Get Current

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My teacher Gary Sherman often tells his students to “get current.” He means that, periodically, we all need to take stock of our lives and readjust to what is. That might mean looking through your clothes closet and donating items that you haven’t worn in years. It might mean looking at the design of your home or daily routine, getting out of whatever rut you’re in, and readjusting these things to your current needs and wants.

Right about now, it’s time for each of us to get current. I stopped looking at the “COVID curves” weeks ago. Why let them affect my mood each day, whether positively or negatively? What good does it do? Why waste time lamenting a lost job or something that was cancelled? Or constantly worrying about some hoped for event or feared scenario that may or may not take place? (As a worrier, that’s my own tendency). In the end, you’ll cross the bridges ahead when you come to them. Get current.

The Sedona Method teacher Hale Dwoskin often begins his release meditations with the phrase “Can you just be what you are?” or “Just for now, can you welcome what is?” I find that when I focus on these words, an inner sense of calm overtakes me. I just am. It’s also a great state of mind to be in when it’s time to get current.

The whole world seems to be busy getting current right now. The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of more police killings of black and brown people has given all of us a dose of what is. Of course, this has long been what was too. The same goes for the Me Too movement. It’s time to stop ignoring these societal patterns and get current. Let’s finally make real changes.

Ever since the beginning of June, I sense the tide is turning. The question is, will we return to our old habits and comfort zones, or shake ourselves awake and get current? As individuals and communities, we need to take these steps:

1) Let go of the past (and engage in whatever grieving process is necessary to do so);

2) Take stock of what is;

3) Decide what you really want and need now, given what is; and

4) Move forward to make that happen.

And don’t forget, when you engage in this process, active consciousness can help you along the way!

Let’s use this unusual time as an opportunity to create lives that truly serve us better. Your vision and intention really do play an important part.

More Hopeful Resources to Explore

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One of the most exciting pieces of news to come my way lately is the amazing successes the Indian state of Kerala is having with its egalitarian healthcare system, which includes the use of both homeopathy and Ayurveda. 20 million doses of Arsenicum Album were distributed free of charge as a preventative for COVID-19, and as of June 15, they’ve had only 19 deaths in a population of 35 million! In fact, this blog about Kerala’s successes went viral. Hopefully, the entire Indian government and the whole world will take notice of what’s truly possible with homeopathy.

Another movie about homeopathy! I think it’s truly excellent. It has a more scientific and less emotional tone to it than some of the recent movies and I believe it may get some skeptics to open their minds. It also includes one of the best explanations I’ve heard of how ultradilutions capture the energy of substance. Entitled “Homeopathy, Another way”, it was created with the help of French pharmacy Boiron. Be aware that the dialogue is in French with English subtitles. And watch it soon! It my only be available for free online for another month or two.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again — I love the monthly newsletters from Washington Homeopathics pharmacy. I encourage you to sign up for them — they always include interesting feature articles. I only wish they’d put them permanently online! June’s newsletter includes 2 great articles — one on how homeopathy is a nontoxic green medicine that doesn’t hurt the environment (unlike the heavily polluting pharmaceutical industry), and another that highlights famous women homeopaths from the past. Read it before it disappears.

Speaking of articles, in the past I’ve also pointed you to some written by my own homeopath, Deborah Olenev. She recently added one on the ever important topic of susceptibility, especially important these days. As she points out, this fundamental aspect of health and disease is left out of the dialogue in Western medicine. This omission underlies allopathy’s failure to understand that it is more important and effective to foster a patient’s health (thereby lowering their susceptibility) than it is to kill a virus.

Helpful and Hopeful Resources to Explore

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(This is from my May 2020 Impossible Cure Newsletter).

At this point, most of us are probably used to the “new reality” but are still coping with ups and downs. Who to trust? What to believe? How scared should we be? What level of protection do we have to engage in? Does anyone really know what they’re doing?

I’m in the same boat as the rest of you. I have good weeks and bad weeks. Hopeful and happy times as well as sad, disappointed, and scared times. Personally, I’m now more frightened of what society will do and become as a result of this experience than of COVID itself. But I also try to remember that fear just “brings it near” and positive intentions and beliefs are paramount! I’ve also learned to shield myself as much as possible from the media hype and fearmongering. I no longer look at the “curves,” because I find that looking at them doesn’t really help anyone and only makes me feel worse. Beside, I have no choice but to follow my county’s rulings anyway.

