The Sacred Art of holding ALL of it

Do you remember the game “Two Truths and a lie”? The objective of the game is to answer a question with two truths and one lie while other players try to guess which answer is the lie. This is a fun, fun game and can go many different directions depending on the questions that are asked.

Anyway, I bring the game up because I feel like I am constantly trying to figure out the truths from the lies of current events, politics and the possible impacts on people. I can get swept up in the swirl and feel powerless. The things may be happening “out there” but the feelings they evoke are VERY personal.

I can easily get upset or overwhelmed because the issues affect real people. It is like a weight I carry around that gets squished together with my daily life, my personal and family concerns making it all seem unmanageable. I spend time worrying, upset, and ready to protect myself by disengaging, staying angry, or dwelling in the hopelessness of it all.

You might be wondering...

So, how do you hold what makes you really, really uncomfortable without losing your sh*t? How do I even move through this world with all of it - these truths AND lies?The lies and their truths (remember--this is my truth and it may be yours – or not), is in three parts:

1. First lie, it is happening over here with me. The truth? Uh, no. The events, circumstances and what people are doing (or not doing) is happening out there, not with me. I react emotionally because I am an emotional being, BUT, once identified and named, I can choose to go with those feelings or not.
2. Second lie, I have to change it, I have to fix it! Truth: The power of change is not something “I” have, rather it is something “WE” have. I can find my people, join a team or find a simple action that is FOR what I believe in or want to see in the world.
3. Third lie, I have to pick a side, feeling good or bad, this side or that side of any issue. Truth: I can hold it all, the lies and the truth. I can feel bad and still do good.

Now that we have looked at the impact from the swirl of lies and truths bombarding us everyday, all day long, let's take a minute to answer… How do we sort out lies from truth? Afterall, it's all SO sneaky, and we can’t help but get caught up in them.Someone recently shared a simple “test” with me that makes it a bit easier, another three parts. 

1. Is it real? Is this story real or is it an opinion, idea, slogan, something that just fell out of someone's mouth or off the tips of their fingers. Those are opinions, ideas, interpretations not real .. next step.
2. Is there evidence? There must be tangible evidence that the thing actually exists or existed outside a person saying so. For example, evidence exists that Tyrannosaurus rex was real, but there is no evidence that flying dragons were real. 
3. Is it demonstrable and/or repeatable? Other people must be able to verify its existence —meaning they can see, hear, smell, or touch the proof. Another angle could be can I find it somewhere, at some time and it can be repeated with the same outcome. 

When still confused, check snopes.com 😉

I Have Questions...

I do not have the answers, I have questions and that is ok. I am ok. I give thanks to God / the Universe for my spiritual life and practices, for my “posse”, as Anne calls it, and for you, the reader, who might relate. You are my people!

Last Friday on Goddess Talk (now named The Women’s Circle), it was so good to be with other women dealing with feeling powerless in current times on top of our own individual living life concerns. The conversation turned to an exploration of how we hold and participate in current events “out there” while it feels like it is “in here” and deeply personal. Join us.