holding back our laughter, but today
I found myself crouched on the floor again,
not meditating exactly, just agreeing
to be still, saying honey to myself each time
I thought about my husband splayed
on the couch with aching joints and fever
from a tick bite—what if he never gets better?—
or considered the threat of more wildfires,
the possible collapse of the Gulf Stream,
then remembered that in a few more minutes,
I’d have to climb down to the cellar and empty
the bucket I placed beneath a leaky pipe
that can’t be fixed until next week. How long
do any of us really have before the body
begins to break down and empty its mysteries
into the air? Oh honey, I said—for once
without a trace of irony or blush of shame—
the touch of my own hand on my chest
like that of a stranger, oddly comforting
in spite of the facts.
I invite you today to sit with your feelings and place your hand over your heart as a symbol of the love that is present despite the facts. Sometimes when my mind wants to flee, I find it beneficial to repeat the word Love silently. Love persists as the most powerful energy in the universe. Invoking Divine Love, one of the many names of the Divine, helps us stay connected to our Oneness so that we as a human race can embrace a new reality where equity and social justice are the norms in our society.
I have faith that the consciousness of Oneness we call into awareness is what transforms and empowers us to co-create safe and healthy communities for all. I join Governor Evers in saying that we must be unwavering in our promise to build a [world] where every kid, person, and family can live their life free of violence and have every chance to be successful.
Rev.Edward Viljoen, DD (Hon.)
Spiritual Leader, Centers for Spiritual Living
Request prayer from The World Ministry of Prayer
My peace is found at the heart of God. The heart of God, for me, is found at the very center of my being. It does not matter how closely the confusion of our outer world presses against me. I am not even disturbed by the confusion in my immediate environment. I know that the only way to counteract confusion is to bring peace into play. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, I give unto you.” These words of assurance stay with me, and I hear them re-echoing in the depths of my being.
I surrender all of my fears – those nameless fears which have beset me for such a long time, dulling my pleasure and clouding with misery and apprehension all of my days. I am now through with fear. What, indeed, is there for a Divine and immortal being to fear. Certainly not people, for as I am a divine and immortal being, so is everyone, and everyone is my sibling. I recognize the one Life Principle, working in and through and inspiring the motives of everyone I contact.
I do not fear sickness, disease or death, because the eternal and perfect Life animates my body and goes always about Its perfect work, healing and renewing that body. I am not afraid of want or lack, for the infinite Essence supplies me with everything I need all of the time. There is nothing for me to fear, for I am an inseparable part of God. I live in It: It lives in me; and I draw upon Its perfect peace.
My Peace is found at the heart of God.
Original text – Dr. Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind p. 558
Adapted for inclusive language – 2021-03-09
Learn More
Restorative Justice – Emphasizes accountability, making amends, and facilitates meetings between victims and offenders interested in repair
Racial Justice (eji.org) – Believes we need a new era of truth and justice that starts with confronting our history of racial injustice
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