If you’re like most people, you may be experiencing an overwhelming sense of being trapped in a situation where you feel powerless. You listen to the news, and the more information you receive, the more powerless you feel. Because the truth is, everyone is in a wait-and-see situation. Yes, we are going to be smart and responsible; we’re going to wash our hands frequently, keep our hands out of our faces, practice social distancing, and stay at home as much as possible. Still, we will be forced to wait and see. Today, I was notified that a dear friend lost a family member to coronavirus complications. I feel sad, and I can’t help but ask questions. WHY? And Marvin Gaye’s proverbial, “What’s going on?”
When nothing we can humanly do seems to make a difference, we must sit and listen to our soul speak. Our intellectual abilities are confounded and frustrated, but our souls are steadfast and sure. So, that’s what I have been doing. I have been just sitting and listening. It hasn’t been the easiest thing to do. At first, I felt the desire to get up and clean or cook because with everybody home all day and no weekly housekeeping services everyone has resorted back to…mommy will do that. But I resisted and I continued to just sit…waiting to hear a word from my soul…from the seat of the Divine Spirit of God. Eventually, I went for a run, and this is what I heard. Maybe I didn’t hear it, I think mostly I felt it rise from my soul. I want to share it with you.
Self-quarantine and curfew have created a stillness across the land. It’s rare that chaos results in stillness. And because we are accustomed to exist in the midst of hustle and bustle, our first instinct is to seek distractions or even create distractions. This works for a few days and maybe even for a few weeks, thus we are able to find enough distractions to keep us from the task at hand. Hopefully, in our own time, we all will come to the conclusion that we are not trapped in our homes. Instead, we have been placed in a purposeful time out. We are meant to spend this time realigning ourselves with the true self. The self that exists without clothing, shoes, and for us women, make-up! The self that exists without flesh and bones! The self that is and always will be! This is a season of rebirth. The world has shifted gears, and we are temporarily moving slower. Suspended tasks and activities have given us more free time. Use this free time to realign yourself, because when you emerge into the new world you will be new, too.
When I was sitting and waiting for my soul to speak, I had a vivid childhood memory. I saw my grandmother and me, my mother and my two siblings in our Sunday best attending my great uncle’s Pentecostal church. We were singing these song lyrics, “…I looked at my hands and my hands looked new, I looked at my feet and they did too, ever since that wonderful day my soul’s been satisfied.’’ I remembered how I loved that spirited song, the clapping, and the instruments playing. But mostly I loved being in that warm and familiar place with the people I loved. As we wait in the incubator of change, I encourage you to reflect on this truth: your happiest days and your most fond memories will not be equated with your societal stature, title, or your income bracket. You are more important than a title given to you by society. You are more valuable than any amount of money you could ever earn. Your contribution to our world resides in your soul, and the time you spend reconnecting with your soul will benefit you and the world. When you reconnect with your soul you realign with abundance. You will begin to vibrate at the frequency of your abundant life. In other words, you will be inflow.
Energetic flow creates a connection between you and what you desire and allows you to move into your next level of greatness.
How to reconnect with your soul
1. Practice conscious awareness: use this time to re-engage your five senses; sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Set aside time to notice what you are seeing, what you are hearing, what you are smelling, what you are touching, and what you are tasting. This activity will ground you in the present, the NOW. “Now,” is the place of your most powerful position, it is the point of your highest energetic vibration.
2. Practice active gratitude. Active gratitude is high energy gratitude; it’s active, not passive gratitude. This means that you make a shortlist, I usually list 3 items, of what you are grateful for and you get really excited about each item on that list. If you listen to my radio program you hear me talk about the practice of active gratitude a lot because it is a game-changing practice.
3. Have meaningful conversations with the universe. Ask questions, confess your fears, spill your guts, and then close your eyes and just listen. This practice will eventually feel so soothing and comforting, you’ll crave this conversation time.
4. Be kind to yourself and others.
5. Forgive yourself and others for everything. This is a loving practice.
6. Accept yourself just the way you are today.
7. Accept others just the way they are today.
We are in the incubator of change. We must participate in the process. When we participate, we will emerge in the new world as our new self. Wait and see.
Dravon James is the founder of Everyday Peace, an inspirational speaker, radio show host, and author of Freedom is Your Birthright. Dr. Dravon’s goal is to educate, empower and inspire others to build the life of their dreams no matter what shows up in their lives – good, bad, or otherwise.