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What Coronavirus is Asking of Us; A Survival Guide for this Time

What Coronavirus is Asking of Us; A Survival Guide for this Time

Never before, in the history of mankind, have we been impacted on such a global level. No war, no virus, no depression – nothing has touched every single person globally in the way that we are now being challenged.

And while not every single person feels challenged or threatened by the virus itself, the response to the perceived threat of the virus does touch on everyone in one way or another. The lockdowns have impacted our economy, food systems, and transport supply chains. Hospitals that were operating at near capacity during “normal” times are now stretched thin in critical care areas, but near empty and furloughing staff in other areas. Our tranditional educational system is shut down entirely; parents, teachers, and most importantly children, are being forced to develop some adaptive strategies in the midst of chaos. 

And that’s just on the surface. While some of us are “just staying home,” there’s a whole world underneath that, where families are struggling to survive and the Government systems in place to help, such as unemployment and healthcare, are failing. Mental support systems have shut down, so people that struggled to exist in a “normal” world (used here to denote “typical/expected” versus “ideal”) are floundering in a sea of chaos and stress.  No money, food to be bought, bills stacking up to be paid, fear about a virus, and so on, do nothing to alleviate the struggles of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and more, that already existed.

And the media – oh the media! And our government as well! That they have done the opposite of their responsibilities and what we have entrusted to them. Calm, structured, rational responses in the face of chaos, ensuring the people are getting adequate, appropriate, factual information. This we have not seen. And while some will claim that this was the nature of the deadly virus that came whipping in so fast and furious, I will argue and say that very argument is itself a product of the very narrative being delivered. When we dig underneath the surface, and indeed not very far, we start to see how conflicting the narrative is, how much it doesn’t make rational sense. How much they’re really promoting fear rather than calm rationality, delivered with a moment of pause beforehand. These people we have entrusted with our physical, emotional, and mental welfare are whipping the populace up into a frenzy to the point people are turning on one another in ever greater numbers and with increasing severity.

So I will stop there, as which narrative you believe regarding the Coronavirus is at this point moot, if you can simply see that something profound is happening in our midst. Whether you attribute that to the fact that you believe this virus is deadly, or our government and media are mounting perhaps the largest mind-manipulation operation in the history of mankind, or anything in between, does not matter. Because what does matter, what is clear is that the sheer size and magnitude of what is happening right now indicates this is divine intervention.

Divine intervention happens in exactly this way – it touches everyone. It touches everyone right where it needs to, in the way it needs to. That’s why some are profoundly fearful of the virus itself. Some believe the virus is manmade or genetically manipulated. Others are angry at what they perceive is government ineptitude, overreach, or manipulation. Other see this as a mechanism to surreptitiously insert various agendas into our society. Choose your story; they all have validity in the eyes of the beholder and that is what matters. What is clear is that we are being upended and profoundly challenged. Our deepest fears are being forced to the surface. Other issues that we have with power and authority are being illuminated. What’s more is that all the systems that we’ve placed so much value on and trust in are being exposed in every single way that they are faulty, frail, and inept. All the way from our government to the media, to our healthcare system, our educational system, and the way we care for one another and our planet. The extent and magnitude of this exposure can only be divine in nature. 

From now on, none of us will escape doing our work. The illusions have been shredded. Our little (or big) shadows and monsters that we kept locked in the basement, those that we believed to be locked up out of sight, and certainly out of mind, those that have really been running the show the whole time while we dallied in the comfortable daydreams; they have been released. We can see them now. I see some still ducking and covering their eyes desperately, but that can only last so long. We are being shown. And while it is still up to each of us to choose to see, as that is the nature of free will, it is going to become increasingly difficult and painful to choose to remain blind.

 So let’s hit a pause button now as I’ve really only been stating the obvious. 

What does it mean to move forward? How do we move through this transition?

Every transition has a period of intense chaos, and that is what we’re in the midst of. We’ve had these periods before, on a much smaller scale. Some have experienced few of these, others many. On my own journey and through these periods of turmoil, when I ask, “What can I do?” the answer is ALWAYS – heal yourself.

Below are the messages I’ve gotten through my own divine guides, and which have since been confirmed numerous times in very diverse ways. Many people are getting this same survival guide.

1. The message is clear and unwavering. We need to embrace our own Free Will, which has been a profound gift to us. That means this:
It means each of us taking responsibility for ourselves. Many, many of us, often through no real fault of our own, are children walking around in adult bodies. We’ve suffered trauma, we lacked the appropriate nurturing we needed as children, or we were simply deprived of the process by which a person develops from child to adult, whether through initiation or just simple support of us as a human being first, child second. And while those things are legitimate and real, it is time to line up our survival archetypes – our children, our victims, our saboteurs, and our prostitutes – and say, “Hey. You did a great job of protecting me when I needed it. But I have this now. I need you to take a seat at the back of the bus. You can speak up when you have something important to say, but I’m in charge of all thoughts, decisions, actions, and behaviors from this point forward.” 

