Revolution of Light

All kinds of things are happening around us. Two recent events – the Las Vegas mass shooting and the violence of Catalonia’s independence referendum – have many wondering and worrying about what’s happening in the world.

In Las Vegas – a city that I’ve visited – almost 60 people were gunned down at a music festival. A lone 64-year-old man, who was killed by police, will never be able to explain to any of us why he opened fire on a crowd of strangers. 

In Catalonia, the Spanish government, in trying to thwart a vote that would grant Catalans independence from Spain, dispatched police who attacked protestors trying to cast their ballots. Wearing riot gear and using batons and brutality, police kicked and dragged people and threw them to the ground before firing rubber bullets at them. Among the injured were children and the elderly. Madrid’s central government then disabled the internet connection between polling stations and the Catalan communications center, shutting down online voting applications and silencing its own citizens.

Catalans are beautiful souls. I met and worked with several Catalans while studying abroad. I was struck with their perfect honesty, their spirituality, kindness, gentility, and love for life and each other.

It’s hard to not feel angry. It’s also hard to not feel guilty about feeling angry. I’m a self-proclaimed advocate of love. I strive to act from a place of consciousness. So, when I recognize the feeling of anger growing in me, my gut response is to shut it down.

Not good. This week, I’ve been reminding myself of the purpose and place of anger. I’ve also been reminding myself of its pitfalls. I’ve been working to identify righteous anger versus anger that is misplaced, irrational, covetous, or that has just been hanging around too long.

I feel my anger is righteous, but that it’s time to release it and come back home to my heart. I must remind myself that there’s a purpose in everything, even the seemingly worst things. We live in a time in our history now when each day we must navigate and guide ourselves through violence and the threat of violence. An angry response is justifiable: but to dwell in anger is a mistake.

Forgiveness is an important practice. Forgiveness frees us up to move forward in love and continue our healing work in the world. Forgiveness strengthens us, allowing us to expand and share more. Globally, it strengthens our fields everywhere. We can weaken our fields through anger, or strengthen our fields through forgiveness.

We don’t have to fully know why something has happened. Trust that the universe will reveal all at the right time. Anger at what’s happening is so understandable. But we can use forgiveness as a powerful tool to spread love further and wider than any bullet or baton can reach.

We are the universe experiencing itself through us. So why would we block any truths that come through? It doesn’t make sense. Many people are awake, and more are waking up each day. All the messages they receive are the same, and simple: we will save ourselves and the planet through forgiveness and love. We must be patient and persevere. There is hope. There is light. There is love.

Barbie xo