The future’s not what it used to be

For almost two months now, I’ve been pretty much locked up in my house and, during those rare and brief jaunts to the food store, I recognize that I have sometimes avoided other people “like the plague”; so-to-speak. That’s the total opposite of what I love to do most. Instead of keeping the standard 2-meter safety distance, I sometimes just want to reach out and give that check-out lady a big, fat hug. The fact that everyone else in the world is “in the same boat” only makes it seem worse. A very big part of me just wants things to finally get back to normal; to return to the way things were.

Very slowly however, and with a lot of deep belly-breathing, I am coming to terms with the fact that a return to normal isn’t going to happen any time soon; if at all. Even if a miracle cure to Covid-19 magically shows up, there will be a longterm adjustment to the way things ARE at that time, and how things unfold thereafter. Whether or not we like the changes that have occurred at that point, we nonetheless will need to deal with the differences that trickle down into our daily lives. But how?

I probably speak for most of us when I say that there has never before in our lifetimes, been a greater time of need to stay spiritually fit - than NOW! Our mental, emotional and physical wellness depends on it. We all know how easy it is to fall prey to obsessive fear, anger or sadness concerning the future. I cannot stress enough the need to practice mindfulness throughout the day, monitor your thinking style and adopt positive attitudes. Meditate often, while aligning with emotions of gratitude, humility and unconditional devotion in service to Universal Love. There is no better medicine to counteract negativity. Very importantly: make sure you connect with others who are of like mind and heart, to get the support you need.

But it’s not easy to connect with others in the middle of a global pandemic! In the absence of the ability to meet physically during this crisis, we have been forced to create new ways to be with each other. Even the director of programs at Esalen Institute in California (the world-renowned seminar retreat center), Cheryl Fraenzl, says “Esalen is learning along with the rest of the world right now, how do you create intimacy online?” The bottom line answer: It is an illusion to think that the profoundly beneficial brain activity and blood chemistry that results from deep human intimacy, requires physical contact. It doesn’t. When we learn to coherently breathe, deliberately stimulate our vagus nerves and put our imaginations to work in ways that fire mirror neurons and release oxytocin into the system - we become the loving, divine beings we truly are.

Many serious students of the Spirit who have been working with me over the years, have recently contacted me with the request that I create an online means of going deeper into the work, and also of staying connected to me and to each other for mutual support. Because of my successful experiences during the last weeks in using online tools to continue teaching, and my strong belief that these tools will provide a viable substitute for physical meetings until they once again become appropriate, I am happy to announce that I will begin an online academy immediately. YES!; and you are the first to hear about it.