I do know that nearly everyone has found their own comfort level — what they need to do in order to feel safe. I quickly learned that it was important for me to try to respect what each person thinks they need, because their belief system affects their immunity. Thus, if you think you need to stay 15 feet away from people to feel safe, you will more likely get sick if you only stay 6 feet away. If you believe you only need to stay 3 feet away from people, then doing so will likely suffice. Same for masks. Did you know that many countries (like Australia) never used them and have done very well?

Of course, there are limits. It’s all a matter of susceptibility. A healthy immune system (bolstered by belief, good eating habits, general health, sleep, etc.) can protect you. But if contagion and exposure is strong enough, anyone can fall ill. It’s all a possibility/probability game. There are no absolutes.

For all of these reasons, it’s important to not only bolster your immune system with physical measures (e.g., try to sleep well, drink plenty of water, take vitamins C, D, and Zinc — I usually take Zinc only if I feel I’ve violated my own comfort level, get some sun, go outside and breathe fresh air and get into nature if you can, exercise, and meditate) but also try to increase your own confidence in yourself and your natural healing abilities. I also find immense comfort in the fact that I have homeopathy if I do get sick. In fact, homeopathy has been successful in keeping COVID-positive people out of the hospital in almost all cases.

Here are some resources to check out that have all improved my overall attitude about my own sense of safety and well-being. Enjoy!

– Italian homeopaths report on their successful treatment of COVID-19. You can read either Dana Ullman’s summary or the original paper.

-There are other cases of homeopathic treatment and discussions about COVID-19 in the May 2020 issue of Hpathy. Signup is free. (By the way, this is an outstanding monthly publication and is well worth signing up for!)

– In this article that appeared on Medium.com, Dana Ullman talks about the subject of immunity, including homeopathy’s past successes in treating epidemics, as well as other effective methods afforded by alternative approaches to health.

– Zach Bush, M.D. puts everything into perspective vis-a-vis our relationship with viruses and life in general in this genius interview with Del Bigtree (start at minute 55).

– For the more esoterically-minded among you, I highly recommend listening to this Youtube created by Logosynthesis doctor Willem Lammers. I have found it useful whenever I’m having a down day and it invariably creates a positive effect in me.

COVID-19: Facing Loss, Letting Go

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As you might expect, homeopaths are busy trying to understand how to heal COVID-19 and to come up with a set of genus epidemicus remedies — the ones most likely to successfully treat the various stages of the disease. As more and more people become ill, more folks are contacting homeopaths. And as things progress, I will be especially interested in hearing from India, since homeopathy is a mainstream form of medicine there, with thousands of working homeopaths functioning as full-fledged doctors.

Recently, homeopath Jeremy Sherr, who (along with his wife Camilla) leads the amazing group of homeopaths in Tanzania treating AIDS and other ailments, spearheaded the creation of a database to collect and analyze COVID-19 remedy and treatment information. The preliminary results point to the following top remedies: Phosphorus, Antimonium Tartaricum, Bryonia, Gelsemium, Phosphoric-Acid, and Arsenicum Album (with Antimonium Tartaricum being Jeremy’s favorite).

Of course, Bryonia and Gelsemium are important plant remedies for treating the flu. However, I am struck by the fact that the other mineral-based remedies are all made from elements in the same column of the periodic table: phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony. In fact, another useful remedy for COVID-19 is the more obscure remedy Antimonium Arsenicosum — made from a combination of antimony and arsenic.

Some of you may be familiar with the work of the brilliant Dutch homeopath, Jan Scholten. Using existing proving information for remedies made from the elements, he came up with what has turned out to be an incredibly powerful theory about the inherent meaning and nature of these remedies. Using this theory, homeopaths have even been successful in treating patients utilizing remedies made from heretofore unproven elements.

As Scholten discovered, remedies made from elements in the same row or column tend to have a theme to their symptomatology — physically, emotionally, and mentally. The rows have themes, starting from the top, of Being, Identity, Relationship, Work, Ideas and Creativity, Power, and Spiritual Power. In contrast, the columns have themes that begin (on the left) with slowly building confidence and mastership, to complete mastery (the center column), and then slowly losing that control and mastery until there is release. By combining this information together, a theme for a particular element can be derived. For example, the element at the center of the “Work” row would have a theme of obvious mastery over work.

Given this information, Scholten posits that the progression of elements through the periodic table mirrors our evolution as human beings — from finding out who we are, to attaining mastery over the various aspects of life. And in order to spiral upward, we also need to be able to, at times, let go of a particular theme and move on.

