Follow the lead of your symptoms,
for there’s usually a myth in the mess,
and a mess is an expression of soul.
James Hillman
What if the coronavirus were the best thing that ever happened to us?
What if it were offering us the perfect opportunity to wake up?
COVID-19 has served as a powerful clarion call inviting us to witness the shortcomings of our collective way of life—our health care, governmental, agrochemical and economics systems in particular—and to dream a different way of living on this planet into being. Such systemic issues, as important as they are (and deserving of a separate article, under construction), comprise only half the story. The other more hidden half involves our own internal psychological and spiritual territory, that is, how we individually and collectively are dealing with the pandemic narrative and the prospect of disease, death, and other unforeseen and uncontrollable effects—in other words, how we relate to life. Not only can current events be traumatizing in their own right, but they can reveal earlier traumas, including the very human fears over our own mortality. They can also reveal positive inner traits and capacities that we have yet to fully own or express, which may lead us into our own heroic journey as we face the deep currents of change now emerging in our world. This article offers an experiential way of examining these impacts in order to further unfold the “gifts” of the virus as it highlights areas of our own inner being that are calling out for healing, integration and manifestation.
He’s Looking Forward to Getting the Virus…?
Something happened when I first heard Dr. Zach Bush on a YouTube video say, as he recounted the time he first learned about the coronavirus outbreak in China, that he was “looking forward to getting it” so he could receive a “genomic update.” Needless to say, he seriously got my attention with that statement, which is just about 180° from the standard medical and cultural narratives that we been hearing for many months, and perhaps for our entire lives. Here was someone trained in the Western medical system (triple board-certified, in fact) taking an entirely contrarian view of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, the etiology of the “COVID-19 disease,” the understanding and function of viruses, and the very basis of the pandemic measures. Dr. Bush’s take on the virus is completely novel, provocative and inspirational. Beyond that, he is calling us to revision what is going on in our world in relation to the coronavirus and to make the turn at that looming crossroads towards a new and healthier community and planet.
Viruses R Us
In early April, a friend of mine sent me an article by the Nature Institute called Viruses in the Diversity of Life. It had been many years since I studied biology, and while in the interim I have come across related works such as Bruce Lipton’s The Biology of Belief and Candace Pert’s Molecules of Emotion (both offering great overviews of the fields of epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology), it was a wonderful re-introduction to the topic of viruses and the role they play in our lives. In fact, I found it highly stimulating; I was immediately (and I really do mean immediately) impulsed to write the inquiry questions offered in this article. (I highly recommend reading the Nature Institute article on viruses linked above before continuing on with this one.)
I was amazed to learn that the human virome is comprised of as many as 380 trillion viruses flourishing in every part of our bodies, in our blood and urine, and even on our skin. Though some may be dormant forms of viruses that can under the right conditions lead to disease states, most, called biophages or just phages, are simply genetic programs that help us live and adapt to an ever-changing environment. Our diet and environmental conditions can affect the makeup of the virome, which we can in turn share with those who live or work closely with us. Trillions more viruses and bacteria exist in the air, water and soil. From the moment we exit our mother’s womb, our bodies exist in a complex symbiosis with this microscopic world, which is constantly sending its genomic signals to help us optimize our own healthy functioning in the face of changing environmental threats. Without viruses, bacteria and fungi, we would literally not exist.
Despite this emerging understanding of the critical and ultimately positive role of viruses – one that could deeply transform our healthcare practices – many of us are still in thrall to a materialist belief system that posits an ever-present struggle between humans and nature. Under such a paradigm, the pandemic naturally surfaces the prospect of disease and death and therefore touches into our most primal fears and psychic instabilities. Death is, after all, the largest unknown for the living and therefore the scariest, and something that Western medical practice seems to abhor and fight against, rather than skillfully facilitate when the time is right. Some of our primal fears may be inherited generationally, such as the trauma of children or grandchildren of those who lived through or died in the Holocaust, or of descendents of those who survived the physical or cultural genocide of native tribes around the world. Many religions also instill fear around death, having to do with visions of hell, judgment and retributive karma. Also, traumas experienced around birth and early life, especially difficult births, premature births, maternal postpartum depression, and many other early traumas can contribute to core instabilities whose dynamics are driven to the surface under the pressure of situations like the one we’re now experiencing. This is not to say that there is anything “wrong” with any of this; the opportunity for healing and resolution is monumental under our current circumstances. But as a society we are not well prepared to facilitate the healing and emergence of many of these individuals, in part because we have pathologized mental health, and in part because we attempt to control emotions with chemicals.
