A State of Flux
Cultivating peace in times of uncertainty
Greetings, dear Sunny Optimists,
We moved house a few weeks ago, and it is a blessing to feel settled after a year of transition. At the beginning of 2024, David and I decided to find a home closer to our family that would hold us well as we age. Part of healthy longevity is looking ahead to see what is needed and taking timely action. The house is delightful. What I love the most is our secluded south-facing garden, which deeply feeds my sunny, optimistic soul. I am so looking forward to creating our little haven here.
Earlier this week, I woke up thinking about returning to The Sunny Optimist, which I had not felt called to write about for over a year. I wondered if I would ever return to this space that, for three years, was a delightful and fulfilling weekly activity for me. What is so lovely is that I can hear it beckoning me once more as I explore new opportunities to share 'ideas, insights and inspiration to brighten your day'.
One such opportunity arose as David and I commenced a 'Cultivating Peace' six-month personal development programme hosted by dear friends Chris Everett and Alison Fairbanks.I can feel a garden metaphor rising as I think about the concept of 'Cultivating' something. It speaks to preparing the ground, planting seeds at right timing, tending to the burgeoning seedlings, watching them blossom to fullness, harvesting their bounty and finally letting them rest in readiness for the next cycle. So I felt deeply called to the inquiry.
Alison and Chris offered us four questions to contemplate in preparation for our first gathering. The questions are wonderfully aligned with the emergence David and I are experiencing as we settle into our new location and home. Here are the questions:
What is on your mind at this moment?
What is troubling you?
What is exciting you?
What do you yearn for?
As I began thinking about the first of the questions, the concept of being in a 'state of flux' arose as the overarching sensing into this inquiry. At so many levels, individually, collectively, nationally and globally, there is so much uncertainty around us that it does feel like a state of flux just now. I often find myself oscillating between optimism at seeing things changing and angst at the impact of the changes. I wondered how to hold this vacillation as I began this 'Cultivating Peace' six-month journey.
A quote from Joanna Macy arrived in my email box, bringing a more spiritual context to thinking about what is unfolding now.
“We consist of and are sustained by interweaving currents of matter, energy, and information that flow through us interconnecting us with our environment and other beings. Yet, we are accustomed to identifying ourselves only with that small arc of the flow–through that is lit, like the narrow beam of a flashlight, by our individual subjective awareness. But we don’t have to so limit our self–perceptions... It is as plausible to align our identity with the larger pattern, interexistent with all beings, as to break off one segment of the process and build our borders there.”
I wondered how best to expand my ‘borders’ to be more aware of the ‘interconnectedness’ she speaks of. One way I saw this was to utilise Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory to bring sense, order, and simplicity into my exploration. I really like his Four Quadrants model, which offers a comprehensive and integrated framework for understanding life through four fundamental perspectives. The model divides our experience into interior/exterior and individual/collective dimensions, creating four quadrants detailed below.
Here is my ‘state of flux’ interpretation of the quadrants.
Upper-Left (Interior-Individual): This would be my individual internal experience of flux as internal change, shifting perspectives, and evolving awareness.
Upper-Right (Exterior-Individual): This would be my personal observable and physical manifestations of experiencing a state of flux.
Lower-Left (Interior-Collective): This would be my sense of the shared cultural understanding, the ‘we’ space, of change and collective meaning-making during periods of flux.
Lower-Right (Exterior-Collective): This brings forward my appreciation of observable changes in social systems, institutions, politics and so on during times of flux.
So I had a play with the Cultivating Peace questions under the themes of ‘what is worrying me’, ‘what is exciting me’ and ‘what I am yearning for’. You can see this in my revelations in each quadrant in the image below.
I enjoyed this analysis, but afterwards, I found myself musing on the concept of worrying. I have a natural orientation to being optimistic and consistently seek to process my worries to find integration and resolution. I wondered about the purpose of worrying. Is it always bad? Then I remembered listening to Esther Hicks (Law of Attraction) about how experiencing contrast is a fundamental part of being human. Contrast is the dance between 'What I want' and 'What I don't want'. The dance of contrast is an oscillation that fuels our ability to discern what is right for us. Worries highlight the 'don't wants' and set us on a path to open positive 'do wants', thus raising our vibrational energy to attract good things.
Below is Esther channelling the non-physical entity Abraham and talking about the nature of contrast. Can you hear her particular way of speaking? I have noticed other channellers have this as well, and I have always found that rather intriguing!
Happy Spring Equinox
So, much of the four quadrant analysis tapped sweetly into my intention seeds (‘what I want') that arose from the Winter Dreaming ceremony last December. Today is the Spring Equinox, which heralds the turning of the seasons, and I am called to look out for the emerging seedlings from my dreaming time. Mmmmm.
Below is a John O’Donohue Spring blessing for you today.
Enjoy!
As Spring rain softens the Earth with surprise May your Winter places be kissed by light. As the ocean dreams to the joy of dance May the grace of change bring you elegance. As day anchors a tree in light and wind May your outer life grow from peace within. As twilight fills night with bright horizons May Beauty await you at home beyond.” ― John O'Donohue
It is so lovely to be back, and, as always, I would love to hear from you.
Ann
Hello, dear StarSong. As always, I'm so grateful for your intelligence and inquisitiveness...and your ability to bring these interesting frameworks to us with simplicity and clarity. I also appreciate the time you spent with this month's questions. It's delightful to "expand our borders" together! Much love!!
Dearest, StarSong
This is gorgeous and resonates with me on so many levels. I'm stunned by your generative use of the Integral Theory model. (A different kind of Medicine Wheel... hmmm.) This model came up TWICE this week between two other friends, and now you've engaged it to map your experience with this moment. You have brought so much depth and dimension to the framework. Thank you.
And THEN, you bridge to the Laws of Attraction. This model was shared with me in a moment of personal stuck-ness last year and was incredibly helpful. Thank you for introducing me to Esther Hicks. I look forward to learning more.
I have a new and deep friend that I met at the House of Beautiful Business that coined the phrase "Spiritual Murmuration". He shared his interest and dreams, and I did the same. We both realized that we were dreaming the same dream and illuminated by similar insights and interests. I always feel that with you. Here is evidence of OUR murmuration. Look! We're following the same flow, flying right next to each other.
All that to say, I am very grateful that you are bringing your curiosity, wonder, honesty, and essence back onto a bigger stage because we all benefit from your way and your wisdom.
With a heart full of love and gratitude - Chris