Now as I said, all of the COVID-19 mineral remedies are made from elements in the same column, to which Scholten has attached the theme: LOSS. In particular, we have:
* Phosphorus: Loss of relationship
* Arsenic: Loss of work
* Antimony: Loss of ideas, creativity, and honor

Since the entire world is going through this experience, these themes must indeed be significant! And in fact, the theme of loss does pertain not only to humanity, but to the entire Earth organism. As above, so below. As below, so above. Just think about what the Earth is also experiencing. Loss of oxygen (and remember — COVID-19 kills due to respiratory symptoms and an inability to breathe). Loss of habitat. Loss of species.

The following is a string of quotes from Scholten’s writings about the Loss column (derived from pages 58 and 59 of his book Homoeopathy and the Elements). Many of these symptoms will sound eerily familiar!

“The power has gone and they no longer keep up the facade either. Everybody knows it is all over. They lose everything they have built up, they feel a complete failure and they are very hurt. They feel everybody is letting them down: people they thought they could trust suddenly don’t support them any longer. It is as if they have to face everything alone. It is like a bankruptcy. The business has collapsed.The sense of loss is expressed in dreams and delusions. They have a great fear of death and they think about it a lot. They have become superfluous. Their skills are no longer needed. Or they have such an abundance that others can’t digest it. This can result in overeating, or being overly concerned for others. Everything is exaggerated. They have to hand over everything they have built up over the years. They are good at sacrificing. They might give so much that they become a martyr. Another theme is poison. They have the feeling that people are trying to get rid of them by stealthy means. This makes them very suspicious: they are always on their guard, ‘you never know, a friend can soon turn into an enemy.’ Any moment something could happen. Any moment their project, or their life, may come to an end. You never know when it will happen, the end always comes suddenly. They feel as if they are powerless to prevent it. In the first instance they’ll refuse to believe that things have really come to an end. They’ll do everything they can to obstruct the final dismantling. They may do the most desperate things in their attempts to delay the end.”

We all feel helpless and confused right now. There is a sense of not knowing what’s going on, what’s going to happen. We try to pin it down by coming up with conspiracy theories or resorting to draconian measures of enforcing control and protection. But ultimately, I believe we just need to let go and accept what is.

Don’t forget: an important lesson of Scholten’s periodic table is that loss is required before we can evolve and begin anew. As he also writes about the Loss column: “At this stage, acceptance is the only possibility.”

Rather than holding on to what we have lost, we must let go. And after letting go, we can move on to the next stage. As Lao Tsu so wisely said, “By letting it go, it all gets done.”

Breathe

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As above, so below. As below, so above.

The Earth is going through an unprecedented moment. We are all going through the same thing. Every person. Every plant. Every animal. Every cloud. Every river, lake, and ocean.

The nature of the symptoms of COVID-19 cannot be accidental. No matter what the outer cause may be, they synchronistically reflect the whole. The planet can’t breathe — not enough oxygen. Our lungs can’t breathe — not enough oxygen.

The solution: stop, replenish the oxygen. Clear the air. Take a breather.

We recently celebrated Earth Day. Is that a coincidence?

The Earth is conscious and so much more powerful than us and has delivered its message. We are part of the whole and eventually we will not be able to avoid hearing and experiencing that message. The era of band-aid solutions like face masks, vaccines, and respirators will soon be over. We must all learn to breathe again, along with the rest of the animals and atmosphere and oceans.

Start right now. Remember that fear and anger depletes your physical and emotional oxygen supply. Stop, smile, be grateful, get out in the sun, look at a plant or something else in nature, and breathe.

Each of our next steps will be important. Take this time to contemplate what they will be.

Ponder These Questions

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The entire world is settling into a new reality, at least for a while. One natural response is fear and anxiety. Another is anger and frustration. Both responses aren’t very productive though, because they not only create suffering, but also weaken your immune system.

So let’s take a new tack on what’s going on. It’s certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m 64 and I can tell you that I’ve never experienced anything like this before. In some ways, it’s like wartime, where life suddenly shifts beneath your feet in a way you never anticipated. But unlike war, most of us are not in immediate danger and have simply been asked to stay in place. Be still.

How unfamiliar to most of us! We’re used to running around and being busy all day. How can we just stay home and not socialize at parties and restaurants? Our first reaction might be to zone out on the computer or cell phone or binge online.

