It seems a funny thing to me, this phrase “Happy Memorial Day.” I mean, when people say it, they seem to mean it as a blessing or somehow wishing us well by it. But I have trouble with the phrase: I don’t see it as a happy thing to remember casualties of war. I feel sadness first. They certainly deserve remembrance, honor and respect. What troubles me is the word “happy.” What is happy about the war dead? What is happy about war? What is happy about government officials, safe in their offices, sending young women and men to protect the interests of multinational corporations, half-hearted service to other countries, or to save face in the name of national security? My main point here is not to try to discern justified from unjustifiable military action, but to question the notion that there’s anything “happy” about it – except maybe those who profit in some way from them. But there’s nothing “happy” about that either.

And then to make it a marketing tool as well: to “celebrate” Memorial Day as if we would want more of them, and at a reduced price. Not that I don’t take advantage of sales at any of our national retail holidays, but it still feels crass, like their sacrifices are being debased to a sales gimmick.

If we really want to honor those who served and those who died in that service, I would think we would do everything possible to establish the peace that we claim wars are to ensure, and to make those ideals of “liberty and justice for all” more than a cliché.

So, perhaps it could be a happy thing if the ends we thought were being served by their service came to fruition. In any case, I honor their embodiment of not only an ideal, but also the day-to-day, front-line presence to which they gave their lives. May you have a Memorial Day of deep reflection and honest gratitude.

In the late 60s I attended the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Psychology was my area of study, but I was interested in all things of the mind during this time of ferment with conflicts over racism, war, the draft, weapons of mass destruction, and riots. Among the turmoil, there was a thriving community exploring new and old approaches to spirituality through bodywork, yoga, meditation, ancient wisdom, astrology, the paranormal and entheogens. There were Rosicrucian, Liberal Catholic and Theosophical activities and a commune in a beautiful old mansion (that later included complimentary healthcare offices where I shared an office with another practitioner). The Aquarian Age Bookstore on Charles Street offered a wide spectrum of books and items spanning ancient wisdom to the New Age. The AUM Esoteric Studies Center offered various kinds of classes, including studies in symbology presented by notable artist Bob Hieronimus.

Bob painted symbol-rich murals on walls (like in the Johns Hopkins Levering Hall that was restored a couple of years ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=46&v=MLkjzg3Q6PA). His murals were also found on the outside of buildings, giving a striking ancient presence to old Baltimore. And then there was the VW beetle and a VW bus – the Light Bus, named for a rock band called “Light.” (The bus was in front of the stage at Woodstock in 1969.) Bob’s work was sometimes incorrectly seen as psychedelic, but had a depth reflected in its expressions of archetypal motifs. It had meaning and, for some of us, it was part of a prophetic thread that ran from the depths of time through our then-current social struggles and into our hopes for a better future.

Over the following decades of my life, some of that youthful hope and enthusiasm for what might be possible in an enlightened society faded under family responsibilities and development of a career. And it has been discouraging to see so many of the same issues still unresolved 50 years later – progress, yes, resolution, no.

Similarly, over the decades, the bus was lost. Now, half a century later, however, came the call to resurrect it. A search for the original bus was not successful, but a suitable substitute was found and has been repainted like the original. (You can find pictures on Facebook at “Woodstock Bus.”) I found out about the renewal project through a Kickstarter drive to which I contributed with great excitement. It sparked something long dormant inside of me. But why did I care about an old painted bus?

I realized that something in me had been lost over those years since the 1960s: hope, optimism, connection to the wisdom that transcended transient cultures, along with expectations of a better world beyond war and governmental corruption. Yes, the 60s was a time of unrest with war, confrontation, racism, assassinations, hippies, revolution in cultural mores, but the future still looked promising. We had hopes that things could be better, would be better.

Fifty years have gone by now and I may have a more nuanced view of light and dark, but something very ancient remains alive in many of us and the Light Bus has become a worthy expression of it. At this stage of my life, I find the archetypal struggle between light and darkness to be about revelation and evolution, rather than revolutionary conquest.

The Second Coming of the Light Bus has been just in time for me. Something lost in me has been restored by its re-appearance. Many thanks to Bob and company.

Sometimes it feels like I grew up and began my career in the schools in a golden age of education. That was in 1973. Our foremost concern was how to educate children of all abilities and to help them prepare for the world. Attention was turning to students with special needs. New programs were being developed. Laws and regulations were put in place to attempt to assure an appropriate education for all students. Schools were continuing to be integrated. There was respect for and an understanding of science and its methods.

It was far from perfect, of course. Then (as now) those in positions of power were not always competent or qualified to manage better-educated staff. Ways could be found to work around regulations for expedience. Much was yet to be discovered about autism and other neurobiological differences. The county in which I worked in Maryland had two parent organizations that were against having counselors in the schools, afraid they would undermine the family. But education was still our primary concern. (Perhaps I was more naïve then, too.)

