May 2007

For me, this spring has felt more like struggling against a current than a joyous explosion of light.

Living close to the Petawawa army base means the fear and stress of war and terrorism in the world is very tangible, and as close as the anxious mother and child beside me in the grocery line. The question, lately, is how to stay in the light when the darkness seems to be creeping in.

I remember first reading the term ‘light worker’ and feeling it held some key to my life purpose and, ultimately, the purpose of each of us. The world is full of creative abundant life energy, referred to here as ‘light’, but there is an enormous amount of fear in the world right now, being generated by us two-leggeds, that propels us to compete with and hurt each other, rather than working together.

Decades later I can see that I have taken on the task of being a ‘light worker’ and woven it into the fabric of my life. The decisions I make on a daily basis in terms of what foods I eat, what friendships I nurture, which books I read are weighted against how they will hinder or enhance my capacity to be more loving. This is the task for each of us, and this spring it appeared to be more work than usual.

So here are some strategies that emerged for staying positive and focused:

– Eating, resting and playing well is extremely important. Staying positive can come from many sources, but when your usual positive feedbacks are feeling deflated a little too often, The Secret video is a great way to get pumped up again. It is a great pep rally, reminding us of what we already know, and to not lose sight of the law of attraction; what you think becomes real. If you think about peace, if you visualize peace, if you are in alignment with receiving peace, the universe will send you peace.

– Within the context of being aware, daily, of the troops in Afghanistan, it was also good to be reminded in the video that by focusing on the ‘War on Terror’, we are feeding the fear. If we believe there is terrorism we help to create it by believing in it. Likewise if we focus fear on Global Warming we will feed it. I want us to stay focused on the environment, but instead of feeling fear, imagine holding an image of us all living respectfully with each other, sharing in the Earth’s abundance. This feeds the desired outcome and sends an image out into the Universe other people can also feed energetically and, ultimately, effect and create that change.

So I began focusing on peace. Within weeks of this refocusing, e-mails and phone calls started to come in from different groups within the county, who were forming in order to work together to promote the local economy. One group is committed to finding and distributing food that is grown or produced  within 100 miles. This Ottawa Valley Food Co-op meets once a month and is finding farmers and producers who can supply consumers within the co-op area. My garden is relatively small and personal, but I would love to expand it and grow arugula and cilantro for others in the group. I signed up.

There is milk and cheese and fruit and honey and organic meats, eggs, veggies, and great herb teas of course. Biodiesel is even a possibility. This way we reduce our carbon footprint, while supporting each other in the Ottawa Valley. When we can put a face to the person who grew the heritage variety of carrots we are eating for dinner, we create circles of inclusion, rather than those hierarchies that separate and isolate the producer and the consumer.

As I dug in the garden today and drank in the warm smells of the vibrant earth and the green shoots, I was reminded that by connecting with nature we expand our personal circles into much larger circles of opportunity. I sang to the plants that were breaking through the mulch to face the sun. In turn I thought about the diversity of plants in the flowerbed, and how they had the will and courage to move through the dark soil toward the nourishing light of the sun, the source of all physical life. And the sun returned its love to the up-turned plants.

I then visualized the sun touching the heart of each person on the earth, easing their fears, their anger, and their aloneness. Each heart opened, unafraid now of the opportunity that life was presenting to them; each heart radiated with joy and gratitude for the love that poured though them. Hmmm. Bring on the Light!