Fill in the blank: Political/social turmoil invites XXXX. Despair, action, anger, name-calling, frustration, peace, searching, righteousness?

The prompt for this writing is a friend reached out to me, saying in part, ‘I’m praying …that the federal government hears and sees what thousands of peaceful protesters are saying….’ Followed by ‘any tips for navigating this?’

Hate spews hate, and love spews love, and light dissipates darkness. Our thoughts, words and actions create ripples. Thoughts can turn negative, leaving us with a sense of hopelessness.

Words from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, delivered during the Davos summit less than a week ago, paint a potential reality:  ‘We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition… it means naming reality. …It means acting consistently, applying the same standards to allies and rivals.’

And I pause here, letting that idea of applying the same standards to all be breathed in. The issue is not the people behind shields who are acting on what they believe to be actions that support democracy. The issue is not that thousands of people disagree, and they too are acting to support democracy. The issue is that we are applying different standards to those on whatever ‘side’ we lean towards, or, often, stand firmly in. And when this happens we cannot see there is room for many views. (I am NOT condoning actions that result in death, maiming, and violence.)

In Buddhism there is an approach called the middle way. It is present in some form in most religions. This recognizes that the pendulum of change – both internal and external – can be wide arcing and we are invited to BE the balance in between.

How can we BE balance and peace amid turmoil?

First a practice, and then considerations with the disclaimer that I, too, am seeking peace and love, compassion and open-heart, in the midst of turmoil.

There is a practice called ‘The Power of 8’ based on a book written by Lynne McTaggart, that underscores the idea of holding collective intention. This video gives a brief overview and the idea is summarized here. ‘Selfless intention invites us to get over ourselves, brings profound personal transformations, and tap into what the ancients knew.

This practice, designed to be done consistently with groups of 8 or larger, can also be powerful when several people hold the same intention periodically throughout the week, ongoing week after week. A friend of mine, who is more steeped in this practice, will be sharing this more broadly, planning to offer live Zooms weekly. I will share this option when it becomes available.

Consider the intention: We see all worthy of love, peace and compassion. Starting with ourselves, we trust love to transform and all thoughts, words and actions to be Divinely *guided.

*or any word of your choice

I’ve created a 10-minute video to support us in this approach. There is a chime at the beginning, at 5 minutes, and at end, upon which you may take some breaths, notice any changes, and carry forth into the day. While Lynne has more parameters for the practice, its essence is simple. Hold the intention for 10 minutes – weekly or more frequently.

Other possible approaches include:

Limit the amount and source of your news. Social media is biased based on your algorithm, design to serve up what you like. Two sources that I suggest, available without subscription, are:

All Sides

The Week

Time in nature, sitting quietly, ‘morning pages’ whereby you write any thoughts coming up for 4 pages, are all practices that help reside in the middle way. Yoga Nidra – a guided meditation  (here’s one option: the $10 app from Kamini Desai  is my go-to), consciously feeling the body and connecting to breath with gentle movement are additional practices that can move us from thinking into being. I have two classes a week online for this, plus a whole library of options, from 3 – 90 minutes, under the Being Well offering.

I also find the act of calling my senator and representative weekly, expressing my position and asking for action I’d like each to take, to feel appropriate.

Starting each morning, upon waking, by breathing in peace consciously with the invitation to live peacefully. 'Today is going to be a peaceful day. Today I chose peace. ' Sometimes this is repeated throughout the day.

We each will find our own approach to anchoring in the middle way… and some moments we will swing erratically.  We can choose to develop practices – those suggested or what we find works for us, and there are hundreds of other options – so the arc becomes less erratic and can feel more balanced and harmonious.

From that place, action may be invited. And we act, from a loving, compassionate and peace filled approach.

Written by Rhonda Vroman

(Sans AI. So, extra grace for grammatical errors and typos)🙃

The picture is of the tectonic plates in Iceland, taken July 2024, and serve to illustrate the place in the middle, we can sometimes reside.