KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

November 15 through November 21, 2021

This week should unfold in a pretty steady manner until Friday when we discover that change is in the air! A Taurus full Moon/lunar eclipse on Friday will be the first of two major astrological events to mark the change, as it creates a major shift in focus and direction for the next six months. Eclipses come in twos, about two weeks apart, approximately every six months. The Taurus full Moon, also called the Beaver Moon, speaks to the idea of a physical change. As an earth sign, its purpose is to direct our attention to the tangible things in our lives; money, health, and security. New awareness and change will be a theme until the next eclipse on December 4th, particularly in these areas. Then on Sunday, the Sun will move into the sign of Sagittarius, setting us on a four-week course in search of balance, fairness, and resolution. The combination of these two events in one week should generate more determination as well as faith in our movements well into the new year. Note that both of these events occur under a Gemini Moon, so you'll notice a lot of buzz in the air as people become more vocal about the changes they are preparing to make, as well as how they plan to go about it!

8 Creative Ways to Cope and Thrive Through Coronavirus and Beyond, by Jack Adam Weberr

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

It took me about two weeks into our current pandemic, after I emerged from shock, to realize how precisely applicable the content of my new book, Climate Cure: Heal Yourself to Heal the Planet, is for navigating our current pandemic. This is because the pandemic shares common root causes with climate crisis via what I call our "Triangle of Resilience Relationships." These three relationships consist of 1) our relationship with ourselves (inner healing), 2) our relationship with the natural world (nature connection), and 3) our relationship with one another (building heartfelt community).

In Climate Cure I explore how a deterioration of these essential relationships has caused and perpetuated climate crisis. The good news is that revitalizing these three relationships is a radical means to transform both our inner worlds as well as to promote the more beautiful planet we want to create.

Amid the suffering and devastation the pandemic, it is also causing many of us to slow down, break our habitual and mesmerizing routines, spend more time with ourselves and our families, and question our purpose and future in new ways—the exact conditions we need for genuine transformation and initiation.

The eight creative ways to cope that I share below are primarily geared to those of us with the privilege to choose a response to the pandemic—which we all possess to some degree—more than it is for those whose only choice is to respond to the call of essential medical duty, work overtime, or otherwise fight for survival minute to minute. By focusing on radically sustainable and creative ways to cope and thrive, we can revolutionize our own lives and use our privilege to create more justice.

While there are many recommendations for which natural remedies to take—and I have blended two potent herbal extract formulas for this purpose—I wanted to share some less common ways to cope and thrive through this time of simultaneous tragedy and opportunity. All are integral to Climate Cure and, as you may notice, each fortifies one or more of our Triangle of Resilience Relationships.

1. Engage Inner Work
   Inner work pertains to Triangle of Resilience Relationship #1 and is at the heart of Climate Cure . It hinges on the inner-outer, Yin-Yang dynamic formalized by the great Carl Jung and social justice hero Mahatma Ghandi: what we create in the world is a mirror image of what's inside us. Reckoning with grief and shadow work, as well as how to manage anxiety and work with fear, are at the heart of this inner work.Many of us have been thrown into the proverbial yogi's meditation cave or onto the therapist's couch. We are forced to be face ourselves, without many of the distractions that prevent us from—or which we use to prevent—our deeper emotions and chronic bad habits. I've been personally retreating into a more internal space, revisiting old hurts and unresolved issues that arise just by slowing down and being more quiet and sensitive to my inner life.

   This is a time for finding value and meaning in our own company as we learn new ways to regulate our minds and emotions. Struggles with sadness and depression, frustration and anger, fear and anxiety, helplessness and despair, are common struggles I hear these days. All are comprehensively explored in Climate Cure and will be reviewed more in depth in a sequel article, as it is beyond the scope of this one to address them.

   Changing our perspective from "deprivation to development," as my friend Amy Belanger put it, can help us harvest the best from this opportunity, as we radically accept our predicament. Taking tough times on as a personal challenge to adapt and thrive rather than merely as a frustration or inconvenience can make all the difference in coping through rather than sinking from the stress of the pandemic and the overarching issue of climate change.

