Election Day and the Inevitable Chaos

Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States, and it's going to be dramatic. Duh. This isn't anything new, not really anyway; Election Day is always dramatic, but the difference in 2020 is how deep the division of our country, and our emotional attachments to certain candidates, have gotten. No matter who wins tomorrow, I'm predicting absolute chaos, and a potential civil war. Or at least massive protests and rioting. Maybe that sounds dramatic to some, but I'm definitely not the only one thinking it.

A Washington Post article I read today said, about the potential for a civil war, "The signals are disturbing: A sharp increase in gun sales. A spike in chatter about civil war in online forums where right-wing extremists gather. An embrace of violent language by President Trump and other leaders. And surveys showing an increased willingness by some Americans to see violence as an acceptable tool against political opponents." (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fear-of-election-violence/2020/10/30/5b4f5314-17a3-11eb-befb-8864259bd2d8_story.html)

I hope we're all wrong, I really do. But in a way, I kind of feel like absolute destruction is the only way to rebuild fairly, and equitably. Death and Rebirth. I'm being constantly reminded by spirit (through downloads, dreams, and signs) that chaos is inevitable. And that the best preparation for chaos is grounding. That death...is just another word for transformation, and while we've already seen a lot of that this year, there's still a lot more to come. Grief, I believe, is going to be the biggest collective emotion for humans on earth to process through and transmute (if it's not already), and it's a very complex emotion. That means we need more and more people stepping up to heal themselves and work through their shit. To ground down hard, with intention, so when the house is being burnt down, the foundation stays strong. When we each lighten our own load by deeply feeling, and releasing, our emotions, we lighten the collective's load as well. There is no "correct" way to do this, but many people agree that meditation is the gateway to everything else. To me, it makes sense that if every person on earth were to meditate for at least 15 minutes a day, we would have a more peaceful, grounded world. If you meditate, you know why I say this. If you don't, I invite you to try and find out.

Recently I heard a quote, I can't remember where from, that said something like this: "Meditation is the best preparation for death." To me, this is beautiful, and feels accurate, but for some, I think this might sound a little off-putting. Like, "Why would I spend time preparing for something that I'm not excited for, and is inevitable?" But my argument is: death is beautiful. It is just another word for transformation. Many people's biggest anxieties come from the idea of death, or big change (aka transformation). So if we are able to practice what it feels like to be in the "death" space of nothingness and everything, then we become less anxious about what that space feels like. We become comforted by a remembrance of being there before, and eventually being there again.

If "election anxiety" has more control of your mental space than you'd like, please know you're not alone, but you do have the ability to reframe, if you'd like. No longer are the days of playing the victim to our mental health, we have to take some ownership, even if the actual chemistry of our brain is imbalanced. Quick side note about the chemical imbalance theory: A healthline article says, "The exact cause of mental disorders is still unclear. According to the Mayo Clinic, researchers believe that genetics as well as environmental and social factors, such as stress or trauma, play a role. The chemical imbalance theory is unproven and often cited as an explanation for mental health conditions. There would be no way to tell if someone truly had a chemical imbalance in their brain at a given time." (https://www.healthline.com/health/chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain#causes)

I'm not implying that anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions are easy to work through, especially when so many external factors (like an intense election, global pandemic, loss of jobs, etc) are present. But I am saying that there are tons of things that we do have direct control over (food choices, amount of sleep, substance use, meditation, exercise, etc.) which can help us regulate the feeling of imbalance. If we: eat like shit, smoke and drink, don't get enough sleep, live a sedentary lifestyle, or any combination of those things, and then wonder why we don't feel well (mentally or physically) then we must acknowledge that we don't actually take any ownership of our own health. If we consume news, and social media all day, reading and partaking in judgement, hatred, and arguments, then we allow division and upset to take residency in our aura. This is not an attempt to tell you how to live, but if you would like to feel more grounded and prepared for potential chaos, I recommend taking care of yourself. And taking complete ownership of your being and care.

Ownership does not have to mean loner-ship, though. Finding community and connecting deeply with other conscious people will always help you remember why you chose the path of self-growth and healing. It will help you show up to do the work on days when you absolutely don't want to. And when you experience dark nights of the soul, which we all inevitably will, your community will help bring you out of the darkness when it's time. This whole year has been a collective dark night, which again, may only be getting darker in the coming days, but after darkness always comes light.

I pray for the most transformative death and rebirth yet. I pray for all of the people in the world who are experiencing deep, deep grief - as we feel the pain of our losses, we heal the wound with faith and acceptance. I pray for the unhinged population of humans who's souls have been so consumed but the political world stage that they have forgotten their own humanity and ability to love their neighbors. I pray for Mama Earth, who I am confident will survive and thrive well beyond human existence, even with as much abuse as we put her through. I pray that we all consciously turn to love in moments when fear, anger, or disgust are what naturally come up for us because of our previous programming. We have the tools we need to reprogram the entire game, I pray that we use the tools before it's too late. Namaste.

~Your Growth and Peace are within reach~