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| One of many of our statues of Quan Yin, who is the embodiment of compassion. Photo by Molly Some Thoughts On Compassion and Wisdom and Love |
In the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump's life, I've been experiencing deep sadness and grief. I am conscious of how unhealed pain and trauma permeates so much of our world — and how it is that we are all impacted. There are so many layers. And there is more...
Being humbly honest and human, I also own that — among my very first reactions after hearing about the shooting — there was this part of me that wished this tragic and deeply wounded 20 year old had been successful. This thought, this part of me, was young and frightened and wanting there to be a quick and easy solution to the perils we all find ourselves in today. I am also aware that this younger part of myself is not the core of who I am.
And, of course, there is no quick fix to decades and hundreds of years and more that have brought us to the precipice where we now stand. There is evidence of collapse all around us. And it took me only a moment to remember this and to be conscious of how it is that the former president is but a symptom of something so much larger than this one deeply wounded man.
In the midst of so much that is swirling around that is disturbing and painful and incredibly hard to see and hold, I also affirm that there is a ground swelling of courage, of love, of activism and consciousness and truth, and of compassion and wisdom and awakening. Both are happening simultaneously — this collapse of the old and this newer growing body of human beings doing the deeper work individually and collectively to awaken from our long slumber.
It is a lot, this taking on of colonial white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. These systems have long permeated our culture, our politics and mainstream media, our educational and criminal justice systems, our religious institutions, our communities and families, our own bodies and hearts and minds. And there is something incredibly freeing in seeing this, in coming out of denial and disassociation and projections onto others of its all the fault of those Others. Because dehumanizing other humans never serves a higher good for anyone. Instead, we simply become mirrors for that which so frightens and disturbs and horrifies us.
The inner reflects the outer. It is challenging to not become a mirror reflecting back harm. But we can catch ourselves and intervene when these old parts emerge and choose more wisely how to respond internally and outwardly in the world.
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Lately I have been devouring the teachings of so many who embody unmistakable wisdom, compassion, and love. And who, despite great odds, do not cease in striving for deeper understanding, healing, awareness, truth, and compassion. As I absorb more and more, I experience the connections and how it is that all these seemingly different aspects of healing and consciousness are actually all intertwined and interrelated. The voices and forces of truth, of humility and courage, of growth and evolution, of beauty and love are truly all around us. And within us.
Whether I am looking at those with great integrity who are speaking about political matters, the climate crisis, war and dehumanization, the mindbody connection, how we get sick and how we can heal, and so much more — it is all connected. All connected to truth, to empowering and strengthening ourselves, to wisdom and compassion and love.
Again and again there is this return to Self and the embodiment of Love. This Self within us has always been there and cannot be wounded or damaged. We can, however, lose touch with ourSelves or live with an impaired connection with the truth of who we are. I know that one well having lived for many years with disassociation and addictions and many other faces of unaddressed trauma. And, all of this can be embraced, healed, and radically transformed.
Which is what I believe these times ask of us — to bring forth more and more of our Self. And here I am speaking to our individual Self and our collective Self — the Sacred Essence which exists within all of life. Because it is only to the extent that we are healing and awakening that we grow tender and strong enough to hold and act upon in helpful ways what is happening all around us and within us.
The good news is that more and more of us are doing exactly that. And from this place of deep and ever growing wisdom, compassion, and love we can grow and evolve in what it is that we bring to our human and nonhuman Earthly family. We are all needed. May we heal. May our hearts remain open. May we know the beauty of our own true nature.
Several recent resources, in no particular order, which I am finding helpful and some of which might also speak to you:
When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection by Gabor Maté — https://www.amazon.com/When-Body-Says-Understanding-Stress-Disease/dp/0470923350
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness With The Internal Family Systems Model by Richard Schwartz — https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681
Sacred Medicine: A Doctor's Quest to Unravel the Mysteries of Healing by Lissa Rankin — https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Medicine-Doctors-Unravel-Mysteries/dp/1683647424
Cured: Strengthen Your Immune System and Heal Your Life by Jeffrey Rediger — https://www.amazon.com/Cured-Strengthen-Your-Immune-System/dp/1250193192
How the Fragmented Self Becomes Whole Through IFS (video) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmRfP-gAZBk
Becoming Our Compassionate Self (video) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PMPjVOTknE
Rethinking Addiction (video - which disputes addiction as disease and more) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5meU_-EnVk
I would also recommend any video online by any of these doctors, authors, therapists — there are many! As we heal ourselves, we heal our world. 🙏
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