Our Planet, Our Mirror

It feels difficult to not notice everything around you when you realize the interconnectedness of all that exists within this web we call life. And with every revelation and epiphany, even more questions come to mind. I have come to realize that being spiritual is exactly this: the birth of self-awareness and all-encompassing love, while continuously seeking with a thousand questions born out of every step forward. But the beauty of it all is knowing in the depths of your Soul that this is simply the process of growth: at times uncomfortable, sometimes seemingly destructive, but always ever-expanding. It (spirituality) has had a fundamental impact on my being, for it has been an experience that can only be described as ‘being reunited with lost parts of myself so I could become whole again.’ The path has given me strength and new eyes so I could develop a better vision, one that takes into consideration all that is.

But it has also led to questions. Why can we not be the best version of ourselves? What prevents us from implementing changes necessary? Why do we succumb to temptations for the lowest hanging fruit? Do we not know better? How can we be so complacent when we are hurting this much? What will it take to shake us out of this numbness we have developed? How do we alchemize this apathy that is holding us prisoners and leading us to our ultimate destruction? What will it take to give up our duality and live authentically? Why does it feel like a sacrifice to act with compassion and good will toward all that exists and surrounds us? Why does kindness feel like effort? How did love become so difficult? How could we ever hope to fix this planet when we are self-destructing on a personal level?

Last year, I would repeatedly ask myself the question, 'If I don't make the effort to turn my life around, how could I contribute positively to the planet itself?' Around that time, I woke up one morning with the worst hangover I could ever remember having. I lied in bed, wallowing in self-inflicted misery and thought, 'Why am I doing this to myself? How do I feel such little compassion for my own body and well-being?’ I had become so accustomed to it all—how to lick my own wounds, how to deal when I had broken my body and myself apart that way. But something changed that day. In a moment of rebellion against myself, out of sheer love for all that I am, I decided I never wanted to hurt that way again. We become so comfortable with our pain and suffering that we prefer it to the unknown. We subject ourselves to cruel patterns, over and over, despite knowing where it all leads—we do it precisely because we do know where it leads and it does not require much effort to allow things to continue as they always have. Our behaviour is automated and patterns embedded to keep alive a false version of ourselves. Does that not mirror what we are experiencing on a global scale now? How could the planet ever shift if we cannot even manage to shift our lives? We are little pieces of the same whole, much like our body parts are what make the whole of us; our conditioning comes from the same sources that have led to the destruction and death of so much life.

There is an order to the Universe and our nature, which does not seek to aimlessly destroy or punish. If there is chaos and destruction, it is only paving the way for the cosmic unfolding of something greater—a necessary evolution to replace what has outlived its purpose. A truth hard to bear, but the truth nonetheless. There can be no salvation without pain, and only through pain can there be found true freedom. During moments of helplessness, when the water of life has dried up and we are overwhelmed by darkness, we find the courage to seek new light. This courage is not always heroic in nature as much as it becomes a mere necessity to survive because in that pivotal moment, we understand that our layers and patterns have plagued us for far too long and we are in dire need of soul—change to breathe new life into our existence and being. This is true on an individual and collective level.

But there seems to be a fundamental disconnect with the way we perceive our lives and the world, which is what ultimately allows us to continue on a destructive path despite knowing where it leads. We feel separate from what surrounds us, as though we exist in a vacuum by ourselves and unaffected by what happens externally. Psychology refers to this as ‘cognitive dissonance,’ when our actions and/or reality don’t match the beliefs that we hold about ourselves and/or our world. But why does this occur in our consciousness, evidently so ‘inherently’? What is causing this massive disconnect? I continuously ask myself.

It is often said, spirituality allows one to find an inner strength that is crucial when it seems that all hope is lost. I think, if I had to summarize my own journey, that would be an apt description. I have found a well of life, strength and courage within that I was not aware existed. As life fell apart, darkness coloured my world, and everything I knew about my Self and the world seemingly burned to ashes, I saw a light. There was a light, much brighter than anything I had ever felt—not out there, but within me. And I felt hope. I felt life. And I knew, in the depths of my being, that something within me was still very much itching to live. That spark of life only grew bigger the more I tried to understand, often with the help of books and intimate worlds of other artists. Their magic shone light on my inner dialogue and guided me home: toward myself. What I have experienced could only be described as divine intervention, and it inspired me to not only continue my own journey, but to help guide others toward the same well of infinite life within themselves.

Heroes do not exist on the outside. We are each our own Hero. It is on us to turn it all around, beginning with our lives and then the sinking ship that is our beautiful planet. Because the healing of the individual is the salvation of the collective. And I have hope, because there is still life here, beating in the hearts of everyone alive. And it all begins with our own individual journeys, for we can only offer that which we ourselves possess.