The Coronavirus has shaken us up and its impacts are far-flung. Given the level of panic and fear that is pervading the planet, I find it helpful to take a 35,000-foot view of this phenomenon to see what may be at work on a symbolic level or at “a higher plane.”
Here is my take:
When there is a plague in this area, symbolically it means that there is something unhealthy about the way we are relating to “the All” – our relationship with the Divine and perceiving humanity as one global community. It also impacts the lungs – a place near the heart related to holding grief, according to Chinese medicine. So the Coronavirus reveals our collective weakness and sadness that we are not relating to all others with heart and respect.
In Latin, the word “Corona” means “crown,” and refers to a ring of light. In the field of human energy, this relates to the crown of the head and is associated with the part of each of us that is connected to “All.”
American Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, reminds us that the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Clean Air and Water Acts were all established in the early 1970s as a result of seeing earth from space for the first time in history. The pictures sent back to earth showed us that the boundaries of countries and politically separated territories that we cherish with pride were indistinguishable from space, and we were moved to find ways to support the health of the whole planet.
Through technology, we have the capacity to recognize the power of our interconnectedness, allowing us to organize as fast as a flash mob; find a like-minded friend thousands of miles away, or change mindsets through a tweet. We have choices – both individually and collectively – on how we want to utilize that power.
In recent years, our politics focuses on separation, determining who is in and who stays out; who is richer and who is poorer; who is worthy of help and who is unworthy. Messages abound that we must defend what is “ours” and build protection around it, emphasizing a sense of fragmentation and disconnection. This contrasts with the truth of our crown …that we are one whole, human family.
Quantum Physics tells us that we are all energy beings. We create matter by repeating a thought, harboring a belief, adding emotion to the thought and belief, and repeating the pattern until what we focus on “matters” to us. The more we focus on something, the more it is real to us.
Olympians practice this principle by repeatedly imagining their path to peak performance and the gold medal. By the simple decision to prioritize others’ faults rather than choosing to see their gifts and contributions, we can create a whole reality and set of “truths” around that decision. Neuroscience informs us that our brains cannot distinguish between what we repeat in our minds and “the truth” of what is happening on the outside.
David Cooperrider, founder of Appreciative Inquiry, says that “we grow in the direction we most persistently ask questions about.” If we ask “what’s wrong?” we will soon learn more about what’s wrong. If we ask, “what is the most powerful and positive aspect of what is happening?” then we learn more about that.
The Coronavirus is no different. As threat and fear pervade, the virus spreads. I am not at all suggesting that we should ignore the virus or wish it away in our minds. When the planetary collective determines what is true, it becomes a powerful influencing force.
However, we are at liberty to ask: “What is the most powerful and positive aspect of what is happening with this phenomenon?” What is the Coronavirus teaching us?
We could say that the way the Coronavirus acts and spreads is guiding us back to the truth of our oneness. The Virus does not distinguish race or ethnicity, country of origin, privileged or underprivileged, religion or gender. No one can buy their way to a solution or determine how the virus will impact him. In this situation, we are all one.
Many reactions to the virus are based on the fear of contracting it. Interestingly, a skilled intuitive can perceive fear in a person’s energy field because it appears as a “contraction” of light. However, even in our fear-based reactions, we are learning several important aspects of the crown:
- Getting Grounded: Coronavirus has people limiting or abandoning flights. Sometimes we take flight to get away from something or move to a more interesting and/comfortable place. Constant flight can unground our sense of home and cut us off from our own sense of wholeness, which we may then use as a basis for the way we treat others. Many of my colleagues who spend a good deal of time in the air tell me they are greatly relieved to have a break and find their ground for a while.
- Returning to relationship: the Virus has compelled many people to accept quarantine or to “self-quarantine,” and in many cases, workplaces are shutting down without a known return date. This means that families or housemates must find ways to be in relationship on an everyday, persistent basis. There is a skill and practice to “staying” in relationship when things get challenging. Listening more deeply to our loved ones builds character and wisdom, helping us better understand them and ourselves.
- Caring for each other: The Virus insists that we become more conscious of each other. We may look around to protect ourselves from someone who appears ill. We also understand that we may unknowingly carry the virus and impact someone else. Our mutuality becomes conscious.
- Becoming sensitive to the vulnerable: The Virus gives us an opportunity to remember that our cough or even poor hygiene is more likely to impact someone who has more fragile health than our own. Our recent politics have suggested we disregard the vulnerable – and put more power and wealth into the pockets of those who are least vulnerable. The virus is re-sensitizing us to the experiences of others.
- Creating collective reality out of the Unknown: Since no one on the planet has “the answer” to this challenge, the Virus compels us to pull together, across all the boundaries we have created to set us apart from others, and find our way in the unknown. Together our creativity can flourish as we build a new map of reality that becomes a blueprint for the future.
I have heard some people compare the Coronavirus to the plague, referring to its devastation. I think of it as my and perhaps humanity’s wake up call, with an invitation to focus through our hearts, release our grief over separation and the loneliness it creates, and reclaim the power of our crown.