2. Wave and Adopt
   Wave: When in town, I wave to and greet as many people as I can. Most of us feel isolated and more afraid, so waving to, smiling, and greeting people—even as they drive by—uplifts me and seems to be a welcome relief for those who receive my salutations. Their return greeting helps me feel more connected and is a palpable reminder that we truly are all in this together.Adopt: Pick someone or something that is underprivileged and "adopt" them. I have chosen to give free health support, products, and money to a couple others who are especially struggling, as well as make myself available for numerous others who are emotionally challenged. Another friend in my community, Brian Berman, has dedicated himself to printing headbands for medical workers who desperately need them.

   Both "Wave and Adopt" especially help boost Triangle of Resilience Relationship #3, our connection with one another, during this time when we are kept apart from our larger community.

3. Reckon with Mortality
   While on a recent hike to the river bottom with my brother, I was suddenly confronted with my mortality. As we sat together in silence on our respective, socially distanced boulders, the water coursed around the river rocks. In that moment, beneath the level of thought, I had a deep visceral reckoning that I—and my whole family—would one day become that water, that rock, that earth. This was instantly juxtaposed at a feeling level with images of us all endlessly running around tackling the endless list of chores and obligations we have each day.This experience occurred within a period of seconds, while the poignant and comforting sense of temporality lasted all evening into the next day. It brought on a wholesome grief that was not depressing or morbid. Rather, it was refreshing and helped calm my anxiety (as grief does) and settle me into an immediate aliveness and appreciation of the moment. It settled me into the belly of my experience of this pandemic.

   Others have also shared with me that the theme of death is arising for them, and spontaneous reckonings like the one I describe, seem more common, as medicine for our times. Such encounters help us meet and process our losses, surrender neurotic control, and soften our hearts.

4. Stoke the Absurd
   There is plenty to be distraught about these days. At the same time, we can appreciate how bizarre and ridiculous this whole thing is—the intense and even bizarre measures effected in the face of the pandemic and the insanity of our species generally! None of this is to minimize the suffering and a compassionate response, or the seriousness of the issue. Rather, it is a way to lighten our stress around it, give our brains a break, and continue to stay apprised and functional.Absurdity includes being silly. So find any opportunity to laugh! I have made up several nicknames for the virus, for example, which I bandy about with friends, who also appreciate such silliness. I even invent and bust our nonsensical songs about the virus.

   My best friend and I have recently taken up the practice of creating elaborate treasure hunts (in unpopulated areas). We leave notes and clues in strange places and send each other on wild goose chases that end in a surprise treat. Some hunts take as long as an hour to complete! And we make up absurd stories along the way, such as the likelihood that badgers might get to the treasure before the other finds it. Thus, we recite the mantra: "beat the badger."

   Embrace your own version of absurdity and silliness, and laugh often!

5. Accept That You Might Get the Virus
   One morning early last week, while still in bed, I had a spontaneous breakthrough. I realized and deeply accepted that I might get the virus and contract Covid-19. This wasn't an intellectual process and conclusion, but a spontaneous acceptance, like my river bottom experience with death.This might seem like an unwise thing to accept, but it deeply helped me, paradoxically. I didn't realize just how much fear I was holding until that morning (note: I don't consider fear all bad; it is in fact adaptive in the right amount, as I discuss in depth in Climate Cure). But fear can build up unnecessarily when we are unawares. My psyche seemed to recognize that I was carrying an excess and it helped me let go by delivering the full-bodied reckoning that I might get the virus. As a result, and paradoxically, I felt relieved.

   This acceptance doesn't change my actions and the precautions I take to avoid the virus; I'm just not carrying around as much unnecessary fear as I used to. Recently, I heard of a Covid patient who was relieved that what she most feared finally came true, and that it was not nearly as scary as what she had anticipated. Her fortunate experience, of course, is not everyone's.

   Radically accepting this possibility helped my nervous system downshift two gears, a form of radical inner acceptance. I recommend not trying to accept this reality, just be open to its possibility for if it happens to visit you.