2. Make a commitment to love yourself (every single aspect of yourself no matter how harshly you judge it), nurture yourself, heal yourself 

– AND! –  

YOU are now responsible for every single thing you do from here on out. 

Whatever you believe, whatever you think, whatever you say, whatever you do. No one can make you do anything, believe anything. No one can heal you. No one can love you in a way that will fix all your broken or fractured pieces, even the people that did the breaking to begin with. EXCEPT YOU. YOU CAN do these things! This means we need to examine and break-down (re-design or re-work) every co-dependent relationship we have. This applies to every single relationship where we’ve given over “authority” (power). Who are the people you trust over yourself? Listen to how you speak. Often we give that power away to our spouses, healthcare practitioners, or our government. Any human that we “worship.” Also examine those you take power FROM; those that you interact with but whom you don’t listen to, give to, those that you are dismissive of or condescending to. Every single one of us have these relationships in our lives. You may have a preponderance of one over the other type, but I guarantee you will find both if you look through a very honest and humble lens. ALSO NOTE that when I say “break down,” that doesn’t mean get rid of the person! The relationship itself, however, must be reworked. Boundaries need to be put into place, energies cleared. Often this involves forgiveness and some sort of gratitude. Expectations need to be examined; what do you expect them to do for you, or how do you expect them to be, act, etc.? What is coming to light right now is how many people are really seeking out father and mother authority figures to help them heal and fill up that which was denied to them as children; this seeking manifests in co-dependent relationships. A sense of safety, a sense of being relevant and worthy. We’ve mistakenly placed this role onto other humans, often humans who are struggling with their own issues. 

So you are now taking back your own power, your own authority, your own sovereignty. This involves a measure of trust and a lot of love and compassion for yourself. Trust is a tricky one, and that’s where item 3. below comes in – Prayer.

3. Pray. And while I do not presume to tell anyone how to pray or what to say, I do know this prayer needs to be different, perhaps, than prayers you’ve uttered before. This prayer doesn’t simply say, “Please help me.” This prayer also contains a declaration that says to the God/dess and others that are in positions that they can help us, “I get it now. I understand.” This is a prayer of CO-CREATION with the divine. It says, “I’m no longer a child. I’m a divine being in my own right, one that can and is willing to take responsibility for myself.” I know that this term – CO-CREATION – needs to become an integral part of every aspect of our hearts, our minds, our behaviors and actions.
(See below for an example of my own prayer; you can use it, in its entirety or modified, if you wish until your own prayer emerges from your heart.)

Dear Creator, and all the beings that watch over me, guide me, and protect me day in and day out. I get it. I hear you. Free will – which I have struggled with so profoundly over the entirety of my life – on the one handed wanting complete control, on the other expecting you to cover all the bases for me, making things easy, expecting a safety net – I understand now. I can see where my ego thirsted for importance and control while I allowed my spirit to wither because I resisted that which is my essence. I can see my power – and my responsibilities – and I fully acknowledge each of these. I can see now where I allowed my righteousness to reign and take over connection with other human beings. I can see how I took in from the external world and made it my own, rather than listening to my internal guidance and projecting that out in the world. I gave that external authority power over my thoughts, my actions, my beliefs; I was too lazy to seek out my own knowing, to face what I knew didn’t feel right in my gut, to make amends where possible. I’ve allowed myself to be distracted for a long, long time, with things that do not matter now and certainly will not matter once I leave this world; I’ve been bitter, resentful, angry, jealous and fearful, and I’ve resisted paths I knew I needed to be on. I acknowledge these things and ask for your gift of Grace and guidance as I move forward. Help me to help myself. I will not expect you to hold me any longer; I ask that you teach me how to stand, how to walk, how to speak to others in a way that is kind and loving. I claim my own sovereignty, my own authority, and ask that you be my ever-present advisor and mentor. Please continue to whisper in my ear, keep my eyes clear, and my heart ever open, honest, and humble. With profound love and gratitude to you, and to myself. Amen.

