Photo: Gary Butterfield

We are in a moment that is incredibly destabilizing.

Welcome to a time when the external circumstances in our world are so unsettling that you can easily feel like there is something wrong with you.

There is nothing wrong with you.
You are actually quite normal.

We are in a collective pattern that is rooted in separation, polarization, and a basic us-against-them model. It is extraordinarily toxic to your immune system and your central nervous system.

It is important to remember, your peace, your happiness, your joy will never ultimately be established in the external world.

And so I invite you to return to the stillness that can be found within yourself. You may not be able to access that stillness right away but with practice it will serve you for a lifetime.

Bringing your awareness to your inner world is an essential and disruptive practice when human beings are destabilized. Finding your center will not only be transformational for you during this time on the planet, it will be a gift to others around you.

You and I both know that social and political destabilization is only going to continue to build in the upcoming months. Over the course of this presidential campaign, human beings are going to be jostled. (understatement)

It is your responsibility to establish a sense of peace and stillness for yourself. It’s the greatest contribution you could make to our collective experience.

Establishing a sense of peace and stillness is not an easy practice. At times, you might feel like there is nothing still about you.

Acknowledging where you are is often the best place to begin. We each have to start somewhere.

(Even now.)

For me, bringing my awareness to my inner world requires disconnecting from the constant seduction of our media reality.

Begin to fast from content that divides, fast from people and from relationships which do not fuel you. This alone will fundamentally alter your lived experience.

I urge you to invest in truth, in love, in peace, in freedom, and in joy.

What practices draw you to a greater purpose for your life? Invest in those.

Practices that connect us to a sense of purpose and contribution are essential, to remind us every day, every hour, that we are up to something different on the planet.

My essential practice is rooted in curiosity.

Practicing curiosity means I walk on the planet aware of my connection with every living being, with the knowledge that we are responsible for one another, and that we can co-create a reality that works for one another.

Co-creating a reality that works for all human beings is possible. But it will require an upgrade in human consciousness and shifting to a paradigm of collaboration, of creativity, and of curiosity.

I encourage you to rest easy in the knowing that there is an impulse for good coursing within you and all living beings, even when we forget.

It is encoded in every cell of your being. Make that place your home for the next six months.

Make it your home for always, for eternity, but especially for these days ahead when the seduction of the election threatens to distract.

Watch for the tendency to get taken out by separation, by fear, or by isolation by being against one another.

When destabilization happens, your practice can be to quickly interrupt it by saying:

Stop.
That’s enough.
That’s not the truth.
Let me recommit to peace, freedom, interconnectedness, and creative collaboration.
No one is against me. And I am unwilling to be against others.

To participate in this simple radical act of pausing will amplify rather than tear down.

When you stop and remind yourself of what you are for (peace, freedom, creativity, curiosity) rather than allowing the external world to draw you into being against (us vs. them, Democrat vs. Republican, rural vs. urban), you are disrupting the cycle of separation.

Being for something is magnetic and affirming.

It’s extraordinarily potent to be for something and against nothing.

Focus your undistracted, creative attention into:

a life of affirmation,
a life of truth,
a life of joy of freedom,
a life of power.

How radical would it be to create and contribute to more of what you want during a time when so many people are stuck?

Don’t allow the toxic distraction of an election cycle to impede your ability to be a transformational presence in the world. Your personal practice, your curiosity, and your open heart will be a great offering to the collective consciousness.

Your inner work is part of the necessary disruption of destabilization. Cynicism gets us nowhere, fast.

I hope that this practice is of service to you as you walk on the planet this election season.

P.S. Here are some action steps you can take right now to support this goal:

  1. Bookmark this post and come back to it as often as you need.
  2. Share this with your circle as a gentle reminder that being against each other is an illusion, and that this can be a time of opportunity.
  3. Incorporate daily practices that draw you to a greater purpose for your life. Here’s a four minute meditation to guide you back to your truth. 
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