The Tumultuous Upgrade or – Coping with Covid from a spiritual perspective
This a harrowing time. I am sending you so much love and sympathy during this time of extreme pressure and challenge. I am in the midst of the Los Angeles version of the spread of the Corona Virus. I’m sure wherever you are, you have been on the roller coaster too. Right now in LA, we are on ‘Safer at Home Orders’, meaning — don’t go out except for essentials and exercise with six feet of social distancing between you. The naval Hospital ship ‘Mercy’ docked last week, with 1000 hospital beds. The mayor closed all the hiking trails and all the beaches. Extraordinary measures are in place everywhere around us.
Amidst the flurry of activity of the two weeks leading up to the Spring Equinox, I have felt disbelief, been in tears, been stressed, angry, helpless, and then amazed. My usual ability to stay calm and be at peace went out the window when faced with the empty shelves at the giant supermarkets near where I live. Crikey! (as we say down under)! Panic set in for a few days. Now I am back to balance in a ‘new normal’ sort of amped adrenalin way, after not using, then absolutely having to use my tools this week. I share them with you too here as an offering to assist during this time.
The toilet paper hoarding going on everywhere is deeply symbolic. The root of our being (where waste leaves our body) is the seat of our physical body and the place where we connect to the Earth. It is a first chakra (or root) dilemma we are facing — that of our very survival. Through the disruption of our patterns, we are getting triggered and activated and what is truly unlivable as a society is becoming obvious. Our deep psychological stuff is coming up and we are having complex emotional reactions to what is going on. This is actually normal. Lets have compassion for that. “Let other people’s reaction to this be personal and complicated” says Lee Harris.
Equinox is a time when we are usually aware of balance and it is almost impossible at this time. This newsletter could actually be called ‘The Tumultuous Upgrade’ :). In one fell swoop, we have moved from spending time in the wider world/work world to our domestic environments, shifting from our external to our internal resources. Who is our support network? Our closest family? How do we cope? How are our survival needs being met (or not)? Do we have money, food, emotional support? If we have no internal resources to rely on, it has become very clear. Can we develop them now? Is it a relationship with Spirit you need, or a practice of creativity? Slowing your life waaaay down? All of these questions will get answered as this crisis moves through its stages. Our true human spirit is being revealed along with our real needs.
Most amazing though, is that woven through the fear and pain is the incredible sense of worldwide unity going on. I have felt many communities in oneness, and a connection with the divine, but this is the first time in my life I have felt part of ONE people. I was moved to tears at the grocery store as I saw worker after worker cope graciously with freaked out shoppers. They were so clearly in service to their fellow man. I have had family and so many friends check in on me to see if I am OK and the men in my life especially, making sure I had what I needed. And for those of us on the Sacred Union path, its been thrilling to see the divine masculine showing up. The Mayor of LA gave an extraordinary address (here) last Sunday, and Mayor Cuomo of New York same thing I hear. Perhaps the most touching of all though was this post from a man I don’t know on Facebook. ‘Women: If you are single and feeling a bit wobbly right now, please reach out to me or another man you know. We are here to be your rock — to be the place you can lean into and share your feelings, your fears, and your knowings/not knowings…’ see more of his heart nourishing letter here. Just as the beautiful image above suggests, when the Masculine and Feminine overlap, unity is born.
Comm-unity is the medicine, now and all during this time. Someone was playing ‘You’re goddam right its a beautiful day’ as I walked outside into the garden this morning for the first day of Spring. It was deliberately loud enough so that the neighbors could hear. I’m feeling enormous gratitude for things I previously took for granted, and for the sunshine and the plants and the flowers all smiling at me, just as they have always done, only this time I really noticed them.
Ever optimistic astrologer, Rob Brezny coined the term ‘The Tumultuous Upgrade’ that I used above. His advice is ‘take advantage of this Disruptive Cure to transform your philosophy of life and your relationship to humanity’s greater good. ie. Use this crisis as an opportunity to deepen your understanding of how profoundly interconnected we all are. Respond to it by upgrading the way you take care of yourself, the people you love, and our natural world.’
Aho.