We did not have to worry so much about security, the proliferation of weapons of death, adverse impacts of social media, the politicization of education to promote archaic ideologies, the machinations of wealthy special interests trying to create hordes of ignorant citizens through pseudo-science and denying the realities of genuine science. Now, however, nothing seems too extreme in attempts by special interests to undo expectations of equality, realities of science, and needs for emotional intelligence. We see outright schemes for privatization and for-profit institutions. The unthinkable and unreasonable have been put into platforms of major political parties where everything is to be made a tool of the moneyed class and 18^th century ideologies.

I’m glad to not be returning to the new environment of education, but I have the utmost respect and admiration for the educators who now wrestle with larger and more socially-complex issues than I had to face in those earlier years.

To the teachers and support staff, I salute you. Never forget the spark that made you want to make a positive difference in the lives of children. Your work is important.

On Sunday, August 12, I delivered the following talk during services at Unity North Spiritual Center. Like one of my previous posts, it deals with not becoming like that which troubles us.

The Times in Which We Live

It’ll be no surprise if I say we live in strange and stressful times with fractious politics, unsolved societal problems and hostile tribalism. Still, most of us have most of what we need, and we have much for which we are grateful. And we have each other. But still, we are faced with the unpleasantness that comes to us in the news, in social media and sometimes in the complaining rants of some of our family and friends. It reminds me of part of a poem that goes this way:

 

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

 

It sounds like today, but this was written nearly a hundred years ago by William Butler Yeats – and we seem to have survived what was going on then.

These stresses have become almost a way of life for us, as well as tools for political manipulation, and manufactured outrage to stir up fear and anger against some real or imagined threat. It’s easy to be distracted, angry, upset, disillusioned, confused, defeated, helpless – so easy, at least for me, to sometimes become absorbed into that which I find objectionable. It absorbs my attention and takes over what’s in my head.

Most of us have some way to get out of such states, whether that is meditation, prayer, HeartMath, entertainment, physical activities, engaging in something we love, going into the woods, coming here for inspiration – and it usually works, for a while.

We try to hold to our beliefs to help keep us on track, yet there’s always the seduction into unpleasantness – and we want to fight.

I often want to withdraw and find a retreat on a mountain, to get away from it all. Of course, we don’t have mountains here in Minnesota like those where I used to live in Maryland. I went there so often, my children called it “Daddy’s Mountain.”

As tempting as it is to stay out of such struggles, we cannot escape the consequences of them for they affect how we live, what is in our consciousness, what our children inherit, what populations get made into second-class citizens, and which vulnerable citizens we are willing to sacrifice for some ideology.

In that attempt to escape, what is it that we really want? Well, I want to re-attune to the depth of the spirit in me, indulge in the brightness of the teachings of our great thinkers, and to immerse myself in nature’s embrace.

But I’m left with the question: what is the impact on us to have to even struggle with such things – and by such things I mean the troubles of the world, as well as our own reactions and consciousness?

The Impact of Stress

I’ve spoken in seminars and written elsewhere about the physiological and cognitive effects of stress. (As the bumper sticker says, “Fearful People Do Stupid Things” because it disrupts our thinking process.) We can be momentarily absorbed by that which we find objectionable and want to resist – but then we lose touch with our own deep values. The greater danger that I see is that, in the discord and attention-grabbing news items, we forget who we are. We forget we have our own connection to the divine. We forget who we are as a community, and as a nation.

This I see as a form of soul loss. I believe we lose our identity (and our happiness) when our values, our beliefs and our actions are not in alignment. I’m postulating here three facets of human-beingness: values that come from our hearts; beliefs (that are really just thoughts to which we are attached); and our actions.

Put another way, when our mind, heart and muscles are not working together for the realization of the soul on earth, we experience soul loss.

In the stress of these times, we know what we are against, but can forget what we fight for.

Re-Membering

So, one way to get through such times and restore our identity, I suggest, is to look to our deep values – what is underneath all those thoughts and beliefs and rules and commandments to do certain things.

We must also remember that it is not just the other person who is the source of our outrage. Something in us has been offended, violated, or threatened. Something in us is having a response. To not lose our identity in response to that offending thing or person, we must re-establish what we are for, and this should be determined by our values – both group values and individual values. In this self-reflection, we don’t need to withdraw from the world, but we can bring to the world what we value.

Let’s look at some historical values, values that went beyond simplistic obedience to authority or following external rules. Again, you often must look beneath the words.

Biblical

In the Old Testament, we find the story of Lot and his wife who, having fed two strangers, discovered they were angels. Again and again, the old testament admonishes us to take care of the travelers and exiles. And we find in the book of Hebrews (13:2) “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” This has been a common cultural value in the Middle East and elsewhere.

We find an interesting parallel in a Greek story.

Greek

Philemon and Baucus were an old couple in Phrygia. Two strangers dressed as peasants had been going through the town asking for a place to sleep but they found no kindness there until they came to the home of Philemon and Baucus. They were welcomed by the old couple, and served food and wine. The strangers eventually revealed themselves to be Zeus and Hermes (so even the gods seek hospitality). They then destroyed the town for its unkindness but made the cottage of Philemon and Baucus into a Temple in which they lived as guardians until they died together.

