How to Face Disruption Without Panic

Last week my daughter and I were visiting my sister’s cottage in Michigan when a neighbor became angry because we were playing music. He yelled that it was too loud, and even when we turned it down, he kept screaming at us “city people.”

His dark, hateful energy scared us because, many years ago, this same man had waved a gun in the air and threatened us in a similar situation. Now, we all worried that the gun would come out again.

How could we not worry about that when two more mass shootings just occurred in El Paso and Dayton?

My daughter became especially upset as the man continued his tirade.

“Why is this happening?” she cried in a near panic. She was experiencing fear on a level that went beyond one angry, unruly neighbor.

Like all of us, she was feeling the disruption that’s occurring around us on a larger scale.

I chose DISRUPTION as my theme this month because we continue to be tested by current events. It seems to me that a battle of love versus hate is occurring to disrupt our beliefs, and it’s time to look at how we react.

I dealt with my daughter’s fear, and my own, but retreating into the garage, where the two of us could center ourselves and regain a sense of power in a situation where we felt powerless.

I reminded my daughter that fear is not the way. I guided her the same way I guide my clients, asking:

Where is the fear living in your body? Your heart? Your gut? What does it have to say?

We connected to our breath, visualizing the pelvis and legs like an anchor. We imagined being flooded with love and light.

Eventually, we were able to talk about the spiritual crash that’s occurring on a universal plane. Sometimes old systems have to crash in order to realign or make room for something new. And when there is a spiritual bankruptcy happening, when there is disruption, we can’t panic.

The question is: How do we walk through this?

Without bashing people, places, things, how do we take ownership of our own consciousness?

How do we stay calm when we start to panic?

I believe that it’s not necessarily about having the answers. Instead, disruption is a call to be more aware of what is emerging. The answers are never found outside of us but within us. When we fight change, the more disruption we feel.

My daughter and I handled our upsetting situation by doing our best to stay present. We took responsibility for our part in the drama and for our reactions. We set the intention as soon as possible to not be caught in fear, but to hold a vision of love and light.

The next morning, the neighbor sent a text to my sister apologizing for his behavior. While I can’t say what caused him to own his actions, it was certainly an unexpected turn of events. Somehow, space had been made for something new to arise.

Maybe this is always the purpose of disruption.