But think again. What an opportunity this is! So many of us are on a kind of personal or family retreat for a while. We’re literally being forced to stop and take a break. Breathe. STOP. Go outside. Nature is happy. The noise has quieted and you can hear the breeze and the birds. Dolphins have returned to the canals in Venice. Pollution is clearing. The Earth is taking a breather too.

Now you also have more time to play with your kids. Learn to cook new things — or finally learn to cook, period! (I’ve now learned to cook Chinese food and am baking my own bread and pizza.) Take a hike. Read a book. Try your hand at drawing or knitting or sewing or fixing things around the house. Clean! Play cards. Play an instrument. Dance. Find ways to exercise at home.

Now’s also your opportunity to sit alone, reflect, and ponder a few questions. After all, your soul and spirit have decided to live through this unusual time. What is the deeper meaning and purpose of these events for our world? And what is the meaning and purpose for you personally?

Get out a notebook or pad of paper and start a journal. Here’s a few questions to consider:

Am I happy?
What do I want to let go of? Things, ideas, people?
What do I really love doing? How can I do more of that?
Am I stuck in some way?
What’s limiting me in my life? How am I limiting myself? How can I let go of these limits?

Note that we often become stuck or self-limited because we fear that change may result in a loss of some kind or hardship. Or we may fear the risk of a bad outcome. But remember that even a bad outcome will teach you something new.

Am I happy in my work? How can I modify my work life to bring me more happiness? How can I pursue what I really love?
Am I happy in my relationships? What can I change or how can I change in order to bring what I really want in my relationships?
Am I making enough time for relaxation in my life?
How can I take better care of my body and emotions and mind? Healthier food? Exercise? Meditation? New therapies?
How can I better serve my community or family in a way that also makes me happy?
How can I find more kindred spirits to hang out with?
What are my talents and strengths? (Note: Everyone has them). How can I best use my talents?
What is my purpose in this life? (Hint: The answer can often be found in who you are, your life story, your inherent gifts, and what you love to do.)
What is my dream life? What can I imagine into being?
What legacy do I want to leave behind?

I’m sure you can think of more questions. Keep taking notes. Not only will your journal be a document that you can always come back to when things have returned back to “normal”, but it will also serve as a kind of promise to yourself. To your inner self. You can do it!

More on COVID-19 and Homeopathic Treatment

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I’m sure that all of you have been inundated with information about the virus. I know I have! The bottom line is that we are just beginning to develop a genus epidemicus set of homeopathic remedies. My guess is that we will learn much more in the coming weeks, especially because the virus is apparently starting to show up more in India, where we have so many practicing homeopaths and so much more utilization of homeopathy. Jeremy Sherr has also just recently developed a database for practitioners to contribute to, and has already come up with interesting results. He has also developed a site where people can go to interact with homeopaths who are willing to help online: homeopathyhelpnow.com.

Keep in mind that the symptom picture of COVID-19 may be somewhat different in different regions of the world. Because of this, different remedies might be applicable or more useful. There are also different remedies that will be most appropriate for different stages of the disease.

Obviously, it is ideal for remedies to be used at the early stages so that the more serious stages never develop. Apparently, standard flu remedies and one’s personal constitutional remedy are very appropriate early on. This is great, since these remedies are also more accessible to you. Some of the key remedies that Jeremy Sherr is now recommending are: Phophorus, Antimonium Tartaricum, Bryonia, Gelsemium, Phosphoric-Acid, and Arsenicum Album, though many more have been used with success.

Here are some links to keep tabs on for the latest information from a homeopathic standpoint:

▪From Manish Bhatia, editor of the Hpathy Newsletter.
▪From Paul Herscu
▪From Rajan Sankaran
▪From Amma Resonance Healing Foundation
▪From National Center for Homeopathy

The Second Half of Life

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Check it out: a picture of me and my husband Steve. This year we will turn 68 (Steve) and 65 (me). Like many people our age, we’re adjusting to getting older and our next phase in life.

People in the modern world tend to fear getting older. Youth is equated with beauty and vitality and everything good in life. Age is associated with poor health, ugliness, and uselessness. No wonder people don’t want to get older and try to do everything they can to hide their age. I’ve noticed that almost every woman my age dyes her hair. But my mother never did, nor do I. For one thing, it’s toxic. But the truth is, I regularly get stopped on the street by total strangers who tell me they love my long graying hair. I do too.

