Dealing with emotional and information overload

Sometimes I want to hide under the duvet until “it” passes over? It is usually to do with overload – too much information, too many feelings, and not enough time to process it. My mind and my feelings collide and my real higher intuition flies out the window. It can feel that I have lost my firewall against my reactions to life, the news – is it fake or not, political spin, social media bending and distorting the facts? Opinions of others leaking into my brain – good or bad, right or wrong … I would love to say this never happens to me but it does especially if I am tired or have allowed myself to become too busy. What is more, definitely if my filters are not in place and my auric egg is not in good shape. More about that further down.

It is a human trait that we want to believe what we want to believe. We think we can somehow control the “truth” and this in turn can make us vulnerable to misinformation. There seems to be a lot of manipulation of the truth and misinformation around in the collective at the moment, let alone what might be happening in our own lives. I love the Leonard Cohen song Anthem and it seems very relevant right now.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
That’s how the light gets in.
That’s how the light gets in.

There is a crack in everything and certainly in information and emotional overload. The effects of the overload can be really subtle until we are not sure what we believe – a crack. Interestingly living off the grid, in an ideal world, and away from other humans can also enable us to become “opinionated” and stuck in our beliefs – nurturing a judgement of “them and us”.

 

Thank goodness for that crack. The trick is recognising the crack and using the light as well as we can.

How can I use the light well and put my filters of discernment and growth back? One of the ways that works for me is taking some time to empty my mind. One of the easiest ways I can do that is as I am showering, standing under the water and feeling it washing away what is no longer of service to me, then as I dry myself imagine a cloak of light going around my body. We can use a mantra or chant. Find a way that suits you.

There are lots of different techniques of visualising filters and there are some suggestions in  the Smell the Roses workbook. We have an auric egg made up of different layers of filters. It can get a bit battered and damaged by overloads. However, it can be repaired through visualisation. Sometimes doing this as simply as imagining pure light going through the layers, allowing your egg to be realigned. Once those filters are back in place, we can start again from a more manageable place. Willingness and intent can contribute to a lot of the work. A consequence of taking responsibility for my auric egg is I am also open to my beliefs being challenged, that is where I can grow – changing  my mind in positive ways rather than being influenced by others. One of my teachers said belief, when rigid or fed by fear, can stand for: being in the lie. That in turn can feel a trap. It feels more comfortable in the end to “egg up” and be in touch with my higher intuition. There are times when overwhelm can come back but thank goodness for the cracks and noticing them.

Summer Solstice 2017

“Without Forgiveness we are lost; with Forgiveness we find our way home”
Anonymous
The Summer Solstice is about celebrating all the hard work and  achievements of the past year. It is about spending time with friends and family, then half way through, around 1st August, taking time to pause, reflect and think about what next. However, for many, this Solstice is more acutely tinged with a sense of chaos, confusion and uncertainty. There may also be a profound sense of loss and grief. To balance these challenges, there will be and have been extraordinary acts of selfless courage and human kindness.
Anger and frustration will be like a tinder box this Summer. It is important not to allow ourselves or others to fan those flames. Pontification leads nowhere. Forgiveness is one of the keys of this Solstice. There are many effective ways of achieving this and I have made a very simple meditation that you are welcome to use. Somehow continuous forgiveness of ourselves and others can bring us back to our center, especially at challenging times.

You may have a sense of overwhelm during this Solstice combined with a desire to be left undisturbed – “leave me alone to get on with …”.  Perhaps a tension between speaking out and withdrawing from “others”. One of the solutions is to meditate and reflect on what action, however small, we can take  for ourselves, our family and/or our community. We can do this by using our own personal challenges and how we overcame them as inspiration and motivation. A natural reserve rather than lack of expression can serve us well.
If we trust the timing, and at times finding that patience will be difficult, we stand a chance of finding ourselves in synchronicity with the Universe using clear forms of communication. We have a collective voice that can bring about positive change and resolution. We have witnessed and experienced what happens when we allow the voice of a few to dominate us. We now have access to an intense desire for life – a fresh start, let’s use it.