(from 2001)
As we walk along the path of consciousness, we create situations for ourselves that help us to grow so that we do not become stagnant. This means that the more serenity you bring into your life, tho more important your soul finds it to test that serenity, to help you to exercise those muscles, and you can find yourself in the midst of chaos rather quickly. The goal in this case is to maintain your inner peace, your serenity, no matter what you are confronted with. This is sometimes hard to remember when you’re in the middle of it, of course, but the remembering is part of the exercise. Think of it as a spiritual workout.
The first step is to stay grounded. Our natural tendency is to ‘go away,’ but it is much easier to not feel overwhelmed when present (see July’s article). It also becomes easier to maintain a sense of inner peace when one stays grounded. Unruffled is unruffled, no matter how you look at it.
The second step is to bless that which brings you chaos. Assess the situation, determine what or who it is that is causing the chaos (usually whatever is irritating you), and project love and compassion toward it. This is the best way to keep it from affecting you.
Understand that there is no requirement that you play whatever game is presented to you. You are under no obligation to participate in chaos. In fact, at a higher, soul level, you are supposed to let the chaos go on around you and remain unaffected. This raises your vibration and the vibration of those around you. You may even be surprised to find that your perspective on your surrounding chaos starts to shift, and you acquire a more ‘evolved’ view of circumstances.
It is important to maintain your regular daily practice regardless of what is going on around you. Allowing your spiritual activities to fall by the wayside because of other things only guarantees that you will have less time, less energy, fewer coping skills, and will increase your problems. conversely, maintaining your practice in the midst of turmoil will increase your coping skills, give you more energy, and create more time to handle the details.
The easiest and most common form of daily practice is meditation. This doesn’t have to be some form of esoteric candle-watching mind-clearing activity. You can get a guided meditation tape, you can go for a walk and pay attention to your surroundings, you can purchase a daily meditation book and read and contemplate the daily meditation; there are any number of effective meditation techniques readily available. Generally, consider meditation to be anything that quiets you enough to be able to hear that small, still voice within.