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Free Weekly Syndicated
Advice Columns
Published Every Wednesday Afternoon (PST)
THE BEST AND THE WORST OF TIMES
Question:"Grace, please explain why 'people are at their BEST when things are at the worst'. Seems like we're stuck in 'drama' and suffering. How do we undo this pattern?"
Psychic Advice : Life is full of challenges, and these challenges serve to make us stretch our body, mind, heart, and soul. The purpose of life is growth. This is evident in all of nature, which creates a constant cycle of birth, growth, apparent death and transformation. Each year, nature springs to life as trees bud and bulbs send shoots from the ground that has been dormant all winter, then everything expends tremendous energy and life force focused on growth that culminates in the harvest of the fall. We are now in this time of autumn, where leaves start to fall and flowers start to die off, but this is not truly a death but a perennial cycle of transformation.
This is also the process that our soul goes through, and the nature of life is that it gives us many opportunities for our soul to grow and evolve, both personally and collectively along our journey. Less growth occurs when life is easy and peaceful than when one is faced with challenges on every level. However, there is still a great deal of growth that can occur in times of peace, if one is willing. One can choose to grow in love, in kindness and compassion, one can also choose to explore the self and pursue courses of spiritual, mental, emotional and physical development - but one must actively and consciously choose to do this.
Most people become complacent in their lives, stuck in the same old patterns until something comes to awaken them from their slumber. The challenges that we face in life provide great opportunities for awakening, and those challenges that befall a great many people at once are so jarring as to cause masses of people to awaken. In such catastrophic circumstances, we become aware of more than just ourselves, and this awakens us to our compassion. Compassion means "to suffer with", and suffering is one of the ways that we grow and evolve spiritually and emotionally, but it is not the only way. We can grow and evolve through love, through forgiveness, through kindness, caring and generosity - and great challenges give us the opportunity to express all of these.
For many people, great catastrophes bring out a deep sense of caring that inspires them to step outside of themselves, to stretch beyond the confines of their own small existence and to reach out to help others. This type of energy of generosity and compassion on a massive scale causes all of humanity to grow and evolve, so this is the purpose that these great tragedies serve. As long as humanity chooses to remain asleep, and needs to be "hit over the head" in order to awaken, then we will continue to manifest intense events in order to assist people to grow and evolve. Those who perish in these events cause everyone they touch to grow and evolve spiritually and emotionally, and they in turn touch and reach many others with the invitation to grow through compassion.
When life presents challenges, people react in different ways. Some are challenged to be at their best, to rise to the occasion, draw on their strength and courage, and do whatever they can to make the best of the situation for themselves and for others. Some people, however, choose to lie down and go to sleep, to feel sorry for themselves, and to get caught in feelings of powerlessness - these people may not survive, because it takes courage to live life and to face the many challenges that it presents. Some people look for opportunities to steal power from others, to take advantage of the chaos and confusion that ensues during challenging times, but these people are rare - it takes a person who is devoid of compassion to use the vulnerability of others to their advantage. Sometimes, the worst situations can bring out the worst in people as fear drives them into primal urges to do whatever is necessary in order to survive.
For the most part, people rise to the occasion when things are at their worst because as humans, we are given the means to care deeply about all life, and when faced with life-threatening situations, preserving life is all we care about. For some people, this is simply about self-preservation, but for most people who are caring and kind, it is about helping all living things.
The storms we are facing are not new to this planet, and neither is global warming. The Earth has undergone many cycles of climatic and climactic change, and we are again experiencing that pattern. Humans are guests here on this planet, and we have not been very respectful or grateful to our host. Everything on Earth is interconnected, and so it is not only what we do that affects the Earth and our environment, but it is also what we think and feel that impacts all energy in our Universe. Turbulent times produce turbulent emotions that create chaotic energy, which can affect the weather, as well as human behavior.
Experiments on the power of prayer have demonstrated that we individually and collectively affect everything around us. When 100 people gathered to pray for a certain number of days in a particular city, they found that the crime rate went down for that exact period of collective meditation, and rose again to "normal" levels once the period of focused prayer had ended. Intention is a powerful force, and when that intention is joined with the intention of others, there is nothing more powerful than that for affecting change and impacting reality itself.
Ultimately, changing the patterns we experience in the world involves changing our own selves and our perspectives on life. If we each were to maintain a sense of peace within, a love and compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters, and a commitment to always be the best we can be, do the best we can do, and give the best that we can give, then we would forever change our experience of humanity on this planet. Each person who makes this commitment contributes to shifting the whole, until all of humanity becomes whole again. Therefore, we must focus on being whole within ourselves, rather than focusing our attention on the holes there are in our world.
Humanity is addicted to drama and to suffering, and this addiction has been perpetuated for millennia. The reason for this is that as long as we are in pain and licking our wounds, we are powerless and vulnerable, which allows us to be led and controlled. Pain and suffering is not the way to heaven, and it is not truly what life is meant to be about. Do not judge what you see outside of you, and do not get caught up in the illusion of pain. Ultimately, it is all good, for it serves the greater good of all. Do your part to maintain the heart of peace, love and compassion, and to give what you can of your time and energy. Your commitment to be whole and at peace within yourself is the greatest contribution that you can make to healing the pattern of drama and suffering on Earth. We can choose to grow in peace, in love, in joy, but we must make a commitment to do so.
Copyright ©2005 Grace & Grace Associates Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
"Responsibility is power. You have the power of choice.
You are always responsible for the choices you make and the actions you take."
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