This has been a difficult month for many people throughout the world.
Whether your land has been buffeted by hurricanes like Houston, Dominica, Puerto Rico, or Key West, or shaken down by an earthquake like Mexico or Japan, we’ve all been affected in some way by the winds and earth that unite us all.
Yogis talk about the concept of Ishvara Pranidhana – the knowledge that there is a divine spark within each of us. Events like these serve to remind us that we each walk upon the same earth and gaze up at the same sky.
As life and business coach Christopher Gayle said, “The Universe is reminding us that we are all one organism. You hurt one of us, you hurt us all. You help one person, and you help all people.”
It’s may be hard to take the big view if you’ve lost somebody who’s an intrinsic part of your everyday. When the feelings of grief and loss are not abstract but visceral emotions you are swimming in, you need to give yourself the space necessary to experience and express those emotions. The Tonglen meditation described in the above linked post is helpful for integrating these feelings and sending compassion to others who also grieve.
If, like me, you’re watching these events from afar and wanting desperately to help, then I have a meditation for you.
Of course, there are millions of charities to send cash money or physical donations to, and I encourage you to do that if you’re able.
We also have a very effective toolbox that will send peaceful energy to those who need it.
One tool we can use to heal ourselves and others is a One World Meditation.
Find a comfortable seat and allow the churning of your mind and emotions to calm as you focus on your breath.
Once calm, focus on a person or location where you’d like to send your energy. If you practice reiki, you may use the appropriate reiki symbols to which you are attuned. Otherwise, focus on sending feelings of peace and love too the person or place your focusing on.
After spending some time focusing on one person or place, allow your focus to grow outward, encompassing a larger geographic area and affecting more people.
Send these people your compassion and prayers, and then allow your awareness to expand out again.
Do this until you can visualize holding the whole world in your hands. Feel the heart of the earth pulsing within you, and the life force that connects us all. Know that the prayers you send out are acting on a subtle yet powerful level, infusing all with a sense of peace.
You may do this meditation alone or with a group.