Coping with Fear and Uncertainty

We are now in the reflective phase after the intensity of the Wesak full moon and the New York and given the current world circumstances there is much indeed to reflect on. This rather wonderful poem by Wendell Berry called The Peace of Wild Things came to my attention recently when a friend of mine set up a share a daily poem to uplift us during these difficult times of Lockdown. It reads:

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

This poem reminds us of how many people in the world today are striving to cope with the uncertainty of life due to the Corona Virus and its impact on daily living circumstances. The effects on family life and the economy have been dramatic and the uncertainty and suffering it has created will no doubt persist for the foreseeable future. Many people are living in fear of what the future holds for themselves and their families. 

As light workers, we have an awareness of the bigger picture, of the Plan, and we therefore have, perhaps, less fear, for we understand that destruction, bringing change and uncertainty, is a necessary part of clearing that which stands in the way of the new incoming Aquarian energies. Energies that will bring into being an Age based on the qualities of cooperation, sharing and brotherhood. There are those who are in some part relieved that the constant demand for economic growth with its devastating effects on the natural world (a world that is so important for humanity’s mental, emotional and physical health) has at long last been halted, even if only momentarily, and some indeed who hope that things won’t ever get back to normal, which is contrary perhaps to the desire of many in the world. 

Corona Virus has led to a worldwide withdrawing, where countries are toughening their borders, restricting movement, tracking people using technology and where some nations have started to question their current reliance on international trade for essentials such as food.  This when looked at in the context of the backlash against globalisation that preceded Covid 19 which included the increasing nationalism and far-right populism that was, and is, so evident in many countries; trade wars and isolationism that has been growing; issues such as Brexit and bids for independence that are being seen around the world, one could consider that humanity may well be regressing, moving further away from the ideals of the New Age. 

It is worth pondering however, on the nature of the global world as it exists today and what it has been based on. We could perhaps say that exploitation has been the key word. It is a word used commonly when discussing international trade, the ‘exploitation of new markets’, ‘exploiting natural resources and low-cost labour’, for example. Globalisation has been built on exploitation and while there have been benefits such as, increasing standards of living for the majority, greater global interdependence that has encouraged cooperation between nations, the reality is that self-interest has been the motivating factor. So perhaps the current circumstances are necessary to bring about a withdrawal, a much-needed pause, and an opportunity to think about the realities of our global world, a time for a re-evaluation of values and intentions. Is it possible perhaps that a move towards a global world could then begin again, but this time on a higher turn of the spiral where it works for everyone, for all nations? When nations humbly recognise what they can contribute to the whole, rather than exploit, all can benefit and we take a step further to manifesting the Plan on earth. 

Some may see this as unlikely given humanity’s propensity to overcome crisis and return to its materialistic vision with ease. However, it is important to maintain the vision of a better and kinder global world, for this vision will, and is, precipitating into the minds of the human family stimulating the desire for change. 

Of course, we all have to deal with the uncertainty that has become an increasing part of our lives. And the poem’s words bring an awareness of the power of nature in aiding us in coping with this. Nature lives constantly in the moment, it has no capacity to ponder on consequences, relive past nightmares, or worry about the future. Even the animal kingdom, our closest relatives, do not suffer in the same way as we do. Our mental suffering is due to the development of certain aspects of the lower mind, such as anticipation, memory, imagination, the power to visualise, remorse, and the inherent urge to reach out after divinity, which brings with it a sense of loss and of failure. 

So, immersing ourselves in nature helps to soothe our minds and hearts, as its grace and immediacy permeates our living being. And, even those who in the great cities and towns who have no, or limited, contact with nature can access it through the wonderful programmes on the natural world that we see on TV. Perhaps not a substitute for the real thing, but it does bring a sense of wonder and awe at nature’s power and beauty and its importance to all life on earth. 

Triangles workers also have a part to play in providing comfort and solace to those who are struggling with fear. Not only do we work on the mental plane to create channels for the energies of light and love that can permeate human minds encouraging the healing energies of goodwill and right human relations, but we strive to hold this vision of a better and kinder world before others, the reality that there is a divine Plan in the process of manifestation and that all will be well in the end. And it is our own ability to detach from the uncertainty of the times, to focus on the joy and subtlety of the moment, that we stand as beacons of the soul’s grace, a light that lifts and raises others. It is this ability to ‘rest in the grace of the world’ and be free, using the words of the poem, that we then become examples of the Plan and a signpost for a more loving future.