How to stay balanced and grow through the challenges of 2025:
How to stay balanced and grow through the challenges of 2025:
There’s no doubt about it, currently we are going through a tumultuous and transformative time on the planet! It can be hard to stomach, yet what we are now witnessing or experiencing is the culmination of our collective actions, or lack of action, over decades and centuries. At this critical, tipping point, we still have the chance to change course if enough of us choose to do so.
Many spiritual teachers and astrologers predicted that these times would be some of the most significant in history, a chance finally to heal old karmic wounds passed down over generations within our families, communities and countries, and rapidly accelerate our spiritual growth. Now we are entering a pivotal karmic choice point.
If we are willing to dig deep, we see that harmful or unconscious behaviour is always born out of pain, fear and ultimately the misperception of separation from Source and each other. If we believe ourselves to be ultimately alone in a hostile universe, our nervous systems become stuck in a fight, flight, freeze or fawn response, fight, in the case of those who carry out harmful self-serving or violent actions. Violence almost always leads to more hurt and violence, unless someone is enlightened enough to stop the cycle. It is never a way to peace.
At the deepest level, violence ultimately reflects that we have lost our spiritual connection, our connection to each other and the world around us. If we truly feel love and peace within ourselves, and recognise our common humanity, we could never intentionally harm another person, either directly or indirectly.
As we witness our global conflicts escalating, we are being spiritually called ever more strongly to choose a new way, one based on the cultivation of compassion, understanding, tolerance, forgiveness, the willingness to put ourselves in others’ shoes and to open our hearts to solutions that benefit all beings. As my wise spiritual teacher says “all the answers are found in our hearts“, we just need to take the time to listen. Thus change starts with ourselves, not in helplessly waiting for something to change in the world ‘out there’.
Our perspective on life counts for Everything!:
Humans rarely grow much when life is too easy and comfortable, we grow the most through challenge. Right now we have two choices, either to become active creators of something new, starting with ourselves, or else to live and view ourselves as powerless victims of others’ choices. It is truly our choice.
Often we think we are too small to make a difference, yet recalling small gestures that had a subtle but profound effect on our life proves otherwise. The person who took the time to offer kind words during a time of challenge, the sharing of a creative idea that led to a new work project or a meaningful community collaboration are examples of how our energy exchanges work. We are mistaken if we think that small actions can’t lead to significant outcomes. Gandhi understood the power of quiet, compassionate and determined action, urging people to “BE the change you want to see in the world.” Change can and must always start with ourselves, our families and communities.
“Each life creates endless ripples” – Frank Herbert
How do we navigate the chaos and create something positive?
If we want to make a truly positive impact in the world, then coming from a balanced, calm and compassionate place is important. It is hard to take truly beneficial, positive and uplifting actions if we are filled with fear, anxiety, jealousy or anger.
With the challenges we are now facing, personally I am finding it ever more important to make time for regular practices such as meditation, yoga, walks in nature and healing treatments. These practices help me to develop and maintain a sense of inner peace and balance in the present moment, where love, peace, goodness and our divine nature always reside. These are also tools that we can lean on whenever we get triggered or discouraged, providing an anchor to centre and bring us back into a state of inner balance and stillness.
Taking good care of our bodies and minds with the basic pillars of good quality sleep, food and exercise is also important. Setting aside time for hobbies, uplifting activities and meaningful time with loved ones, as well as focusing on gratitude and appreciation for all that we have in life (instead of what we don’t have) is also extremely helpful to keep our morale high, and our thoughts about life positive and hopeful. Surrounding ourselves with positive people, groups and communities as much as we can, where we can give and receive support, and learn from one another, can also be very helpful.
The importance of healing our own wounds and shadows:
Like it or not, as human beings, we all experience the gamut of human emotions at some point or another: fear, anger, jealousy, selfishness, impatience, etc, as well as the positive feelings of love, peace, kindness and joy. Stored in our subconscious minds and on a cellular level, mental-emotional wounds are created by past experiences, which we experienced as challenging. These wounds affect the way in which we go through life. Experiences with similar themes, however subtle, can also reactivate these wounds, potentially causing us to react inappropriately and project them onto others.
Developing compassionate awareness of ourselves, our patterns and reactions is the key to transforming our wounds. Sometimes it’s not easy to feel our pain and yet it is necessary if we want truly to heal and not perpetuate the cycle of pain in our families, communities and world.
Challenges and stress usually cause our wounds to reactivate the most strongly. That is why spiritual leaders and astrologers talk about the current time being such fruitful period for our collective healing and transformation. Maintaining some kind of regular mindfulness / body/ breath-based practice to keep us anchored in the present moment is very helpful for when our wounds arise. With mindful awareness and presence, we can compassionately acknowledge our experience, without getting lost in emotions, thoughts or stories, gently and gradually healing the issues at their root. As we heal from the inside, we naturally start to take benevolent actions.
Healing Together:
Part of our collective healing is the need to recognise our similarity and unity as human beings – that we all go through challenges and wounds and experience pain, and are all deserving of compassion, understanding and healing. The worse someone’s actions are, the more they are suffering, whether they are aware of it or not.
Energy always follows energy: acting from a place of anger and violence only breeds more of the same. Instead, offering love, compassion, taking time to listen carefully to people’s pain and grievances, and collaborating to find compassionate, inclusive solutions is the only answer if we want to restore true peace in the world. Opening our hearts also involves opening our minds to embrace others, even if they appear ‘different’ from us in some ways, recognising our common humanity and our spiritual core. The best place to practise is with our close relationships, our families, friends and communities, with each and every person creating a ripple effect on the wider world around them.
So together with one breath, one action, one day at a time, let’s choose to focus on healing our wounds, connecting with our hearts, and create a new paradigm of Love, peace and unity. The power to create positive change is within ourselves.
“We are all here for a reason. Be a source of love, and watch it create ripple effect around you.” – Michelle Maros
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PS For those who would like some extra healing support, I offer a range of gentle touch / healing treatments, my presence and a listening ear, with the choice of both in person and distance sessions: www.silviehealing.com