6. Welcome Hardship
   There seems a pervasive need to turn everything into a positive, to make the best of the pandemic, and to do anything to make it better. While it's often helpful to make the best of situations, it can also be exhausting and get in the way of deeper change. I know several people who have burned themselves out trying to do just this. Sometimes we frantically try to be positive as a result of being anxious and not being able to modulate this anxiety. Taking deep breaths often and naming our anxiety and fear when they arise can help us gain a little distance from these powerful emotions to allow us to be with them and not give in to our compulsions to frantically get away from them, which takes a lot of energy!Consider letting part of yourself accept the hardship of these times without trying to change it. Experiment with accepting some of your suffering and just letting it hurt. This said, you don't have to suffer needlessly, so discern which aspects of your suffering to address proactively and which aspects you can't control to just let be. Acceptance can cause less suffering and nurture growth that takes us beyond our current limitations, especially when we don't try to constantly avoid hardship.

   Transformation, after all, usually happens by being with difficulty, letting yourself be changed by it, not by trying to constantly transform it.

7. Cultivate Radical Joy
   Radical joy might seem incompatible with accepting hardship, but we can embrace both, as a tension of opposites. This is holistic, integral thinking as opposed to oppositional, binary thinking.Poet and essayist Wendell Berry wrote, "Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." In other words, we can also honor and consecrate joy amid challenging circumstances. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl also tells of generating radical joy in the concentration camps; his classic book Man's Search for Meaning is a potent read for these times and one I reference in Climate Cure.

   Set aside time each day, or throughout the day, to allow yourself to experience joy. Don't grasp at joy, just create the ripe environment for it to find you. Again, laugh every chance you get!

   In addition to the joys of eating, sex, and sleeping, try inviting more enjoyment through your own creativity, the joy of being in nature, bonding with your family (it's a practice!), and the joy of letting your body and mind rest and unwind during this time of pause. Several families I know have shared that they are coming together now more than they have in a decade. Also, finding joy in what is free and still abundantly available is radically resourceful and especially important these days of relative deprivation.

   Maybe now is time to begin the book you've always wanted to write, exercise more, begin a regular meditation practice, learn about wild edible plants in your area, plant a garden, or begin composting. I've been making salads from wild mustard, mallow, and arugula, and harvesting wild oats, whose milky seed pod that emerges in spring is an excellent nervine (nervous system relaxant). Or maybe you want to get more serious about living in community or moving to the country.

   For a more sublime and subtle joy, see if you can tap into the joy that the animals, and maybe even the plants, might be feeling or sensing without so much of our intrusion, noise, and pollution-making. I have rejoiced in the birdsong which seems clearer and more pronounced now due to lower ambient noise.

8. Practice for Climate Crisis
   

   Last—and definitely not least—it's important to keep the bigger picture and our longer trajectory in mind. Here we are in a mini, climate-like collapse, with the opportunity to practice adapting.

   Our disturbed relationship with the natural world, pursuing infinite growth on a finite planet, and feeling entitled to comfort in every way, are some of the same underlying drivers for climate crisis. As I discuss in Climate Cure, many of our current challenges— including the wisdom for how to navigate difficult emotions such as anxiety, fear, and grief—are the same as those we encounter facing climate change. (An excerpt from the book on how to manage anxiety and depression, for example, can be downloaded here.)

   Let's use this time to practice for the long run, for climate crisis proper, the likelihood of more pandemics and more severe limitations ahead, or for any future challenges. Many of us may soon be confronted with having to evacuate wildfires and floods; will we shelter in place to abide social distancing or evacuate and expose ourselves to others as we flee natural disaster?

   Simplifying and decluttering our lives is key to adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic and Climate Crisis. Degrowth, or consuming less of everything, is also beneficial long-term to reduce your carbon footprint, even if doing so is largely a means to come into right alignment with our struggling planet. See what aspects of normal you can let go and do without to reduce stress, save money, and create more freedom.

Reflections:
I invite you to pull out your journal and jot down responses to the following:

1. Which aspects of this essay most spoke to you?
2. Which aspects of the essay spoke to you the least?
3. After reading this essay, In what ways are you inspired to consider changing, commit to change, or to continue (or adjust) what you've been doing?

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020. All rights reserved.