Making the Unconscious Conscious
To approach the coronavirus phenomenon from an archetypal or alchemical perspective is to consider it as a meaningful force that is delivering both a message (or messages, or path awareness) as well as a stimulus for growth and evolution. This is no mere mental exercise; it is called “shadow work” because it invites us to delve into our fears, anxieties, rage, grief, traumas and other hidden and unresolved parts of our psyches and to find deeper meaning and resources there. The reframing of viruses from “dangerous killers” to “helpful messengers” as described above is a prime example of such a transformation; this stands as a beacon inviting us to go beyond the fear narrative being offered to us and dive into the deeper areas of our being. As a stimulus for path awareness, the virus can help us recognize better choices in each moment, for example in what we eat and the medicines we take; how we take care of ourselves through meditation, movement, time in nature; how to invest our time for maximum growth and contribution to the life around us, etc.
Far from being all negative, our shadow also includes disowned talents and traits, positive emotions and creative ideas, and hidden desires and dreams — anything that we have for one reason or another cast aside, perhaps because we do not feel “good enough” or “sanctioned” to feel our feelings or share our quirkiness or genius. The pandemic itself is functioning to urge into fuller expression many profound pro-social traits that have been left undeveloped, for example: caring for others regardless of kin, race or economic status; taking leadership roles in our family, neighborhood or town; becoming more persistent, creative and adaptive in the face of uncertainty or dwindling supplies of food or other resources; expressing greater empathy for the suffering of others; developing greater patience and forbearance when people or circumstances require it—in other words, opening the spiritual heart and releasing the warrior spirit!
Many such experiences were common in the direct aftermath of 9/11, when a sense of unity, shared purpose, and open-heartedness flooded through those who were closely affected, and even in many who were not. During such times, our usual self-centeredness is subsumed in the call to show up in community, and social distinctions that once seemed so immutable recede as a natural egalitarianism emerges that takes everyone’s well-being as important. This sense of tribal solidarity has often been witnessed in areas worst affected by war and natural catastrophes, harkening back to our earlier human history when reliance on the bonds of community was a way of life. (I highly recommend reading Sebastian Junger’s book Tribe for an excellent overview of this topic.)
In reality, shadow work practitioners do not look at psychic contents as “negative” and “positive,” since anything found in shadow can ultimately serve a life-affirming purpose. Shadow material only seems negative because of our psychic defenses, such as fear and resistance, against seeing or feeling it. What we don’t know seems scary precisely because we don’t know it, because it seems “other.” Engaging consciously with what has been unconscious, when done compassionately and skillfully, reduces the fear and resistance and helps us see that what is emerging has been trying to help us all along. Bringing the light into these dark places can be the work of a lifetime. Certainly, what is happening today is a huge invitation to master our fear and to potentiate the best we have within us.
Shadow material, whether we see it as negative or positive, is kept in place by our own fears, judgments and habit patterns, many of which were inherited from – and constantly reinforced by – social conditioning via parents and family members, teachers and religious leaders, television shows, movies and advertising, music, and so on. As generalized examples, in our culture men are often taught to suppress fear and vulnerability, while women are often taught to suppress anger and self-authority. It’s not difficult to see how such expectations could lead to problematic and self-destructive behaviors, and to general misery, especially now when each of us needs to have access to the full spectrum of human emotion and capacity in order to to have the resilience to meet the emergent challenges. Whatever their original cast or flavor, once we stop repressing our shadow elements and learn to befriend them, they can turn from “lead” into “gold.” This is the essence of inner alchemy.
Depending on how integrated we are with our existing shadow material (and the more integrated, the less shadow), our ego or sense of self or personality will to some degree repress these “irrational” or “unacceptable” parts of our nature, attempting to manage and control them. (Hint: they can’t really be controlled in the usual sense.) All of this typically goes on beneath the level of conscious awareness. However, when an overarching phenomenon like the coronavirus pandemic shows up, reinforced by the constant fear-based narrative and exacerbated by social distancing measures and the stresses of illness or unemployment — we can easily find our underlying fears and anxieties gaining an upper hand. After all, the pandemic ticks all of the existential boxes with its prospects of loneliness, alienation, disease, pain, poverty, starvation, uncertainty, loss of control, loss of dignity, loss of loved ones, not to mention the prospect of our own death. With each of these we also face the loss of identity to the extent that we are attached to external conditions (our health, our job or the amount of money in our bank account, for example) or to people (family, friends, coworkers or worship community we may be isolated from, for example).
