by Celia Coates

“Vehemently disturbed” – that was the woman’s immediate answer this week when the reporter asked her how she was feeling about what’s happening in this country. Her words caught my attention. She was not just mentioning feeling fear about the current state of things (a feeling that is painfully common these days) she was describing with some strength and clarity what is true for her.

Here, in as much of the world as I can see or hear about, there is a tremendous amount of fear about many things (climate change, war, corruption, injustice, violence … the list continues) along with a deep dread that it will all only get worse. Many of us are trying to ignore what is going on and to follow the advice that we give up watching the news. But for me ignoring what is happening does not work and, anyway, I just cannot tune it out. So instead, I am choosing to face what seems legitimate (since the news itself has also become unreliable) and then to figure out how to deal with my state of mind. I need to find a balance between ignorance and over-concern.

Some of my friends and family are being tolerant of how often I suggest that they watch Pam Gregory’s videos. I find her approach to these times useful and cheerful. Learning from her presents a different perspective, one that is calming. She is an English spiritual astrologer with extensive knowledge and decades of experience, a wise woman with a lively curiosity about many things. One of her books has the title, YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY, DO YOU? which names the doubt most people feel. I know very, very little about astrology and at this stage of my life I am not going to study it, but Pam Gregory talks about subtle energies, energy fields, frequencies and the nature of reality – subjects I do know something about. She says astrology is not about prediction, it’s about possibilities produced by astrological configurations. What she has to say is worth paying attention to – as is evidenced by her videos sometimes reaching more than 135,000 viewers.

Her advice for dealing with fear is wonderful – “Starve out the scary, Love in the good.”
It’s catchy, not preachy, and it’s a mantra that encapsulates a whole approach to dealing with what is needed now. We need to release the paralyzing constriction of fear and open to the life-giving power of love. It is increasingly important that we regulate our own negative emotions and stop spreading them to others. We are at risk of becoming like the herd of stampeding buffalo who can be driven over a cliff by fear. If we can slow or stop the contagion of helpless dread and the violence that is created when fear is turned into anger, and instead focus our attention on order instead of chaos, on the reality of generosity and kindness, we could move towards a life-giving future. I imagine the woman who was “vehemently disturbed” being drawn into active engagement, using her vehemence for her own and the common good.

Of course, I highly recommend going to Pam Gregory’s website http://www.pamgregory.com
and begin with watching a video from February 16^th of this year which she called a “Ramble.”

Also, you might like to learn about the weekly, world-wide 15-minute meditation that happens on Sundays at 7 pm in England, and 2 pm on the east coast of America. Pam Gregory originated it but there is no charge and there are no leaders or organizers. You just join in from where you are.

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The image that accompanies this post is from Pixabay.

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