The changes in the world over the last 6 months have been nothing short of colossal haven’t they!?  For example, there is the coming to office of the new young President Barak Obama in the United States.  He and his new team have inherited quite a collection of challenges to work with including facing the financial and economic woes creating so many repercussions in countries around the globe, which look like continuing for some time to come - and who knows what else maybe just around the corner for our world of humanity.

There are varying levels of instability and turbulence in other countries which are still hitting the headlines; there are “bipolar” weather conditions to contend with, and the sustainability issues around the deterioration of our natural resources continues to raise major concerns - and you can throw in the growth of many diseases affecting our global village.

Here in Australia, where I live, the impact of some of these larger world events seem to be less volatile at this point, although we do have our own issues to face such as our drought has not yet broken; the recent floods in Queensland have caused millions of dollars damage as have the bushfires and the 200 lives lost in our south eastern states.  Beside our own home factors, the question of “How will our own financial processes stand up to the possible tidal waves of international collapses we’re still seeing?” appears to need much more consideration in my view.

So, in the spirit of giving to my fellow human being in this New Year I ask myself, what can I do to let the incredible largeness and abundance of Life’s energy be present in these situations?  How can I work my alignment of body, mind and heart with the forces of Life from Source, from Spirit?  What can I do that is like “dropping a powerful pebble into water and letting that energy ripple out” generating a creative impact from my living?

What I’ve decided to hold in my heart this year is the essence of “being in all this but not of it”. What prompted me was remembering that most of the usual gifts given this last Christmas, while touched with loving sentiment, really were composed mostly of expensive dust!  How odd in one way, yet I’m not wishing to denigrate the act of gift giving nor the gifts themselves, but to consciously remember within myself not to place too much “stock” in this material world.  After all, isn’t it my/our lust for the “stock” of the material world that is causing much our suffering right now anyway?  We’re too much in it and of it?  It is time to let go, or I’ll likely find my self expensive dust too!

For example, would the circumstances of our financial woes be different if my “stock” was in the spirit of my serving or giving (of myself) to my fellow human being?  What price is there on true heart to heart being together (such as at Christmas time); of the genuine sharing of laughter, songs, stories, appreciation, thankfulness and pleasure?  These are the non-dusty treasure-able gifts to me and they are extremely recession proof - no matter what time of year - and that is what I’m focusing on giving!

I’d suggest that for any of us who have creatively mastered the pressures and challenges of long term relationships, demanding jobs, raising children, a life threatening disease or a horrendous tragedy by being vulnerable, yet strong; remaining loving and forgiving; living lightly and passionately; now is when we can bring the cosmic possibility of miracles in to this changing world by letting go.  We have Life experiences that can handle these confronting times and turn them to advantage for all.  And, for all it must be, because that is where the greater energy is, in the one body of humanity, not in that which is round about us and what we can get.

How would you see “being in all this but not of it” working for you? What power pebble(s) are you offering in this time of challenge and change?

Jonathan MacIntyre