Indigenous cultures respect their gray-haired elders. They understand that wisdom often (but not always) comes with age. And I can tell you that, in general, those of us in our 60s tend to be a lot happier than the young. Things slide off us more easily. We know that change happens and what goes down tends to go up in time. We trust the universe a bit more. Our bodies may not be quite as vigorous and strong as they once were, but we aren’t necessarily less healthy.

Of course, getting older isn’t always easy. It has both challenges and rewards, just like every stage in life. In recent years, a new movement has sprung up — the conscious aging movement. Just type “conscious aging” into your browser and find out all about it. The goal of this movement is to embrace, not resist, our natural aging. As I’ve been writing in past newsletters, living in resistance is a recipe for unhappiness and even disease.

So what’s getting older all about, anyway? I believe our key task, if we are willing to undertake it, is to go within, truly face ourselves, transcend, grow in wisdom, and ideally, share that wisdom with others.

During the first half of life, we’re so busy learning and accomplishing things in the outer world that it’s easy to avoid looking too deeply within. Life is all about what’s going on outside of us, establishing our ego-identities, racking up achievements, trying to relate to (and often impress) others, accumulating things, pursuing excitement, and raising the next generation of humans.

During the second half of life, many of those things fall away. Our outer identity no longer matters as much as it used to and we’re not working as hard. Our kids are grown, pursuing their own life journeys. We might distract ourselves with various activities and pursuits, but there’s a lot more space in our lives. So inevitably, we have to face ourselves, looking at our aging faces in the mirror each day.

That’s when it’s time to shift gears and realize that the task of the second half of life is an internal one. We now have space and time to look deep within and find the golden thread of our lives. It’s time to grow in wisdom and equanimity and find self-acceptance and more compassion for ourselves. When we do, we can feel more compassion for others as well. Key to achieving all of this is to heal old ingrained emotional patterns that have usually been with us since childhood.

Sounds fun and cozy, eh? No, it’s rough! Most people will avoid this task like the plague. They’ll drink another glass of wine, play another round of golf, binge on Netflix, maybe embark on some new business venture, and anxiously search for some fountain of youth that will turn back the tide. We all do it.

The fact is, our outer ego-identity will try to fight us every step of the way. It doesn’t want to ease its grip. At the same time, however, our deeper inner self is straining to be heard and healed. This battle can often yield disease and a myriad of physical difficulties — from insomnia to arthritis. We then have two choices: pop a pill and keep deflecting, or meet the difficult task in front of us head on.

I can tell you from my own experience that everyone my age is facing this and that most people will choose the pill. Sometimes you simply have to in order to keep on living. But the only true way out is to embark on that deep and difficult journey within. If you make progress, some light will eventually break through and a bit of wisdom and equanimity will start to seep in.

I’m not saying I’m a pro at this. But I can tell you that Steve and I are both working hard at it. I’m hoping that our efforts will make the rest of our journeys through this lifetime a bit easier. Actually, I wish we had embarked on this process years ago. But I suspect that most of us aren’t really ready for it until the second half of life.

So don’t fear getting older. Embrace it! If you are lucky enough to still be around, it’s your opportunity to grow into a more complete human being and make more progress on your evolutionary path.

Facing the Corona Virus

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Obviously, COVID-19 (the “Corona Virus”) is on everyone’s mind. As always, I follow what homeopath Dr. Paul Herscu, DHANP has to say about any epidemic. At this point, since homeopaths haven’t really been able to treat people yet, we don’t have solid information on a genus epidemicus (set of useful remedies, based on complete and useful symptoms from a homeopathic perspective.) But Paul, an expert on epidemiology, is keeping us all informed. At this point, he has seven updates on the topic. His recommendations stress some key points:

a) Prevention is still the best policy at this point. That means hygienic practices like hand-washing and quarantining. Perhaps most importantly, it is important to keep your immune system in tip-top shape. That means keeping up your intake of Vitamin C (my family is taking 1000mg daily) and D3. It may also be a good time to see your homeopath if you’re due for a check up.

Remember that most people who actually contract the Coronavirus only develop a flu-like illness. A low percentage get extremely sick and even fewer die. Deaths have tended to occur not as a result of the virus itself, but due to an over-reaction of the immune system in the form of a cytokine storm. That’s why keeping yourself in good shape is important. An immune system that responds appropriately is paramount.

b) So far, the key remedy recommendations are, first, one’s constitutional remedy and secondly, the major flu remedies. Key recommendations at this point include: Bryonia, Gelsemium, Phosphorus, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Mercurius, Belladonna and Nux Vomica. You can find a quick differential among common flu remedies in this article I wrote many years ago about flu remedies.

