I awoke this morning and decided to meditate. And for the sake of my sanity - and perhaps yours - I am glad I did.
I think I'm onto something here that could help everyone. It all has to do with arming ourselves with the very weapons that will help us throughout our days and nights in the world of light and dark...
I awoke this day with the rattling memory of a whirling social media and news-feed that spits back its vile petulance and darkness. Images of left and right wingers spouting condemnation, antifa marches catapulting hatred, bombs ripping apart human rights, drugs and guns blasting down the innocence of the innocent...
Oh my god, it is happening out there.
And the worst part is ... it is getting IN there.
So many images and memories of the dark forces at play can really have a field day on our psychology and consciousness. But what can we do?
As I sat down at my meditation altar, I had my eyes closed at first. At this point, the images and memories of a culture gone kooky and a nation gone mad caught my mind's eye. And then I made an important move. I made the smart choice to take a certain action.
I peeked.
I slightly opened my eyes.
And what was before me? What was there staring back at me from my altar? It was a simple picture of a smiling aura of grace emanating from a certain spiritual teacher from southern India. A vision of Ammachi, known as a "hugging saint," glanced back at me.
Full of love, full of grace, full of beauty.
And it was here that I realized that to stay sane in this world of duality - ups and downs, rights and wrongs, rights and lefts - we would be wise to first arm ourselves. But we would not arm ourselves necessarily with guns and knives. Rather we can arm ourselves with a connection to something deep within: that identification with a higher power, a connection with a deeper source. What swiftly came to mind was "arm yourself with grace, beauty and love." That was the message told to me.
If we meet negative with negative, we can only escalate the insanity. Fire plus fire only builds a flame higher. Argument matched with more argument only constructs bigger defenses. Darkness plus darkness = darkness. It's math. A no-brainer.
This is not new or news to any of us.
But it's a good reminder for me, especially when I feel lost in a world that appears so many times so very lost.
Before anything. Before approaching the world of duality. Before taking on social media or a media frenzy designed to distract. Before leaving the house...
- First sit.
- Meditate.
- Connect.
- Rekindle the grace, beauty and love.
- Discover the kingdom within and everything will be added unto thee.
You will be armed with all you need to address that which arises.
You can not get lost when you have found yourself and your connection prior to your journey.
Be at peace. Be still. Know the truth. Reflect the light upon all you come across.
It can only support us all ... in reflecting the same.
James Anthony Ellis is a writer and filmmaker still looking for that peace and love, attempting to recall its true source. He can be found at www.LegacyProductions.org.