Gospels

When we consider what the actions and teachings of Jesus reveal about his values, we find the heart of them to be love and forgiveness. We see in the parable of the Good Samaritan how his values violated cultural standards of his culture’s social divisions and, instead, taught that all are our neighbors and deserve love.

Clearly he taught a different set of values than what was held by the society at large, and these values became a threat to the religious and political establishment of his time. It seems that advocating care for the poor and the sick, and calling leaders to task regarding the inequities of their society was as radical in those days as it appears to be today.

Celtic

When Rhonda asked me if I would do this talk, I happened to be reading about old Celtic society and their values of education (where the educated elite were held in high regard because they were the healers, scientists, priests and poets). They also placed a high value on hospitality. They had a high regard for truth and the keeping of one’s word; and the expectation that their leaders should be without blemish for, if they were defective, the land would not prosper.

In one of the old stories, a Faerie King looked favorably on an Irish King and gave him a Cup of Truth. This Cup of Truth had a quality that if three lies were said near it, it would shatter. And if three truths were said, it would come back together, restored. Imagine if we had that today.

Of course, the early Irish were humans like us and had many faults by our modern standards, but we can see some of what they valued – and what we have yet to achieve.

America

Our own country has an expressed a set of values defined by constitutional agreement – things like justice and equality (at least for white males until the 14^th amendment, not to mention women getting the vote only a hundred years ago) We’ve come a long way, perhaps, but we are still struggling to fully realize these values for everyone.

My point here is not to get lost in history but to remind us all seek out our deeper values – those that are of the depths, those that our teachers remind us are so important. These are the values that can hold us together – as individuals and as a people – in the face of whatever chaos we encounter.

To do that, we need to put more attention onto what we stand for, than what we stand against. What we stand against can shape us, but what we stand for defines who we are. Over and again throughout history, I hear the values of Hospitality, Truth, Kindness, Courage, Love, Justice, Compassion, and Learning, to name a few. These are important values and transcend momentary laws and expedient traditions.

From the Heart

Let’s bring this home and do an experiment many of us have done before.

Forget for the moment what I’ve said. Focus your attention on your heart; imagine your breath entering and leaving your heart as you breathe deeply and slowly; call to mind some beautiful place or something for which you are grateful and hold that feeling for a moment in your heart as you continue to breathe there. . . . Ask your heart the answers to these questions:

What is it that means the most to you?

What is it that gives life meaning for you?

What makes life worthwhile?

If you had to choose, what do you value above all else?

When do you feel most whole?

And how do you feel right now as you contemplate these things?

I’ve done this many times with diverse groups of people. It’s amazing to me still the similar values that come to the surface, the things important to all of us. We share much more than we are divided. These are the values that have the power to restore identity, courage and peace.

Perhaps this is what the prophet Jeremiah meant when he said:

The days are coming,
when I will make a new covenant. . .
I will put my law/teaching in their minds
and write it on their hearts.

Let’s recognize that we will often fall short of this ideal of an alignment among our values, beliefs and action, but that’s OK. We are human and we, at times, misperceive, misjudge, make mistakes, lose touch with the heart, forget who we are but, even in those errors, if we pay attention, we may discover something of value.

In summary:

It’s natural to be upset by troubling things. It shows we are alive and conscious, but we don’t have to stay there.

It also shows that something of our values has been violated; but that awareness of violation can motivate us to deepen our consciousness and then to advocate for what we hold dear, so that our actions and beliefs can be aligned with the truth in our hearts. That, I believe, is what will save us.

Introduction

“Are not both major political parties corrupt?” is an important question. The easy answers are 1) they are both corrupt, or 2) one is worse than the other. It’s not that simple, I’m afraid. There are layers to this issue and, I believe, a new destructive element that’s emerged.

Part of this question’s significance was shown in the 2016 election where many people judged both parties to be corrupt and either did not vote or impotently put their vote toward third-party candidates who could not win, thus assuring that voters for one of the two “corrupt” parties would decide our next president and other officials. Some of the claims of corruption were, of course, based on propaganda machines rather than evidence and fed by manufactured outrage. Let’s look at some of the layers of nuance beginning with the insidious corruption of the population at large.

Generally-Shared Corruption

First, regardless of all the other influences on government, the fact that we live in a democratic republic means that the entire population of this country shares in the responsibility of whatever our government does to the degree we do not effectively act to oppose it.

We have also allowed ourselves to become numb to morally outrageous actions not only in our national history, but by being distracted by a relentless barrage of reprehensible behaviors that have to some degree normalized the unacceptable, and bought into the authoritarian tactic of accepting abusive, immoral, unethical and illegal behavior in the name of “national security.”

