Today is the darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, there is a lunar eclipse of the full moon making this an event that has not happened for over 400 years! It seems that it is a day worth celebrating and paying attention to.
This raises some questions for me as I contemplate the idea of what is being eclipsed in our world right now. The mental and emotional planes are littered with negativity. Fear, hate, depression, violence, discouragement, and prejudice are the thoughts and feelings that are eclipsing hope, love, peace, joy, goodness, patience, and acceptance. It is a wake up call to each one of us who is working for the Light to step up to the plate and make sure that we do not contribute to the darkness.
War, intolerance, financial irresponsibility, and gossip all work to undermine the good that is seeking to make a difference in the world. Let’s take just a moment to consider how we might be contributing to the problem and how we can make a difference.
Religious intolerance that leads to war is one of the primary ways that the forces of darkness use to destroy and control humanity. Our very strongly held religious beliefs can actually lead to intolerance and violence if we hold our beliefs above the value of another human soul. Unfortunately you see this within all of the world’s major religions. Indeed, every war currently being fought is a religious war—a war over religious beliefs that lead us to kill one another.
Consider who is most repulsive to you, who just pushes your buttons, and whom you would never share a meal with and you have just met your own intolerance and prejudice. Pick an issue that you feel strongly about, I mean, really strongly about and then have that threatened and consider to what extent would you defend your belief—to the point of harming another soul? Perhaps not pulling the trigger, but you could certainly put them in their place during conversations with others. Not that we would call this slander or gossip, which can be as devastating as causing physical harm.
We only have to look to the staggering economies around the globe to realize that we have all over-indulged beyond our means. Greed has overrun many institutions, families, and individuals. This is a tough lesson for all of us as we examine our own need to have more than we use and look at the incredible price that our giant carbon footprint extracts from Mother Earth.
So, what can we do? I suggest that there are four simple practices we can do that will help to make a difference.
- We can practice tolerance and acceptance and work towards understanding and changing our own biases and prejudices. Each person is a precious child of God. Until we can fully embrace this idea, we will continue to destroy one another.
- We can intentionally generate loving and positive thoughts that we incorporate in our spiritual practice. This helps to clean up the negative mental plane that surrounds our planet.
- Monitor our own emotions. Every time we indulge in hate, fear, anger, depression, and sadness, we contribute to more darkness in the world. When you find yourself in this state, have a list of things that will help you through them. Pray, read, go for a walk in nature, meditate, call a trusted spiritual counselor. Do something to turn yourself around rather than be controlled by the darkness.
- Practice voluntary simplicity. Cut back on what we use and consume. Become more eco- conscious and more fiscally responsible. We might not be able to change the world but if we change small things in our own lives, it will make a difference.
Source is seeking to partner with us in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine, but we must do our part. The first step is to hold a clear spiritual intention and volunteer to be of service. The second step is to generate a clear mental picture of how that might look. The third step is to form a strong emotion that holds the vision in place, and lastly we must do something to help our vision come to pass. This is a powerful formula for creating change and bringing more light into our world. Let’s each do our part to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth.
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