The world is shaking right now. And it’s a BIG SHAKE. As uncomfortable as this is, it’s an opportunity to make a quantum leap in consciousness by awakening to that in us which cannot be shaken. This aspect of us is often referred to as the ground of being. It’s the deeper essence of who we are that is ever calm, still, peaceful and undisturbed. If we’ve already discovered this ground, this is an opportunity to grow deeper roots, to become more established in the ground of our being. Like a mighty white oak tree whose deep roots keep it anchored to withstand winds and storms, we can become so rooted in our deeper being that we are able to move through times of challenge with less disturbance, greater equanimity. Once we’ve become more connected to the ground of our being, we are not only better able to weather storms, we also recover much more quickly from the situations and reactions that occur.  
 
In each of us there is this ever-present reality, this ground of being that is always undisturbed. Unlike the turbulent, ever-changing world, this ground is unchanging and stable. When we return to this ground, we begin to move into resonance with this frequency of stillness. In my experience, there is nothing more calming than this.
 
The surface or form level of experience – body, mind, emotions, experience, world – is always changing and by its nature, unstable. If we can connect with the constancy of the stillness of our being, we can be less disturbed by what is unfolding on the surface. It’s very much like an ocean: waves on the surface but an undisturbed foundation deeper down.
 
There are many ways to touch this ground. You can begin by taking your attention from the surface, from fearful thoughts or news reports for a moment. That is the beginning of moving deeper. Then use the body to help you go deeper by bringing your attention into your feet. You are getting more rooted. Then pause thoughts and actions for a moment. In that pause you can touch the stillness of your being, the deepest part of you.
 
The other important point to note is that this is a time that demands we be very conscious about our choices in each moment, especially where we place our attention. If we focus on fearful thoughts, scary what-if scenarios, or put too much attention on news reports, we begin to enter the “Big Shake”. We start shaking with the shaky world. However, if we choose to focus on what calms us, to come back to the ground, we can step outside of the fear and tune into the peace that is always present in the deep.
 
What are you feeding now: fear or calm? Are you focusing on the surface turbulence, or are you touching the stable ground in you that is calm, undisturbed, still and silent? It’s your choice. Choose wisely. The world needs us to hold steady, to be the stable ground under the chaos.  

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Greetings Heart Friends,
I would like to speak about the waves of fear moving through the collective, and offer some free online meditations to help calm the turbulence.

As we all know, fear is powerful. Once it gets hold of us, it can be challenging to shake it off. Fear triggers our survival patterns which makes it more challenging to meet situations calmly. It also obscures our clarity and makes it more challenging to tune into our intuition. With so much fear in our collective psyche, it is important to develop skill in working with fear both reactively and proactively.

Working with fear reactively means having techniques for responding to fear when it arises in the moment. The proactive approach is where we take steps to prevent fear from entering our consciousness. 

One of the best ways to prevent fear from moving in is to join together in a field of peace, such as in group meditation. When we enter into a shared experience of peacefulness, it multiplies and deepens in each of us. For that reason, I'm offering a series of free online meditations, starting on March 20 (details here).

For working with fear in the moment, try the process included below. it's very simple yet can powerfully shift your experience from fear to calm.

Peaceful blessings,
Karen

Simple process for dealing with fear.

1. Notice when fear is present.
   
2. Immediately stop or pause what you are doing. Don't let the fear go undetected or unmet as that gives it a chance to grow.
3. Locate where the fear is in your body. This will immediately begin to shift your experience as it will take you out of your head. It is in the mind that fear can increase.
4. Breathe into the energy of fear in this part of your body as if you could enter it with the breath. Inhabit the fear as an energetic experience. On the out-breath, make space for the energy.
5. Do your best to stay out of thinking and instead abide in your embodied experience. This will help the fear energy to release.
6. As the fear discharges, take a moment to ground down to your feet, then do some movement such as shaking out your arms and legs to release any excess energy.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 as needed.