We all also bear responsibility in benefiting from a system that has relied first on slavery and then on a race-based economic system that is a new form of slavery fed by a discriminatory, class- and race-based justice system.

The press (speaking generally) has its share of responsibility as well but, again, it’s important to discern outlets that are purposely misleading and lying to their readers from those who are succumbing to the distracting antics of the president’s shell game, leaving us in the dark about what’s happening legislatively in the Republican-controlled house and senate.

So, we must first recognize the people empowering the parties – and that includes us.

Shared Corruption of Parties – a faulty system going to the highest bidder

First, let’s recognize that wherever public or private power exists, we are likely to find some degree of corruption. Fallible human beings will use that power to advance their own status, personal agenda or colleagues – or to simply hold on to that power. From this standpoint, indeed, both parties can be judged corrupt – as can some of the third-party leaders as well.

We can then question the degree to which that use of power is in service to the common good or to special interests (thus, disenfranchising the rest of the citizenry). This is where the parties begin to show differences, especially in such issues as civil rights, separation of church and state, funding of education, recognition of scientific realities, censorship of press and government science employees, protection of the environment as a public resource, prevention of toxic pollution, protection of vulnerable populations, voter facilitation, marriage equality, wealth inequality, and which segments of the population tax policies favor. Even a cursory consideration of these issues shows a striking difference, suggesting that one party tends to serve a wider and more inclusive slice of the population than the other.

There was probably a time when a rough equivalence of corruption could be claimed for both parties, but that time has long-since passed. We saw evidence of that coming up the 2016 election. To claim equivalence at this point seems rather naïve: the usual parameters of corruption with shame as a response to its discovery have given way to boasting about violating women, morals, contracts, previous promises and criminal behavior. Until now, neither party has threatened the structure and viability of the government and our society of free, equal and educated citizens.

Differences in Values and Constituencies

Of course, the parties have differing values and orientation. The Republican party has been more regimented, authoritarian, centralized and cultish, with a more unified message carefully crafted toward emotional triggers and the mobilization of anger and fear which they then direct disingenuously toward their enemies. Their propaganda machine has created an alternative false reality that serves their needs, regardless of the deleterious outcomes on people and the environment. Democrats have been more amorphous, diverse and inclusive with the result of a blunting of clarity and focus. They may have lost ground in trying to have too-large an umbrella and thereby lost the heart of progressive, humanistic ideals – and a willingness to let things slide and avoid overt social struggle.

The Democratic party has been complacent and passive in the face of militant extremist factions of the radical right. It has also prejudged candidates, deciding who might be most likely to win, rather than represent Democratic ideals. It has failed the propaganda war, neglecting to educate the electorate on the issues – how social security is funded and works, what immigrants pay into vs. what they receive from the economy, the value of separation of church and state and various constitutional assertions, and the costs of a society with second-class populations, for example.

In terms of constituencies, the Republican Party has come to represent a faction of the population for whom information is irrelevant to their cult-like devotion to a strong, authoritarian leader. On the other hand, it appears at times that Democratic “human rights” principles have been more strategic than genuine.

It’s tempting, and falsely comforting, to think that it’s just the man at the top who is out of the pale, but the Republican establishment is fully supportive of this malignant narcissist because he serves other purposes for them.

Corruption and Deconstruction of the Government Itself

Having looked at equivalent and general corruption of power, some of the differences of values of the two parties, and whom each party tends to serve, I’d like to address the emergence of a new element to which citizens and system do not yet know how to respond – a betrayal of rule of law, citizens’ rights and adherence to reality and truth.

We now see a level and quality of corruption that are destructively corrosive, allowing foreign interference in our elections, hell-bent on destroying the alliances that have given us stability among nations and, instead, allying with and doing the bidding of brutal dictators, and implementing economic policies likely to destroy the social fabric of the county. We have a president and his party who are shamelessly violating standards of law and ethics for self-aggrandizement and wealth-building. Worse, they are relentlessly attempting to discredit the other branches of government whose responsibilities include serving as a check on executive power. They have also attempted to destroy the independent press, which is our only chance to know what is going on beyond the propaganda machines. Still worse, this president has appointed people into positions with the admitted intention that they destroy the effectiveness of those agencies for the benefit of a wealthy few.

It is also clear that the separation of powers – intended to keep corruption at a minimum – has been eroded under this regime with unfounded attacks on anyone who is critical of or in opposition to the regime’s corruption. Overt attempts are being made at disrupting investigations and discrediting the investigators, rather than letting them run their course, clearly suggesting there is something to be hidden.

As a result of all this, the current Republican Party has been judged by some to be a greater threat to American democracy than overt attacks from other countries, for the fruits of its actions are centralizing power in the executive branch, despoiling the environment, undercutting faith in our institutions and electional process, privatizing everything possible (reducing accountability to the public), protecting the aristocracy of the wealthy few – all on the backs of middle and poor America who are being distracted by the relentless lies and demands of a con man.