Is it any wonder, then, that just between February 16 and March 15 — before the quarantine even really kicked in — the number of prescriptions filled for depression and sleep disorders increased 18.6% and 14.8% respectively, and the increase for anti-anxiety medications rose 34.1%, or that calls to suicide hotlines have increased during the pandemic by as much as 891%? Such levels of fear and trauma that we are witnessing with this pandemic are unprecedented outside of an active war zone scenario.
The Shadow Offerings
Are you ill, physically or mentally, at the current time? Do you believe that COVID-19 is a pathogen that can attack you? Are you in fear of your own or other people’s bodies and breath? Are you afraid of your own or a loved one’s death, or of causing another’s suffering or death? Do you feel pressured or comforted by the call to conform to orthodox mandates such as social distancing? Do you perhaps feel this is all “a hoax” or misinformed in some essential way? Have you lost a job or a business, and is this causing financial or other difficulties? Are you feeling isolated from others? Are you feeling anxious, confused, depressed? Are you feeling let down by our government or social institutions? Are you perhaps feeling secretly pleased or hopeful during this global pause that humanity has a chance to right the ship and head in a healthier direction? Are you experiencing a spiritual awakening amidst all the chaos, a call to a new level of understanding and expressing?
Whatever is currently “up” for you, it is providing ripe opportunities to explore your inner nature more deeply.
To engage in inner alchemy is to allow that what we may see or believe to be true about the virus and pandemic are not the whole truth of what’s happening to us. The virus is the exoteric or exteriorized drama that, from an alchemical point of view, is functioning to reveal the deeper causal agents of belief, thought and emotion, and soul purpose buried deeply within our own psyches — our hidden or esoteric dimensions. While we should of course attend to the external physiological aspects of the virus, if we do not also attend to the internal psychological and spiritual aspects that are being dredged up by this pandemic, we will fail to understand what it is trying to tell us. We will also fail to make the necessary changes in our internal paradigm and emotional offerings that will lead us to a new level of empowerment and connection to ourselves, to each other and to nature.
For many people, the primary psychological offering of the pandemic, visible all around us and being fed to us constantly, is fear and loss: fear of death, fear of pain, fear of decrepitude, fear of loss or grief over the loss of potential loss of friends, loved ones, our job, our income, etc.; fear of privation, fear of starvation, fear of loss of our home, loss of dignity, etc. These are all variations of the fear of loss of control and the attendant rage over our powerlessness to affect circumstances, and fear of life itself, which can include rage and/or grief over personal and collective traumas and losses, even rage at God.
With the protests related to the pandemic or subsequent events like the George Floyd murder, there is also growing rage and polarization (or “othering”) against the police and those in positions of authority, against the state, between races and political parties, sometimes even between family members. Rioting, looting, and setting things ablaze are all symptoms of rage and powerlessness, while they also represent not-fully-owned or expressed potentials of caring, initiative and power. We can find all of this reverberating through us as fear of loss of safety, of security, of order and harmony, and loss of the known, loss of certainty, loss of faith.
One could argue that our current society has been suffering from a low-level form of social alienation for many decades, that is now coming to the surface and boiling over. This orgy of fear, grief, rage and othering has been present all along in our culture to some degree, and some may be new, or may be presenting at a new level of intensity. Much of what is coming up now is simply a reflection of the dis-ease of our current way of life, where we have discovered ourselves to be objectified, commodified and exploited, divorced from our feeling and intuitive natures, and collectively too oblivious to our impact on the health of plants, animals, and the natural world. Out of this profoundly self-destructive alienation, our souls are screaming out for a deeper quality of life, connectedness and meaning. Feeling deeply into all this is a good thing, a necessary thing, a healing thing, because it brings with it the possibility for our essential reconnection to the source of life. If we want to engage in the project of creating a better world, one that works for everyone and all forms of life, this “pandemic pause” is certainly providing a clear and powerful opportunity to do so.
These psychological conditions permeating our lives are all based on the perception of separation — separation from the source of life and from the life process (which includes non-acceptance of disease, aging and death), separation from our bodies and our emotions and from the natural world, and separation from each other and from a sense of trust, security, belonging and so on. As the inadequacies of our various social systems and institutions have become more apparent, we have also been experiencing a greater disconnection from social support, affection, purpose, meaning, empathy, balance, reason, even sanity. My belief is that the depth of this current darkness is equivalent to the positive potential waiting for us on the other side of the converging crises. But we must each take the journey, or the potential will wither on the vine.
