Almost all of us can relate to this experience: what seemed like a total disaster turned out to not only have a silver lining, but yielded a significant long-term benefit in our lives. Alternatively, what originally seemed like great fortune, ended up — in hindsight — leading us down a path to misfortune.
Such experiences can feel mysterious and appear unfathomable. But if we look deep within and are honest with ourselves, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that there must be something deeper at work. That we aren’t simply puppets buffeted about in a world of seemingly random events, but instead, are dancers participating in some kind of great ballet that has purpose and direction, even if this purpose, this “grand plan,” remains shrouded in mystery.
Is it possible that this is true not only for us personally, but also on a much larger scale, perhaps even a global scale?
These days, many of us feel like we are treading on shifting sands. Things are changing rapidly and the outcome of world events seems unclear. So many people are caught up in one hysteria or another. Blue vs. red. Capitalism vs. socialism. Religious polarities. Immigration. The blame game going round and round and round, fueled by addictive media, which is often propagating exaggerations and even downright lies. Once trustworthy media sources have now become suspect. Protests and violence are fueled by incendiary messaging and slogans, even by paid operatives, with the result that many of those caught up in fury don’t truly understand what they are protesting or the potential long-term outcome of their outrage.
All of us are affected by this and it’s hard not to be. Mass formations — essentially, mob psychological states — are forming from every angle, on every side, and on so many subjects. The net result can be anxiety and depression — both of which are rampant today. It’s in the air — in the “stew” we’re embedded in, to use the language from my book Living in Synchrony. We are energetic beings after all, and these are intense energies we’re experiencing.
There are many ways to cope with this. One is to turn it all off. Shut off the media. Go out in nature. Focus on the day-to-day. Watch and read only “feel good” content. Meditate. Listen to calming music. I try to do this myself.
But there is another way: to trust that there is a grand plan, even at a global scale. We just don’t see or understand it. From the standpoint of our own personal lives, we may call it trusting in God’s plan. Faith. But can we do this on a global or societal level too?
Lately, I’ve been trying to. In meditation I received the phrase: “the grand plan.” Then I started thinking about what this plan could be. My own strategy is to focus on long term patterns, not day-to-day media events. If you try to do this, you will notice various alignments occurring. Maybe even splits into possible futures for our planet. These alignments are not only political and cultural, but also more spiritual in nature. For example: faith vs. atheism, natural vs. artificial, the human vs. the machine.
These developments can be scary. But if you are able to build some kind of internal trust that there is a grand plan, equanimity can be more easily reached. Just like the body operates in ways that no doctor or alternative healer can fully understand, so does this great big world we’re living in. Keep your mind and heart open. Allow for surprises and new information — don’t just ignore it or shut it out. Pull yourselves out of social media rabbit holes and resist click-bait. Notice when you are being pulled into the maelstrom, into some kind of outrage. Even if it’s addictive, it doesn’t truly feel good deep down inside, does it? Besides, such content was most likely curated by AI algorithms that were designed to know that you, personally, would be sucked in. Resist being manipulated in this way. Question everything. Use discernment.
Trust your heart, not your head. Forgive yourself and others. Everyone, even your supposed “enemy,” is usually just doing their best they can from within their own framework. Have faith that there is some kind of grand plan at work for all of us.
