If you follow me on Facebook or have spoken with me lately, you might have noticed I’ve become somewhat outspoken politically. And yet I have struggled with how and whether to express my views –or not– here on this blog.
Will I alienate or offend someone? Is there a place for politics on a spiritual blog? Am I overreacting to the emotional climate of the current political landscape? How can I offer something inspirational and hopeful when much of the time I feel frightened and hopeless?
Ultimately, when I started this blog I made a commitment to write about the ways the Pathwork teachings are showing up in my life. Because while Pathwork is profound and deep and mystical, it is also incredibly practical and relevant to everyday life. Every situation, every relationship, every interaction can be an opportunity to apply the Pathwork teachings. So why would it be any different with politics?
The truth is, much of my life is caught up in politics these days, in ways I never anticipated nor previously experienced, and the Pathwork is informing me every step of the way. Which is not to say that you have to agree with me to be “doing Pathwork” right, but that wherever life takes you, there are spiritual lessons to be discovered along the way. Even in the political arena. Your experiences may be different from mine, but they are just as valuable.
This much I know:
-
I want to use the experience of this new administration to speak my truth in love and non-violence.
-
I want to contribute to the creation of a society and a world that reflects the reality that we are not separate from one another.
-
I want to summon the courage to live the spiritual principles I claim to believe.
-
I want to look at the ways in which whatever I judge or condemn in others, also lives in me.
-
I want to be open to others viewpoints, to hear beyond any emotional reaction to the need that is trying to be met.
I believe that we do not have to choose between strength, safety, and boundaries, and love, tolerance, compassion and inclusivity. If we rely on building walls and alienating others so that we feel safe, we are missing the freedom that comes from finding our true safety within. If we have no boundaries at all, we cannot truly love.
That said, the work I have done in the Pathwork has graced me with the experience of the interconnectedness of all being, and I cannot deny that what we do to another, we also do to ourselves. So our task is to find the middle ground without veering off into a distorted caricature of the truth, and then defending that caricature as if it were divine.
Our defenses are not our virtues. They are what blocks us from God.
If I remain quiet so as not to ruffle feathers, I am engaging in that form of evil the Pathwork calls numbness, or indifference. In so doing, I would betray myself as well as you. So I will speak up, and I invite you to (respectfully) join me in the conversation and the exploration, even if you hold a different viewpoint. I invite you to open to how Spirit wants to use your life to shape and transform and change you in ways you were not anticipating.
It’s a wild ride sometimes, but one that I deeply trust.
I am facilitating two offerings this month that will be exploring an open-hearted approach to whatever is showing up in your everyday life, and an opportunity to explore how Pathwork can inform and support the deepening of your spiritual as well as your personal life. I hope you will be able to join me at either or both of these gatherings…..you can find the details here!
And, if you are new to my blog, sign up here to receive my free workbook, “Treasure in the Depths: Identifying Hidden Obstacles to Fulfillment.”
Thank you Beth
You are so welcome!
Beth, I’m just getting around to reading this and you express what I’ve been feeling. Your bullet points are also what I know and desire for myself. Thank you for speaking out with courage and intelligence.
You are welcome, Pauline! Your courage in living your faith is definitely an inspiration and a teaching for me.