Thus, this level of corruption goes beyond the individuals in either party or the parties themselves; and is a bare-faced attempt at corrupting and deconstructing the constitutional government designed to prevent (or at least reduce) such things.

Summary

To summarize, while both can be said to be corrupt, only one has been willing to deconstruct the government, suppress voting, punish dissent, reduce accountability, redistribute wealth and power into the hands of an oligarchy, put us all at the mercy of climate change, and allow obvious foreign influence on US elections – in addition to threats to humanity itself by departures from the realities of science in favor of ideological fantasies.

Throughout this work, I’ve advocated that we operate from our core values and not add to the malignant stress waves, but I’m not suggesting, by any means, that we cannot avoid creating stresses when we advocate for our position: any action we take against the status quo will likely create a stress for those who want to keep things as they are. As we experience our empowerment, those who have been dependent on us and have benefited from our vulnerability, powerlessness and fear will experience their own waves of stress. In the larger picture, however, these will be the natural stresses of evolution, correction of injustice and awakening – rather than the mindless and habitual stresses of ignorance, helplessness and vulnerability.

After all, stress is inevitable in anyone’s life who is actively engaged in living, but how long we stay there and how we respond to it are up to us.

My cursory survey about the stresses created by the 2016 election (and their precursors) omitted a significant question. If the election of a man known to accost, bully, cheat and lie to others is so stressful, why aren’t his supporters similarly stressed? Certainly, many of them have been abused, too.

There are some well-known psychological dynamics that may have come into play here. One is that of “identification with the aggressor.” Some people, as a reaction to their helplessness in the face of aggression, make an identification with the aggressor as a way of handling their powerlessness. This allows them to deny their vulnerability, to feel powerful and to avoid needing to confront the abuser’s behavior.

Another mechanism is the fact that some people with anxiety (over encroaching minorities, their own lack of resources, economic instability or what have you) seek an authoritarian leader they hope will save them from their real or imagined peril.

It would also appear that some supporters are not much concerned with the content of the man’s character or the nature of his policies, but are caught in admiration of his attitude. An identification with his attitude promises a freedom from constraints of “polite” society (or should we say “politically correct” society?). This again refers to people who feel they have not had a voice, and here is a powerful man who can say the most ignorant, offensive, abusive, patently false things and still flaunt his power. So, it’s not just the content of the statements, but the fact that he will say them outright and get away with it – with tacit approval from most of his political party. He will not be cowed by social convention or pressure. The fact that some portion of the content parallels what they would like to say is enough to validate him as a representative of the attitude they want to show the world.

Constraints of polite society and the judgments that come to them for their violation is clearly distressing to them and, of course, adds to the general stress wave – including the backlash of judgments being made about them by most of society. These people have been (in their own eyes) outcasts, and he gives them voice.

“Conservatives” have embraced him because of his advocacy of unbridled individual freedom, free from responsibility for one’s fellow citizens, for the centrality of wealth in their value system, and for the love of unregulated corporate power. He appeals to their negative inclinations toward personal greed and neglect of social responsibilities. These “conservatives” have experienced considerable distress under the evolutionary pressures of universal healthcare, inclusion of other races, ethnicities and non-conforming sexuality. (It’s remarkable how they seem to desire powers for corporations where there is no accountability that they find abhorrent in government where there is.)

Traditional “family values” groups have easily set aside their social and moral standards because this man is doing what they would like to be able to do with impunity: judge, criticize, persecute and dominate – and he implies that he will support their attempts at domination in a theocracy.

These supporters may well be playing a part in the dynamics of the rest of us – as our own negative shadow, making them people the rest of society can look down on and not have to examine the ways in which they have, themselves, allowed the problems of our modern world to fester unresolved.

Regardless of whether we see these mechanism of rationalization and support as cynical manipulation, gullibility, insanity, stupidity or sincerely-held positions, they all reveal unresolved concerns about modern civil society and have created a festering pool of distress that has been neglected by those pleased or advantaged by “liberal” society.

This is the almost final posting of this series. It was my original finale but, because of more reflection, there will be some addenda coming in a few more days, addressing some unanswered questions, taking some ideas a little deeper, or clarifying some points.

Putting What We Know into Action

After all that’s been said, there are three primary things to keep in mind, so we can stay on a heart-centered track:

• Mitigate the impact of stress waves (internal and external)
• Make daily efforts to restore core values
• Take action in the world based on core values and supported by personal balance

1. Mitigate the impact of stress waves

Let’s get more specific. Here are five ways to mitigate the impact of stress waves:

1. Our own stress-management, not just to reduce stress, but to restore resilience and well-being;
2. Bolster our personal boundaries – personal, psychological and energetic, including how much we expose ourselves to media, and what kinds of media;
3. Invest our attention into the heart of our own development, healing, sovereignty and creative self-expression;
4. Enlist the assistance of whatever spiritual forces, beings or principles we have available;
5. Join with others in positive communities of like mind in common activities and endeavors.