But like I said, keeping tabs on what Paul Hercu has to say is a good idea.

Happiness Is Just A Step Away. Can You Take That Step in 2020?

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I recently read an article written by a young man dying from cystic fibrosis. Despite his poor physical health, he reports that he is filled with joy each day because he now realizes that happiness and peace are an emotional choice. Whenever fear or sorrow over his condition intrude, he is able to banish it with gratitude, wonder, and joy. Is it possible for you, too, to learn this skill?

In a recent article featured in the Active Consciousness Newsletter I wrote about how suffering arises from resistance. Does this phenomenon also provide us with a clue about how to achieve joy? What if true acceptance of what is — the opposite of resistance — is the secret sauce?

Studies have shown that although they may live in poverty, people living in primitive third-world conditions are generally happier than those of us living in the developed world. How is this possible? Is it because they are in greater alignment with or acceptance of their lives? Usually we ascribe such happiness to more intact family structures or other cultural supports that the modern world has lost. But what if it’s more basic or internally driven than that? What if they just don’t resist what is as much as we do?

That’s an idea that I’d like you to consider as you enter 2020: that experiencing happiness and peace is really about accepting or aligning to what is — the way you are physically, emotionally, and mentally; your financial situation; the way things are in the world; the way things are in your relationships. This doesn’t mean you need to like everything that is going on, or that you won’t try to do something about it. It just means that you accept that it is .

Go inside for a second. Think about something that you find bothersome. Do you sense resistance? A feeling that you just don’t, won’t, or can’t accept that troublesome thing? And now, take a deep breath and gently let go. Accept what is. It is what it is. It’s what’s true, right now. Don’t you feel some relief?

What’s most amazing about this shift — and it can be quite subtle — is that not only do you feel a bit better, but you are also in a state that enables you to take steps to move forward. Letting go of resistance also makes it easier to feel gratitude for everything that is good in your life — from the smallest flower or a smile from a stranger to the love and plenty that does come your way.

It’s all about acceptance and alignment with what is. Indeed, it’s also possible to not be in alignment with how good things are. You might ask yourself: Why are rich people so often unhappy? I ask myself the same question. I have everything I need in life. Why do I sometimes feel inexplicable anxiety and sorrow? Is it possible that I’m not truly accepting how good my life is?

So many of us living in the developed world find it difficult to feel and acknowledge how much we truly have. We are not in alignment with our reality. Instead, we live in our heads, bombarded by media that tells us we need more or aren’t enough as we are. The media also stokes our fears that some possible disaster could be lurking just around the corner. We become immersed in a kind of fog of denial and emotional turmoil that is so often baseless or focused on trivialities. How can we emerge from that fog?

There are lots of ways. Put down the phone. Get off the computer and talk to people in the flesh. Get out into nature! Commune with plants and animals who are always in the here and now. Meditate daily — the exercises in Active Consciousness can get you started. Get out of your own head trip and woes and help others through acts of generosity.

And if you (or a loved one) do have an illness, stop resisting that reality. Then you can finally start doing something about it. The same thing goes for a difficult relationship, financial woes, or a bad job situation. Breathe. Stop resisting the situation and accept that it is. You can’t move forward if you are busy running away. And what are the signs that you are, indeed, running away?
– Constant complaining
– Blaming others
– Lack of gratitude for what you do have or what others have given you
– Using drugs or other diversions and avoidance strategies

Sound familiar?

It’s common wisdom that people sometimes have to hit rock bottom before they do anything about their situation. What does “hitting rock bottom” mean? That they have finally been forced to face their situation and accept it. That they have stopped running away and now yield to what is. Once they do, they can do something to free themselves. They can also become more grateful for what they do have, and can even lend a helping hand to others.

As we enter 2020, let’s remember that accepting what is is a choice and just a step away. There’s a host of methods to get there — meditation; the releasing techniques of the Sedona Method; working on becoming more aware of what you’re saying and doing and catching yourself when you complain, blame, or run away; trying various methods for increasing self love and self-acceptance (an online search will yield many books and resources); getting out into nature; volunteering to help others; and starting each morning and ending each day with a statement of gratitude or an entry into your gratitude journal.

The year 2020. Is it a coincidence that “2020” is also our word for clear vision? And what could be more clarifying than accepting what is? Rather than making a New Year’s resolution to change something external, how about resolving to constantly make that slight internal shift and align with what is? The rest will follow.