As an alchemical process, the pandemic and its effects are inviting us to encounter these underlying shadow dynamics as archetypes or energies in their own right, that is to say, as meaningful forces that are focusing our attention and ultimately encouraging us to grow. By so doing, we have the opportunity to listen to what these forces are telling us, and to reintegrate the underlying psychic and emotional energy; that is, to change our relationship with these dynamics, let go of victim narratives and self-defeating habits, clarify our desires and purpose, and rise to meet life with greater sensitivity, wonder, courage and fortitude.
If we continue to ignore our shadow energies, they can wreak havoc in our lives and relationships, possibly resulting in anxiety, depression, “accidents” and even suicide. Anxiety and depression can, in themselves, severely restrict the functioning of our immune systems and make us more susceptible to opportunistic infections, including SARS-CoV-2, and over time, to chronic diseases. By engaging in our own shadow work, we can come to heal the separation at the center of our experience, and return to life with a deeper gift of trust, understanding, resilience, wisdom, creativity, and empowerment. This includes the acceptance of death when its time has come.
Engaging with the Inquiry Questions
Below you will find nine inquiry questions designed to empower you in the face of the coronavirus phenomenon. They provide opportunities to explore specific facets of the viral or pandemic experience as it presents itself in your own personal and social experience. These include such explorations as: how we may be feeling subject to attack, alienation or rejection from external forces in various parts of our lives; what specific disease symptoms may be telling us about our relationship to ourselves and others; elements of reality that we have cast off as “other”; and so on. Any of these questions can also be used to reflect on various aspects of our individual and collective reality, such as our relationship to food and water; how we treat animals, especially those we eat as food; issues around work and creativity, money, politics, etc. What you choose to explore is entirely up to you.
If you have previously been ill with symptoms of COVID-19, or if you often become ill with certain kinds of recurring symptoms, you may wish to engage with your most prevalent symptom or symptoms as laid out in Question #2, which provides specific questions for the throat, lungs, heart and blood, kidneys and tissues, nervous system, and body. You can invite the virus to teach you about what such symptoms are attempting to tell you.
I recommend reading through all of the questions below before engaging with the one or two that most pique your interest or curiosity. In general, if you’re new to this kind of work, you might choose to start with an inquiry question that relates to what the virus is collectively telling us about our social institutions, healthcare system, economy, politics, etc., as these are less likely to be anxiety-producing.
To establish a constructive state of mind and emotion for undertaking this inquiry, especially if you’re working alone and focusing more on your own personal shadow material, you may wish to begin with a gratitude exercise. This is simply an opportunity to focus on the many things in your life that you are currently thankful for. Nothing is too small to be grateful for — the glass of water, the appearance of a bird outside your window, the glance or voice of a loved one, the comfortable chair underneath you, the roof over your head, the food you had for lunch, the relative safety of your neighborhood, etc. Bring each item to mind, feel the gratitude for this gift in your heart, and rest in that gratitude for at least several seconds before moving onto the next item. You may do this for just a couple of minutes or for 10 minutes or even longer, it’s up to you.
To undertake your inquiry practice proper, find a quiet and comfortable spot where you will not be interrupted, and breathe deeply and evenly for a minute or two to clear any tension and to create a neutral, receptive state of mind. Then choose one question or topic area to focus on at a time, and simply let the answers come to you imaginatively, without effort. Write down your answers in a journal or record your answers into an audio recorder. If you and a friend or loved one are comfortable having a discussion, this can also be an empowering way to explore these questions.
As you contemplate your question, notice what images, thoughts and emotions arise. It’s not necessary to engage them — as in, trying to understand them, figure them out, control them, change them or heal them — but simply let them rest in a larger space of awareness. Notice how they flow throughout your body and mind. If you have developed a regular meditative practice prior to this, you will find this easier to do; continuing to bring your awareness back to your breathing, for example, can be very helpful. Likewise, if memories come to the surface of consciousness, simply let them rest there without feeling that you need to do anything with them. With an open, almost detached curiosity and sense of simple gratitude and allowingness, notice what they are there to show you and tell you. It may be some old unprocessed fear or grief or anger that comes to meet you, or it may be something entirely else. Whatever it is, do not judge it or try to change it, just notice and accept it.
