I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can stay “strong” during these intense and uncertain times. Maybe like most people I know you’ve been feeling the intensity? And the year has just started! So how do you make sure you are strong enough and have the energy needed to ride the waves ahead?
I love the word strong and the word intense. Not strong as in macho or in a machine. Not intense as in being a bulldozer or so overwhelming you buckle. But …
Strong as in having the vitality to be victorious during times of change.
Intense as in embracing the fire of change to fuel the realities you desire.
Strong as in centered, clear, calm, and compassionate within the chaos and uncertainty.
Intense as in focused on what truly matters and is your part to play and wise enough to let go of the rest.
These are some of the tenants of feminine wisdom and leadership essential to thriving during these intense times, if we desire to elevate our lives and this world, together.
It’s a Fire Rooster year in the Chinese Wisdom tradition. Think Phoenix — the mystical bird who burns her home (translate the parts that no longer serve) so she may be born anew and soar to new heights.
Change can be exciting and exhilarating and can make even the most confident person feel fear or have doubt.
We see this fire, change and even chaos worldwide at a collective level — in the news, the streets, the posts on social media. And it’s not just ‘out there’, it’s ‘in here’ at a personal level for each of us. Every person’s life I know is catalyzing in some way. Think about your own life or the people you know and love. We are all being stretched. The catalyst could be work, money, health, a relationship, a career or home, but it’s always the same story line calling us to change, surrender, let go, show up. You know all that stuff we love to do as humans. Lol. Ha!
Change is hard. Not knowing how things are going to ‘work out’ can be nerve wracking. But as this prayer that has been attributed to the Hopi Elders illuminates (this surfaced during the tragedy of 9/11, paraphrased here, full prayer listed here):
“there is a river flowing now very fast…
it is so great and swift there are those who will be afraid and hold onto the shore…
they will suffer greatly…
the elders say we must let go of the shore,
push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above water …
this can be a time of great joy…”
9/11 was 16 years ago.
So if you’re holding your breath that this intensity or catalyzing time is going to be over next month, or after X happens, exhale. We are riding an intense wave and the only way not to drown is to let go and stay strong — in the true wisdom way — so you can keep your head above water and let the flow take you vs fighting against it.
One of our greatest ‘life preservers’ to stay strong and centered in the flow of change is Wisdom. The ancient sages predicted thousands of years ago that humanity would hit this point in time, and great change would have to occur. Thankfully they left us lots of life boats I like to call “wisdom bytes.”
Wisdom is not like information which you can consume and consume and still not feel like you have enough. Wisdom is something you “chew on” — mull over, take in — and over time it permeates you from the inside leading to shifts on the outside. Wisdom upgrades our internal programming in how we think, act, work, live, and relate.
The root of wisdom means ‘to show the way.’
When you seek wisdom and take it in, new insights and awareness emerge to show you the way. I think of Wisdom like a giant flashlight from the Universe that illuminates the path ahead.
Wisdom activates elevated levels of consciousness — pulls you out of fear and emotional commotion — so you can walk more confidently, courageously, and centered in your life.
Chew on these Wisdom Bytes…may they guide the way to show you the way to stay strong on your path ahead.
Wisdom Byte #1: Embrace that change is happening.
When you know that you are in a time of change, you can stop wasting your energy trying to make everything normal, comfortable, safe and stable. You surrender to what’s happening around you. And the ironic thing is, while it may feel scary at first, and you may feel anything but safe and stable, as you embrace the change, you’ll feel more safe and stable even in the uncertainty.
Wisdom Byte #2: Get support and get strong on all levels — emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual.
To feel strong you have to feel and be supported. To feel and be supported you need to receive support on all four levels. Imagine it like a four legged support stool that provides the foundation you need to be strong. If one leg is missing, your stool topples over and so do you.
Wisdom Byte #3: Clean out your subconscious and stress storehouse daily.
When you don’t clear out stress daily, your subconscious gets all gunked up with emotions like fear, shame, blame, anger. And just like if you didn’t take a shower for three days, eventually you will stink!
Wisdom Byte #4: Strengthen your nervous system and your magnetic field even if you don’t know what that really means, yet.
Green drinks and a weekly yoga class and time on the treadmill or bike are not going to cut it. You need a strong nervous system that can withstand higher levels of stress and a strong magnetic field (just like the earth has one so do you) that can keep out stress and the emotion gunk from others.
When you have the strength you need to meet challenges, you can rise through them like the Phoenix to elevate yourself and others to new expanded realities.
Let’s stay strong + rise together this year!
For more wisdom and practices you can put into your daily life to stay strong and vital, tune into this Feminine Power Time episode with Christine Arylo: Vitality for Victory: Do You have the Energy You Need to Thrive?
Originally published at medium.com