Hold your light high

“Make me

A still place of light

A still place of love

Of you

Your light radiating

Your love vibrating

Your touch and your healing

Far flung and near

To the myriads caught

In darkness, in sickness

In lostness, in fear

Make a heart-center here,

Light of the world.”

-a prayer from Maling Abbey in Denmark

This morning, I woke up more determined than ever to carry the light. I know it is the only vessel that can guide me through the stormy, swirling sea of fear that surrounds so many of us today.

Miep Gies, an ordinary woman who did an extraordinary thing by hiding Anne Frank’s beautiful diary for us all, said, “We can all turn on a small light in a dark room.”

That. Let’s do that. Together, until our lights shine so brightly that we can see one another, and the beauty and goodness of the world, no matter how dark it gets.

I invite us all to have courage, keep moving forward, and ask ourselves: What is mine to do? And then, to keep shining our light and doing what is ours to do in this world with as much heart and devotion as we can.

But we must also feel. It is part of being human. Feel your grief. Bear witness to your fear, to your despair, and remember to breathe. We must feel, or we risk shutting down and becoming disconnected from our life force.

One of the most helpful reminders I turn to again and again is the 90-second rule: Feel your feelings fully for 90 seconds at a time. Don’t embellish them with stories. Don’t push them away or resist them. Just let yourself feel them, completely. Ride the wave for 90 seconds—about 12 breaths—and let it move through you. Honor your experience with kindness. You are feeling because you care. You are grieving because you love. That is beautiful, and worthy of being honored and felt.

If you let this simple rule guide you, you will find that you can face anything. You will come through it stronger, clearer, and more present. Give it a try. Again and again. And let me know what you discover.

As John Welwood said, “Awareness, courage, and gentleness are the basic ‘weapons’ of the warrior of the heart.” May these be the tools we carry forward through this uncertain and challenging time. Your light is important. What you give your attention to is important. Your innate goodness, your wholeness, is important—hold it close, and let it guide you.

So many of us are grieving today. And as we feel and show up for what is, as difficult as it seems to be, we will continue to carry the light. This morning, when despair crept into my heart and denial clouded my mind, I remembered one of my favorite quotes from a true bodhisattva: Mr. Rogers.“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

I know you are one of those helpers. There are billions of us on this planet, and millions of us in this country (the USA). You are never alone in your grief or your fear. And you are certainly never alone in your courage, or in the light you carry.

We don’t know what the future holds. These are incredibly challenging times. Remember that you can’t know that any story your mind shows you about the future and what is happening is true. Watch your thoughts but don’t follow them, be kind to yourself, and keep coming back to this moment. Feel your breath and your body, which keep you in present time, the only place you have power.

Hold your light as high and as bright as you can. I pray that it will illuminate the way forward for all of us, as we step into this world with as much courage, kindness, and heart as we can muster.

Sending love, and holding to the light and goodness with in each of us,

Elizabeth

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If you would like more support, please check out my guided meditations and “Riding the Waves of Life” course on my website, or join my monthly group online. My guided meditations are also on Insight Timer. May you be supported on the path to your wellbeing and fullness!

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