The importance....of keeping our nerve..

I was quite concerned to learn of the presence of swine flu first in Mexico and now in other countries. Comparisions are being drawn to the recession of 1918 which also brought with it a pandemic that killed millions of people. It is so important in the face of news like this to stay steady. We are in a state of transition and shift, there is no doubt about that. Everything that we considered to be safe and stable is turning out to have been made of shifting sand. What doesn't shift though is our ability to go within and develop an understanding of how the inner life works that is strong enough to withstand all of the shocks that are delivered by the materialistic world. Yesterday I read that the number of billionaires has halved as a result of this recession. These billionaires were probably people who felt they were immune to whatever could happen and now overnight practically what they thought they were worth has been taken away through absolutely no fault of their own. This is a huge shock to the mind and is why it is important to be steady. It is the steadiness of the consciousness that will determine how successful the shift is to the next kingdom that the process of evolution is gearing up for.

The writer JG Ballard died last week and I have been reading some of what he has written. I have been particularly struck by an insight he had which seems particularly apt for what the consciousness is being subjected to today. He said: "People want to save the whale and the seal because they know that sooner or later the human being is probably going to be next on the list." This is what I feel is happening with the speed with which the world as we have known it is breaking down and the bewilderment on the faces and in the conversations of those who are supposed to be leaders in getting us through this, It is so important to be steady and to trust that when everything is finished the consciousness will be raised so high as to bring about a new paradigm. I am not asserting that what I say is the Truth and I am not saying it to bring about fear, in fact, I am speaking out now to prevent widespread fear and panic. It is the steadiness of our own consciousness that is going to determine how well or otherwise we come out of this.

How can steadiness of consciousness be developed? It is really by going within and being aware not so much of events themselves but of our own reactions to them. The learning and value is never in an event but in what our reaction to it tells us about ourselves. Just to notice, not to judge is what is valuable. It is a kind of mindfulness where no thought about anything goes unobserved. Continual practice of mindfulness will in time result in a steady consciousness. I often think of my friend and mystic Manuel Schoch and wonder how he would interpret the speed with which everything is being torn down before being reconstructed. I'm sure he would also see what is happening as ultimately for the good in shifting consciousness even if at present it is somewhat bewildering.....