Do you believe that good deeds like kindness, love, compassion, and good thoughts are rewarded? I believe in showing love and kindness to others, and I pray for peace and other blessings for family, friends and mankind. It seems like people who may have wicked ways prosper while people who try to practice righteuosness struggle more. What are your thoughts? I practice loving others and being kind, yet I have been struggling financially and with achieving career and business success for about two years. Thank you for your insights.

Sharon

Susyn:

Living a spiritual life does not always afford us an easy path. Further, while the challenges we face related to financial and career matters are designed with a higher purpose in mind, they are not necessarily connected with lessons related to how we treat others.

I believe that good deeds are a reward in and of themselves. I also believe that practicing love and kindness will bring us spiritual blessings if not material blessings. Doing the right thing is what generates inner peace and enables us to live in the world with integrity and self-esteem.

One thing to keep in mind is that comparing ourselves to others will always result in inner turmoil. Though you see others appearing to win at the game of life despite their wicked ways, you are not looking at the bigger picture. True happiness comes from living as you describe yourself doing, while those who live through their egos experience fleeting moments of joy instead of long-term contentment.

It's easy to look around and see people who seem to have all you desire whether they deserve it or not. If you look for them, you will also find people who are having an even harder time than you are who don't seem to deserve to suffer either. Your perception is clouded because others' karma or destiny is different from yours and because you are only looking at the superficial aspects of others' lives.

When we focus on others too much, we waste time, power and energy we could use to improve our own lives. The best way to change this situation is to stop comparing yourself to others and look within for answers. With more time spent in meditation and self-examination, you can access spiritual direction on how to change your own circumstances.

As a Gemini, you tend to process your world from an intellectual perspective. This can sometimes be a liability, for it can keep you from aligning with emotional and spiritual well-being. Though you may not be successful in terms of society's values, you are clearly successful at expressing your emotions and treating others with spiritual kindness. If you were to stop being a loving person in the world, your heart and spirit would suffer, which in the long run would cause you much greater strife than not having an ideal career or lots of money in the bank.

A powerful way to shift your focus and gain more balance in your life is to make a daily gratitude list. Writing down and acknowledging all the ways you are blessed will make you less likely to focus on what you lack. Further, because an attitude of gratitude generates more abundance, this is an ideal way to manifest both the spiritual and worldly blessings you desire.

*****

Oceania:

Kindness, love, compassion and good thoughts are their own reward, for we are so much happier when we choose to embody those qualities than when we choose to be mean, hateful or intolerant. Praying for blessings for others is its own reward as well, because positive thoughts create peace within. Being jealous, envious and hateful only leads to bitterness and unhappiness.

There may be some with wicked ways who prosper, but prosperity is a fleeting pleasure. To make sure righteousness doesn't turn into self-righteousness, focus on yourself instead of judging others. Perhaps the greatest source of fulfillment is having a solid sense of self and living according to your own higher values. Integrity lasts a lifetime, whereas things like money and successful careers are transitory.

There's a play called You Can't Take It With You about a three-generation family and their adopted band of misfits who all live together in a big old house. Their needs are few and they spend their days pursuing whatever makes them happy. Included among them are a ballet dancer, a writer of plays, a portrait painter, xylophone player, fireworks designer and candy maker. They're not necessarily accomplished at what they do, but they love doing it.

They cross paths with a proper upstanding banking family who are at first appalled by the lifestyle of the free spirits. As I'm sure you can guess, by the end of the play, the bankers have let down their hair and joined in the fun, for they've discovered that joy is priceless and worth more than status or success. Like the bankers, I encourage you to expand your notion of success to include lightheartedness, humor and the ability to laugh at yourself.

You say you've been struggling with career and financial worries for two years. You seem to carry the belief that this should not be happening due to your goodness. You may want to expand your notion of goodness to include humbleness, for it's arrogant to presume that life should always go our way. There are powers greater than ourselves that know best, and lessons to be learned in every circumstance.

As struggle is experienced by many, it has little to do with righteousness; instead, it's tied to outlook and attitude. Imagine being carried by a river. You can choose to enjoy the ride and appreciate the view or you can try swimming upstream, which is only an illusion because the river still carries you downstream! Attempting to swim against the current causes struggle. When you release your agenda, let go and let God, and choose to trust in the inherent wisdom of the big flow, your struggles will fade and be replayed by peace and adventure.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.