Here are some of the ways we can daily seek restoration and a return to our Core Values:

• Meditation
• Prayer
• Contemplation
• Acts of Service and Volunteering for people, housing, animals, environment
• Time in nature
• Time with pets
• Beautifying our surroundings
• Exercise
• Shamanic Practices
• Chants, songs, mantras (clear the mind and synchronize with something greater)
• HeartMath practices noted earlier
  • Indulging in core values – by memory or by action
  • Inner Ease
  • Quick Coherence
    • (There are others found on HeartMath’s website or through certified coaches.)

2. Engage with Representatives

If you don’t like what’s going on in our country or the government, communicate with your elected representatives. Yes, they may be under the influence of other parties and you may only get a vague, party-line form letter back, but their job depends on keeping constituents happy. If you don’t bother, you are letting others make the decisions for you. Here are two sites to identify elected officials (national and in Minnesota) and how to contact them.

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/districtfinder

There’s no need to put a lot of time into your message. They don’t have time to read long letters, and short missives are usually clearer. Don’t overestimate their ability to digest complex reasoning.

3. Vote with Your Dollars

Do the companies you support reflect your core values?

What advertisers might be influenced to support more favorable media?

What do the companies do with their profits, and do they “hide” them off shore?

What political parties, representatives, policies do they support?

Will it make more of an impression if you stay in an organization and advocate for change, or cut loose?

Does the company verbally advocate for equality or the environment, but then donate money to the party or politicians that have other ideas?

For banking – do you want a large system or credit union or cooperative?

Do your investments reflect your values?

It’s not enough to just change from one company to another, but to communicate why and on what core value.

4. Keep Perspective

It’s necessary to separate goals from sub-goals and the steps toward them; and focus on increments of change over all-or-nothing judgments. Never let improvement fall victim to perfectionism. We always need a healthy dose of self-forgiveness because we will not be perfect in this endeavor. Forgive your lapses and resolve to learn from them and move on.

5. Recognize and Express Your Identity

1. Is there an interest you had a child that you would enjoy reviving?
2. Is there a skill you’d like to learn, if only for the pleasure of it?
3. Is there a language in which you are interested?

6. Causes – Choose Wisely and Focus

There are numerous causes to which you can give support (financially or by volunteering). It’s important to focus on a small number to which you can really feel connected. Focused advocacy is usually more effective than a shotgun approach.

7. Self-Care

Take care of the one area of the universe for which you are primarily responsible. What do you really need to be healthy, happy and whole? There is a saying I heard from a Mongolian shaman. She said, “First, heal your community; then heal the world; then straighten your sash.” I interpreted this to mean we should certainly engage in advocacy and activism in the our outer lives, but also must care for our own health and wholeness.

Resources – Where to Go for Support and Action

Coaching: coaching is available from HeartMath certified trainers and others to reduce stress and realize goals

Classes/groups: there are many outlets and community education resources for learning about your world, learning a new skill or joining with others with similar interests.

World Wide Web: of course, the internet is a resource for finding advocacy groups, for research into areas of interest, and for deepening an understanding of current events.

Non-profits: many organizations exist for everything from animal rights, to the environment, to child care and political action, to gun safety, to name just a few.

Service organizations: some non-profits are actively attempting to meet the needs of suffering populations. They may build houses, serve the homeless, or feed the hungry.

Making an Action Plan

So, here’s what an action plan might include:

• Daily practice(s) to anchor, center, balance, restore focus on core values
• Daily review of unresolved emotions triggered during the day
• Occasionally things to do that restore a focus on core values
• Awareness of things to be careful about or to reduce in life
• Things to work into life
• Actions to express who you are, what you value, and what you truly love
• Causes you might consider supporting that align with your core values
• Development of a hobby, special interest of exploration, or activity that you can do just for the pleasure of it – perhaps an earlier-life interest you’ve set aside.

It’s likely to be overwhelming to try to do too many of these at once, so I wouldn’t try. Pick a couple that appeal to you and go with them. Add the others as you feel ready, if you have time. Just try to keep yourself balanced and engaged.

Summary

Perhaps I can summarize all this in a few words:

Acknowledge – acknowledge the stress or issue.

Surely, as we acknowledge the nature of the problems, we will feel their impact on us – anger, stress, discouragement – but awareness of these internal responses is a good thing unless we stay there. Our awareness gives us choice whether to act, and what actions to take. Our emotional responses tell us about ourselves and about our relationship with what is going on in the world.

Re-balance – don’t get stuck in an immediate automatic reaction

Being aware of the way in which our perceptions of the events have affected us, the second step is to re-balance ourselves. Given the adverse impact of stress on our reasoning, and because of the stresses and pace of modern life, acting out our initial impulse is not usually the wisest or most effective course of action.

Re-center – return to a focus on Core Values

This might help us remember who we are and to return to an awareness to our deep values – what’s important to us beyond momentary provocations.