After you have completed your inquiry session, write or record any further thoughts, feelings, and images that come to mind. Pay attention to your dreams, hunches and intuitions, especially over the next 48 to 72 hours. Write these down as well. Take the opportunity that this turning inward has provided to cultivate your attention and to increase your curiosity and willingness to see and feel what was formerly unconscious, repressed, and unaccepted (whether “positive” or “negative”) during the other waking hours of your day. After a week or ten days, come back to the original question(s) and see how your feeling or sense of them has changed, or not changed. Notice what new questions are now rising for consideration and resolution.
If you’re new to this type of exercise, it’s a good idea to limit your session to a single question at a time, and to work for no more than 20 minutes or so. If at any point during your inquiry exercise you become anxious, simply bring your mind back to the gratitude practice for one or several minutes. If your anxiety does not abate, I recommend stopping the exercise and returning to it at a later time when you feel you have more psychological and emotional fortitude. It can be helpful to write about your experience once your nerves calm down. Alternatively, you may switch to a less personal inquiry question.
It should also be noted that when undertaking this kind of inquiry, you may at times actually experience an increase in your anxiety level. What’s likely happening here is that you are expanding your awareness of the anxiety that is already underlying your conscious experience, and just being aware of this can sometimes be enough for it to pass. It’s also possible to have anxiety about having anxiety; increasing your familiarity with your internal mental and emotional states can help you get a handle on this. Again, you should only undertake these exercises if you feel safe and secure in doing so. If you are unsure about your state of mind or your capacity to engage in these questions, or if you feel that this pandemic is pushing you over the psychological edge, I highly recommend that you seek professional support. It can be a wise and loving thing to do for yourself. If you work with a therapist or counselor, you may choose to engage in some of these questions with their support and guidance.
The Alchemical Gifts
The general outcome of engaging in this kind of inquiry process is that once you open up to really hear what the shadow aspect is attempting to tell you, your fear and anxiety will start to lessen and you will start to feel more empowered. This is because you are no longer resisting or fearing your internal psychic energies but instead are building a relationship with them. Feeling empowered will not necessarily be an immediate result, but may come about as a consequence of doing several rounds of shadow work over the course of several weeks or longer, and being willing to explore the areas where you have the most fear and anxiety.
Also, in order to integrate and firmly establish any feelings of empowerment you encounter during these exercises, you may have to actually follow through with new actions or behaviors. For example, in Question #2 below, if you’re working on the area of the Body (dealing with the shadows of immobilization, incapacitation and death), you might discover that there have been important life choices you have felt prevented from making. In order to integrate this shadow material more completely, you would have to be willing to start making those choices as your life unfolds in the days and weeks ahead. Even starting with small, seemingly insignificant choices that you have been avoiding can make a big difference. Always remember that courage is action in the presence of fear, not in its absence.
Overall, it’s best to approach these inquiry exercises without an expectation of receiving any particular benefit outside of expanded awareness. Often the results can be very subtle and may only be noticed after a significant period of time has passed. For example, you may come to realize that you feel less fearful or anxious about certain topics. You may notice that you feel more trusting about your future, and less fearful of change or even death. With this retreat of fear and contraction, the love, wisdom, joy and beauty that is your natural birthright can gain a foothold in your life, regardless of external conditions. You will come to discover that behind the fear is the loving and radiant person you were always meant to be.
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
The 9 Questions
1. What am I feeling attacked by, generally, in my life? When and from where does the imagery, expectation or experience of attack arise? In which life contexts? What is the “it” that I feel is attacking me in any of the domains listed below? What/who am I letting in past my boundaries in any of these domains, without my permission or willingness? Where do I feel as if I am “locked in a cell” beyond my power or permission?
Variation 1A: The same inquiry can be done by substituting the words “alienated from” for “attacked by” in the questions above. The issue here is not one of attack (i.e. “getting past my boundaries”) but one of loss or dissociation, ergo, “what/who am I just unable to connect with?”
Variation 1B: The same inquiry can be done by substituting the words “rejected by” for “attacked by” in the questions above. The issue being framed here is the active sense of being pushed away, resisted, denied, put down, or even hated or “canceled.”
