November 01, 2016
Praying Peace
We are in a time of great turmoil. Deep fears, based on an impending sense of scarcity, run through our communities. Is there enough? Fears around who should have power, and who should not, are surfacing in our political dialogues. Our world is getting crowded and our paradigm is shifting. Many of us who are not feeling safe are pointing fingers and drawing lines in the sand. Circle the wagons Boys! We need to fend off those wolves! But who are these wolves?
The primary directive of the ego is to survive, at all costs. The ego is the operating system for the human body we inhabit. Implicit within its programing is a divisive sense of self that sees all others as competition. A great point in our evolution came when we started gathering in tribes and working together, as a collective. We switched from being sole survivors, to being part of a complex, symbiotic collective that responds to, and supports, the needs of others for survival. While we have made progress, our continued struggles with race, creed and gender indicate this divisive part of the ego still flourishes within the collective unconscious.
Any small group that spends hundreds, if not thousands, of years together expresses genes that are of value to that particular tribe. Over time any two populations that began from the same point of origin will begin to look, and think, differently as they move apart. The amount of pigmentation in their skin, for example, or the shape, or color, of their eyes, may become dominant tribal features, depending upon their environmental challenges. Similarly, forms of connection to the Creator will evolve, and change, as will the balances of power within the tribe. For many of us, when we look outside the comfort of our own communities, we see only the differences in others, and this instills fear.
Every time we draw lines in the sand, and define someone as different than ourselves, we step out of our hearts and into the fear based mind. Judgement gives us a rail to push against, creating apparent safety in an “us and them.” We all do it, all of the time. “Look at that girl in the short shorts,” we hiss, or “Who does that guy in the Porsche think he is”? In truth we feel threatened that what they are flaunting will draw our mates away from us, so we enlist our friends to help us shun them. Similarly, our communal fears and judgements drive divisions between tribes on a global level.
We all share far more in common with each other than we do differences. Deep within most of us is a desire to live in peace. Many of us even pray for it. There is a difference between praying for peace, however, and simply “praying peace.” Praying for peace is asking God to step in on our behalf. Praying peace is taking personal responsibility for finding peace within, and then holding that vibration as it extends outward in waves. If you truly want peace, look at your judgements. What are you afraid of losing? Find the part of yourself that creates enemies from its own fear of lack. Sit with it, unpack it! It starts inside. Can you dismantle that fear instead of shunning another?
We cannot have world peace until there is peace within the individuals in the world. Look at the wars you wage against yourself, everyday. Watch how you beat yourself up. Own that fearful wolf that lives within you! We are not an us and a them, we are a species, a global pack, scrambling to survive… ourselves. Through our hearts, through compassion, we recognize our own fears in the eyes of those at our doors. Let’s embrace our differences as creative diversity. Pray peace!
Christina Allen’s work as an Intuitive, Healer, Teacher and Founder and Director of the Austin Shamanic Center, combines a strong science background (BA Physics, MS Neuroscience) with decades of applied ancient spiritual wisdom (Master Yogi, Reiki Master, and profound Shamanic Healing based on Q’ero Indian traditions of Peru). Learn more about making private appointments, and upcoming classes, at www.AustinShamanicCenter.com or (512) 391-9829
© Austin All Natural, November, 2016