Act – take constructive action that’s aligned with Core Values

I’d like to see us attend in a healthy way to the challenges we see in the world. Equally important is the fact that the nature of current stresses can throw us off center, distract us from our path of healing and growth, while flooding us with waves of stress, anger and discouragement. After all, we are in relationship with both the outer world and with our inner selves (even if we ignore them). What happens in one has an effect on the other – for good or ill. My hope for these postings is to make it better for both realities and not to add to the stress waves or fruitless unhealthy argument we so often see today. We can do better; we can be better. Maybe we can even communicate with one another. And it helps to remember that how we are is often as important as what we do.

 

*(This series is adapted from Restore the Balance, a presentation made at Unity North Spiritual Center on January 7, 2018.)

Note also that a video course is being prepared on The Patterns that Shape Our Lives – and what to do about them. It includes explorations of patterns of emotional responses, relationships, dreams, physical ailments (and more), how to explore them and, with some effort, gain liberation from them. If you are interested in knowing about when it is completed, let me know.

Moving Forward – Empowerment and Engagement

Empowerment

As we look to reduce the negative impact of stress on us, as well as to make our efforts at inner and outer change more effective, we need to address at least three factors.

First, we must learn to resist the intrusion of adverse forces and ideas; that is, to resist stress waves, emotional viruses, misleading information and geomagnetic anomalies that flow through our collective consciousness, along with the provocations on which many people, organizations and other entities feed.

Second, it behooves us to anchor ourselves in the power of our heart-centered sovereignty (our core values), and to work from that foundation, rather than from fear or anger. Our fear and anger may certainly motivate us and provide information to us, but we want to operate more effectively by centering first on our core values.

And third, we need to maintain forward development and expression of our own identity as a unique, soul-filled individual – and craft our responses to things based on this identity. Beware of allowing external agents to capture our attention and, thereby, hold in abeyance our own interests.

Each of these three factors helps to keep us from becoming the mirror image of those we do not like, and gives access to our own moral compass. This means, in part, making time for that which nurtures us.

A Review

At this point in my meanderings, we’ve looked at a list of cultural stressors, their impact on us, our connectivity with nature and people, the adverse impact of stress, the inestimable worth of our core values for guidance and health, and how to use our emotional system for perception and problem-solving. Our next topic will be moving forward to make change in the world and in our lives – on a foundation of our core values rather than provoked reactions. But first, let’s look at some of the not-so-obvious factors that make change difficult.

Hidden Pitfalls on the Path toward Empowerment and Sovereignty

Many of us resist change – and there are reasons why we might choose to resist even that which would ultimately benefit us.

Some people have an ingrained authoritarian orientation. They find security in looking up to a strong leader and clear rules. Loyalty becomes a high value. For such individuals, independent thought, too much self-examination or ambiguity are uncomfortable. They like things clear and direct; and an autocratic leader saves them from responsibility and uncertainty. (This authoritarian orientation was early noted to be a common denominator of the president’s followers. This allowed candidate Trump to brag that he could shoot someone in broad daylight and not lose any followers – as if that were laudable.)

Also, something in us wants our leaders to god-like – to believe some divine force put them there. On the other hand, to be automatically cynical (“They’re all corrupt.”) is an equal abdication of responsibility since one is once more freed from the obligation to think, evaluate and act. Such individuals are still authority oriented – just negatively so.

Others may be attached to their stresses or may be getting something out of their current situation – even if it has unpleasant features. They may enjoy a benefit, special consideration or the moral high ground. And having someone to blame for their troubles (even if true) can take the onus of off them to move on.

Still others may be attached to their anger (reflecting deeper personal issues) or even addicted to the anger chemicals in their body (certainly a more powerful feeling than vulnerability). If one is angry, one is focused on the infraction and perpetrator and not on one’s pain.

Finally, it’s often the case that change is just plain hard work, requiring attention to our goals, honesty about our efforts, and evolving the relationships around us, many of which may be invested in things staying as they are.

This is not to blame the victims who live in pain and struggle to keep going, but only to recognize the full ramifications of introducing change into a structure.

So, before undertaking efforts at change, it may behoove us to explore these questions:

• What does the current situation cost you, or deny you?
• Has it given you any special considerations or privileges or a moral high ground?
• Are you gratified by having someone to blame?
• If things truly changed, is there something you might have to give up?
• If things truly changed, are there responsibilities you might have to assume?
• Are there people who depend on things being the way they are – on you being the way you are?
• If things changed, how might your relationships change?

Another broad question might be to ask what your investment is in things as they are, as well as the need for change? With that awareness, you may be able to approach efforts at change in a more wholistic and effective manner.

Next, we’ll get more specific in the final section – part 3b.

Stress, and the Physical and Metaphoric Heart

As I mentioned before, I’ve been teaching about various aspects of stress-management for decades and it has never seemed more applicable. In this section, I’ll be presenting some of my own ideas based on my experience with hypnosis, psychotherapy, biofeedback, and the science-based methods of the HeartMath Institute (www.heartmath.org).