Domains:
- body/health/sexuality/gender expression
- bacteria/viruses/illness/death
- environment/natural world
- insects and animals
- food, water, air, light
- emotions/vulnerability
- social relationships (family, friends, coworkers, extended community, strangers; race and ethnicity)
- safety/security/money
- work/productivity/creativity
- education/opportunities for growth
- medicine, healing and health care system
- meaning/connection
- community/region
- culture, art/music, civic institutions
- business/economics
- politics and government
- mass media, the Internet
- state, nation
- world/planetary consciousness
- thoughts/beliefs/values
- spirit/soul
2. Symptom-specific inquiry, as a separate exercise or for any of the domains listed in #1 above.
If you are currently experiencing (or otherwise habitually experience) symptoms in any of the body areas listed below, you can ask yourself these questions as they appear after the indicated body area. You can also consider the list of domains above, and focusing on one at a time, engage in inquiry through any of the body areas below. For example, if you are working with the lung area, you could engage in the offered inquiry questions in relationship to your life experience of work, or relationships, or community, etc. For example, “Where in my relationships do I feel a lack of space to be myself?” or “Where my work or productivity do I feel unable to express my talents or make my own choices?”
§ Throat: Where in my life do I find it difficult to communicate my true feelings and needs? Where do I find it difficult to make requests? Which emotions do I find it difficult to communicate? What am I not saying to myself, others or the world?… What is my throat trying to tell me through my symptoms?
§ Lungs: Where in my life do I feel like there is lack of space or permission — to be, to feel, to express, to explore, to love, to create, to make my own choices?… What are my lungs trying to tell me through my symptoms?
§ Heart/Blood: Where do I feel a lack of acceptance of self? Where do I feel a lack of acceptance of others? Where do I feel disconnected, alienated? Where do I feel misunderstood? Where do I hurt? Where/what do I fear? What do I experience difficulty feeling? Where is my life not flowing freely? What are my deeper concerns that are not being adequately addressed in my life?… What is my heart or blood trying to tell me through my symptoms?
§ Kidneys/tissues: What toxins or other unwanted elements and I unable to I filter out or avoid? What am I finding it difficult or impossible to say no to? Where do I feel I have no choice? What feels like it’s burdening me, making me heavy, lethargic?… What are my kidneys and tissues trying to tell me through my symptoms?
§ Nervous system: What is overloading me? Where do I lack energy or initiative? Where do I feel a lack of aliveness? Where do I feel my wires are crossed? Am I receiving/accepting mixed messages (from within or without) and if so what are they? And I receiving/accepting negative messages (from within or without) and if so, what are they? Where do I feel I lack understanding? Where am I perplexed or confused?… What is my nervous system trying to tell me through my symptoms?
§ Body (immobilization/incapacitation/death): Where in my life do I feel frozen or stuck? Where am I unable to move or make a choice? What ways feel closed to me (that I can work to accept and then move in a different direction)? What choices am I making that I do not really want to make? Where have I been putting off a new choice? What conditions or ideas am I attached to that are weighing me down, blocking new possibilities? What new possibilities do I dream of? Are there certain thoughts, conditions or habits that are blocking me from moving towards that? How can I let go of those? How am I feeling about death, my own and other people’s?… What is my body trying to tell me through my symptoms?
3. What is my conception of “the other” — people who are strangers or unlike me? What is my expectation of the other in terms of trust, sincerity, goodwill, or lack thereof? Where do I find the journey of making my way in the world to be difficult, confusing, painful or impossible?
4. What are the gifts the virus is offering me? Offering us collectively? (Again, any of the domains in #1 above can be engaged in this inquiry.)
5. Which poisonous, destructive, and hurtful aspects of modern society have I/we not been attending to? How are these hurting me/us, individually and collectively?
6. Where have I/we been avoiding or denying life and what is most alive in me/us that yearns for greater expression and realization?
7. Where have I/we been avoiding or denying death, illness, or the need for recovery, detoxification, a deep life change, or a significant timeout, not letting go of things that no longer work, not questioning and changing unhealthy habits, not creating space for inner listening?
8. What would life look like if I/we accepted the learning that the virus is offering me/us (in each or any of the domains in #1 above)? What image, idea, or dream arises in me that expresses a new way of life and being in which the challenging lessons of the virus are no longer needed?
9. As I center myself deeply in this new way and these new ways of expressing, what is the gift I most want to give the world? How do I see myself contributing, helping, inspiring others, and co-creating?
DISCLAIMER
In reading any of the articles on this website, you are agreeing to be 100% responsible for your own health decisions and outcomes. I am not a doctor, and I am making no claims to special medical knowledge. Nothing I offer in any of the writing here is in any way intended to diagnose or cure disease, nor am I offering advice on starting, altering or stopping any medical treatment or any other health intervention. Please act responsibly and in accord with best health practices as you understand them. Please consult with your own physician or other medical practitioner if you have any health concerns.
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