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One week from today – Post-Election 2016. Now what?

One week from today – Post-Election 2016. Now what?

Last updated on: November 2, 2016 at 7:47 am by Mastura Debra Graugnard

One week from today – Post-Election 2016. Now what? 2016-11-02T07:47:50-05:00 Mastura Debra Graugnard

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Woman and mirrors

Do you wonder what the dialog is going to be a week from today – November 9, 2016?

I must admit, my heart sinks as that question floats through my mind. It’s not because I fear my preferred candidate will not win, but because I wonder if people will become even more divided and more hateful toward each other.

Will there be riots? Protests? Hate crimes? Divorces?

Or will people lovingly accept the outcome of this election? Or at least hold each other in love as we move through inquiry and transition?

The issues brought up in this election have been painful, to say the least. They are bringing out some ugly sides of humanity, pitting friends against friends and family against family. Even people who I have respected as fellow healers and seekers and friends have become hostile toward each other!

I’ve received an increased number of calls from clients as well who are genuinely terrified of the outcome of this election. People on all sides of the issues, regardless of which candidate they prefer, are afraid that if the “other” wins, they will lead the country into devastation – terrorism, bankruptcy, World War III, Armageddon.

To some extent, we go through this every election year. It is, after all, a competition. But just like athletes continue to break records once thought impossible to exceed, and each year the new music and movies are more daring than the years before, this campaign is pushing beyond the boundaries of what has become acceptable mudslinging and scandal for a presidential race.

It leaves many of us dumbfounded and, once again, wondering. Can we trust our political leaders? Can we trust the systems? Can we trust the government?

One thing is certain – maybe. In a week we will have an outcome that will leave a large number of people disappointed and fearful.

As seekers and lovers of peace and truth, what are we to do? We are here to carry light in the world, regardless of what comes before us.

What is God asking of us? What do we need to learn from this? Where is the Divine Love and Wisdom in this experience?

One of the basic beliefs of Sufism is summed up in these quotes from my spiritual teacher, Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal, in his book, The Reality of Gnosis:

“The whole matter is yours – it is from you and for you.”

“Nothing manifests to you except that which is you and from you.”

In other words, our outer fears are in us. They mirror the state of the nation and they mirror what is inside of us. The strengths and failings of our candidates show us our own strengths and weaknesses – where we have hope and where we need to change.

Even that which we find abhorrent and disgusting can be found in us. We can deny it or push it away, or we can embrace it and seek to heal and transform ourselves.

Know that when we deny and push away, we not only create separation with the people we associate with the traits we dislike, we create separation within ourselves. We deprive a part of ourselves of love and acceptance. This is a human tendency that leads to illness.

If you’ve ever experienced a chronic illness or a transformational life-defining moment, you know that symptoms were likely present for a long time before you reached a critical point. Your discomforts and inconveniences may have gradually increased for years before the heat got turned up high enough for you to take action to change your environment.

Is the universe turning up the heat on the pot of soup we’ve been cooking in? Are we being signaled to take action to make change?

Again, what is God asking of us? How do we hold the light in conflict and in breakdown to bring about change peacefully?

For true transformation to occur, we must do the inner work.

As Gandhi said,
“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

So, if everything we see on the outside is a mirror of what is inside, changing the inside will have a powerful effect on what shows up outside.

You are much larger than your 3-D physical body. You have a soul that extends many time beyond your own circumference. Your thoughts, beliefs, intentions and feelings impact your environment far beyond what you can see with your eyes. Your conscious and subconscious energies affect those you are close to even if they are half way around the world.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal, wrote in his book, Song of the Flute of Deep Knowing:

“You walk, and everything walks until it walks like you walk.
Everything God creates is part of you.
When you walk, it walks.”

We need to step into responsibility and not give up or fall into despair or blame. We are on the brink of great change. The world changes as we do.

We need to step in and respond, and not be put off and blinded by fear and chaos, or wait for others to create the change we wish to see.

We can step into responsibility and not give up. We need to not lose faith and fall into despair, but hold the light.

The light is also within us, and the light is more powerful than the darkness. The light has the power to expel darkness and shadows.

The light is inside us and outside too. So call on the Highest Light. Call it to surround you, and turn the eye of your heart to face it. Let the light be the filter through which you see the world, and let the light influence your reactions and responses to what shows up in front of you.

You are but a mirror for a divine existence. What appears around you is a reflection of your own mirror. Let your mirror reflect light.

The world is moving and changing rapidly. We’re on a wild ride. Fix your gaze on that Light and hold onto it like a lifeline. Breathe it in and let it become you as you become it. It is that which you are.

We want a world of light and peace, of respect, equality and unity. When we walk in light and peace, respect, equality and unity on the inner, everything on the outer will walk as we walk.

If you’d like to discuss possibilities for moving forward in peace and unity post-election, you are invited to join us for a LIVE interactive webinar the day after the election, Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Click here for information on that event. If the live event has passed, you can catch the replay here. Remember to bookmark the page, paste it into your calendar and set your reminder to join us live.

If you’d like to receive reminders for this event or notifications of upcoming events, click here to register.

PHOTO CREDITS: Adobe Stock Photo © George Mayer #90565025

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