Power of the Heart

Let’s begin with the millennia-old concept of “heart.” Since ancient times, the heart was seen as the seat of intelligence. The word “courage” even comes from a word that means heart. One way to access the wisdom of the heart is to consider the following questions. I suggest that you take the time to write down your responses to these questions, and to note how you feel as you think of them. Take your time.

• What means the most to me?
• What do I love?
• What makes life worth living?
• When do I feel my best?
• What do I enjoy doing for its own sake?
• What makes my heart come alive?
• What do I think the world needs more of right now?

You may have realized that these are the same sort of questions put in different ways. Our answers reflect our core values – values originating in our metaphorical heart. When I do workshops and ask these questions, there is invariably an experience of peace, well-being and joy, along with the realization that almost no one spends nearly enough time in that state, or doing those things that elicit that well-being. Blame for losing touch with these core values is most frequently put on distraction and stress.

The importance of the heart is not just metaphoric, however. The relatively new medical field of neurocardiology has recognized that the heart has its own intrinsic nervous system that both responds to changing conditions, as well as participates in perception and decision-making. In addition, researchers have discovered and measured the way heart rhythms can either coordinate or disorganize brain functions – including our ability to perceive our environment, remember facts and solve problems. And our emotions play a major role in the way the heart responds. Many of our responses to the environment and our own thoughts are an interaction among our perceptions, emotional memories, coordination of the thalamus, heart rhythms, heart-rate variability (a reflection of interaction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems), hormonal secretions, focus of attention, and opportunities (or not) to respond in a way that metabolizes the stress hormones our body generates.

The most efficient and user-friendly methods of intervention I’ve seen are those taught by the HeartMath Institute. Derived from research-based exploration, these methods have been used by ordinary people, health-care workers, military and police personnel, educators, students and other groups to restore core values, reduce the wear and tear of stress on the body, improve cognitive functioning and enhance social relationships. With a little practice, we can become healthier, calmer and smarter within minutes – all by shifting our attention, regulating our breathing and generating a positive feeling. It seems too simple, but it works. The heart of the method, so to speak, is heart-focused breathing and the activation of a feeling of care or gratitude. Regularized breathing calms the nervous system, and the activation of a fun, positive feeling is hormonally restorative and makes the good state last longer. Furthermore, one can use the technique for a quick calming (in about 30 seconds) or as a sort of meditation over five to fifteen minutes.

One of these tools, “Inner Ease,” can be found on the HeartMath website at https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/heartmath-tools-techniques/inner-peace-inner-ease/.  My favorite technique, called “Quick Coherence,” can be found at https://www.heartmath.org/resources/heartmath-tools/quick-coherence-technique-for-adults/.  The institute’s research is also available on line.

When I worked in the schools, I watched these methods restore people to their core values, re-discover the things that made life worth living, and improve test-taking skills. When I practiced regularly, my immune system was stronger. For more detailed information, I suggest accessing the HeartMath website, attending a seminar where the methods are explained in detail, or you can engage a HeartMath coach for individual instruction and goal-setting.

You can also purchase biofeedback-like devices to monitor and practice regulating your heart-rate variability. These devices are either computer connected (called “emWave”) or powered by a smart phone (called “Inner Balance”).

The biggest stumbling block, however, is developing the discipline to care for oneself. To take a minute several times a day to apply the above techniques, or to take 15 minutes once a day to lock in a state of well-being can seem insurmountable – especially for people who are caring for others. Researchers have found, however, that such self-care is not just a benefit for the persons practicing it, but also for those around them. That is, well-being (like emotional viruses) can be contagious, which takes us to the topic of connectivity of living systems.

The Connectivity of Living Systems

A fascinating area of research is the way living systems connect with and influence one another. I already mentioned the effect of geomagnetic storms on human behavior and well-being, but we ourselves are also generators of electromagnetic influence. It turns out that every beat of the heart broadcasts your emotional condition through the measurable electromagnetic field generated by the electrical pulse that activates the heart muscle. This is one of the invisible influences among people – for good or ill. This heart-based influence has also been seen between people and horses and other animals. What’s more, trees’ responsiveness to earth events and human emotion is also being explored. You can find more information about this research at https://www.heartmath.org/gci/.

These new research projects support my earlier point that we are not alone, separate and individual. Certainly, we have our individual characteristics, but we are also connected to nature and to each other. Taking care of ourselves is also caring for the earth and our fellow citizens.

We have choice

I hope this all-too-brief foray into the science of stress-management makes clear that our efforts at staying balanced and heart-focused are not selfish acts of personal contentment but, rather, a decision to not contribute to stress waves and, instead, broadcast a field of care and rejuvenation that may make a measurable difference in the world – and certainly for ourselves. Furthermore, it’s my hope that, through these efforts, we not only increase our well-being, but also experience the empowerment that heart-centered living can provide.

In part III, we’ll move on to the applications of what we know so we can bring benefit to ourselves and to the people around us, even while we tackle the stresses of our time.