4. On a daily basis, there are a variety of things you need to do. Just as if you’re trying to rebuild your health after a prolonged or intense illness, you need to rebuild your spirit. This becomes a practice that includes compassion and patience (with yourself and others), breathing, taking time to nourish yourself (healthy foods, exercise, sleep), doing things you enjoy, finding quiet time to sit in meditation, prayer, or just to ponder. This also involves baby steps into questioning your responses and reactions to things, your beliefs, and your expectations. Ask honest, challenging questions of yourself. Research and dig to find answers. Be CURIOUS and OPEN. Again, this is a process that takes time, perhaps a lifetime. But every step we take leads to a different world, a world that the divine has given us a glimpse of in the midst of all the chaos. A world that is cleaner, slower and less rushed, a populace that can come together for a common cause. We need this world and we need to keep taking the steps that get us there, even if it feels painfully slow, unsure, and scary. As we come together, the pace will quicken and we, finally, as global community, will reach that for which we have been seeking and yearning.

May we each find our peace and healing. ?
Wishing you all the best.


I would like to acknowledge some of the people that influenced or confirmed the content here outside of my own guides (thank you!); including Caroline Myss, Elizabeth Gilbert, Alex Collier, Daria Justyn, and Jessica Mangum. Along with countless others: friends and confidants, that have sat with me in places of contemplation and discomfort, and those that have offered their own teachings along my path that have integrated in such a way that I can longer distinguish them from my own. My thanks to all those that have offered their own perspectives and insights in an effort to help others along their journey.

? Fauxels via Pixels.com

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DISCERNMENT AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

DISCERNMENT AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

We are inundated daily with multiple messages about who we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to do. The messages can overlap and contradict, but mostly it’s the sheer VOLUME of them that can really become overwhelming and confusing. In this time of profound change, it’s vitally important that we be able to sort and sift through these messages and to identify those that are true messages for us and those that we need to discard. We need to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The first step is to bring awareness to all the messages we are receiving unconsciously. We receive feedback constantly from our society, culture, and tribe. These messages are often programming us to conform. When we’re operating at a “tribal” level, we unconsciously believe our survival depends on our tribe, and uniformity within that tribe. This cohesiveness ensures the tribe is working together towards a common goal in mutual interest of all members. This is the inherent nature whenever there are groups of people, and happens even in enlightened, or otherwise spiritual groups. Television, movies, advertising, social media, and more all attempt to sway us to think and act in defined, narrow ways that ensure group/social/cultural cohesion. This approach is predicated on fear, as those that are central in the group attempt to influence the outliers, threatening with ostracization if they refuse to get in line. For the outliers, it takes one becoming aware of this sometimes almost imperceptible influence, and then trusting that the individual can, indeed, survive, even thrive, outside of the group. The individual must learn that all this unconscious influence has likely created “perception filters” that practically block all decisions before they actually reach our consciousness. You know these exist when you find yourself making snap judgements*, particularly when they are definitive (such as either/or – right/wrong). These snap judgements are often predicated on assumptions and pre-formed opinions and do not allow space for additional facts or individual circumstances to be taken into account. The easiest example is any social issue in which there are TWO dominant sides. Whenever you consider yourself to be on the “right” side and anyone who disagrees with you on the “wrong” side, be aware that you have these filters strongly in place.

(*A note: sometimes rash decisions are actually a survival mechanism in times of impending danger. If you get a spontaneous read on a person that feels uncomfortable or dangerous, I encourage you to immediately act upon it and remove yourself. Once safely away, you can determine whether the threat was real or not. Discernment works in multiple ways, one of the most crucial of which is getting us away from danger.)

As we watch the process in which the soul becomes thought or speech, we notice that many a time we ease ourselves into convenient clichés that have little of the new insight in them. Once more we are trapped by habits that are the dunghills upon which the creeds feed. It takes vigilance and humble courage to make acts of faith. After all, where faith is weak, there is an abundance of beliefs. With this in mind we may be more humble about our tradition and our sureness, yet also a bit more proud of the holy process in our inner being that keeps teaching and guiding us.

~ Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

These filters often exist in layers, and commonly, one mistakenly believes they’ve all been removed when in fact, only the most superficial have been identified. The trickiest circumstance is when one has already opted out of one or a few group thought forms (usually parentally introduced or influenced), thinking ALL filters now dissolved. This is actually when we are MOST susceptible to programming, because we believe ourselves to be free and independent thinkers when in fact we’ve usually just identified with a new group. Conscious decision making is a life-long process that requires pause, evaluation, and usually involves some degree of “gray area,” i.e. recognition that few things are conclusive and definitive. This process is known as discernment. We can be part of groups, and in fact, our psychology has a strong need for this type of belonging and connection. But when we choose a group (used here to broadly identify mental, emotional, and psychological collectives based on thought forms, not just physical groups), we must still commit to constant examination of facts, circumstances, etc., and be first and foremost loyal to our own internal guidance system.

Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.

~ Alan Keightley

Once we learn discernment, then we are in a position to really bring in authentic, powerful spiritual guidance. It’s not that we haven’t been receiving this all along, but these messages are by nature subtle and often get blocked by perception filters. Where things get tricky is when we still have some filters still in place, but guidance is trying to get through. How do we discern which is which?

So let’s talk about guidance and what constitutes AUTHENTIC guidance. Spiritual guidance comes to us directly via two sources; 1.) our own soul/spirit, and 2.) our spiritual “team.” Our team is comprised of the two main guides we chose before we incarnated. These two guides are with us the entirety of our lives. Often, we will have one that will present as more strongly feminine and the other as more strongly masculine; these presentations help us balance our own masculine/feminine aspects. Additionally, one often presents as celestial in origin, the other more “earthly.” These forms help us come to terms with our celestial origins while being incarnated in a physical form. (Note: I say “appear” and “present” because it can be challenging to know definitively if these forms are indeed absolute, or rather that which has been deemed to be most conducive to helping us. Additionally, know that distinctions are fluid; what you deem celestial or earthly can be different for you than for another.) In addition to these two main guides, you can have a plethora of other helping spirits. These can include angels and other celestial beings, God/desses, spirit animals/plants, Ascended Masters, ancestors, and more. These other guides may be permanent (through this lifetime), long-term, or temporary. Aside from our two main guides, it is common that once we integrate what a particular guide has to teach us, they may leave and another comes in. Thus our team shifts often according to what we most need at any given time.

Do not assume that divine guidance flows only when you are in need of help. Guidance continues to flow whether or not you have problems. It transcends problems, heartbreaks, and traumas, flowing through dreams and illuminations. Whether guidance comes during times of tranquility or trauma, however, it is up to you to have the courage to acknowledge it.

~ Caroline Myss

ONLY advice from these sources – our own spirit and our divine team of guides – can be considered authentic and true. The caveat, however, is that it takes a great deal of self-belief, trust, and calm in order to hear this guidance clearly. Any fear, doubt, etc., drowns it out rather effectively. Our guides are understanding of this, however, and will often repeat messages via many different avenues and sources, much of it non-verbal. This means that we must commit to remain open during our times of trial. We might get repeat visitations from specific animals, see particular number combinations, have vivid dreams, or have certain word phrases practically jump out at us. For me, I find that certain messages come through prominently when reading or listening to podcasts. All of a sudden, it’s as if the volume (or font) gets turned up to max, while the everything else (ambient noise and other inputs) dials down to zero. Although my rational mind understands this is impossible, I have the sense that the person is speaking directly to me. These are the avenues through which our own divine self and our team of guides speak to us.

So we see, our guides DO, on occasion, use other people to deliver messages to us. However, these are the times we need to be most discerning regarding the divine and authentic nature of this guidance. In my experience, our guides will use almost anyone to deliver a message, and most certainly do not limit themselves to someone we might deem to be a “spiritual authority.” There will often be a different quality to these statements; they will stand out in some way to us, emphasized above and outside of the surrounding “noise.” Even so, you must always pass any statement through your own internal discernment to determine its authenticity. This is why it is vitally important to develop, refine, and utilize our discernment skills continuously throughout our lives. Remember that people frequently have filters in place that they are unaware of, and this can influence the message, particular when the message is being delivered “deliberately.” Gurus and spiritual advisors are not exempt from having these filters and thus care must be taken no matter how enlightened the person appears or claims to be.

You push the TRUTH off a cliff, but it will always fly. You can submerge the TRUTH under water, but it will not drown. You can place the TRUTH in the fire, but it will survive. You can bury the TRUTH beneath the ground, but it will arise. TRUTH always prevails!

~ Amaka Imani Nkosazana

Implementation of spiritual guidance is not a task that is without courage. We must be willing to be our own authority, and we must trust that our guidance, while not always easy, is always in our highest, ultimate good. This is a difficult, often uncomfortable position to stand in, but it is critical if we are to grow into our greatest potential and purpose. It’s an ongoing process that allows for mistakes, but always requires that we recognize our inherent strength and honor our own inner truth even in the face of overwhelming outside influence. True guidance is ALWAYS delivered internally, first and foremost.

At every step, she paused, withdrew to the inner sanctuary, and asked herself, Does this feel right? Her answer came in the form of peace or tension. If she felt tension, she stepped a different way. If she felt peace, she kept going forward.

~ Donna Goddard

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A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF LOVE

Do we, as humans, truly understand what it is to love?

Love, I’m told via divine guidance, is the “grand” lesson of our human existence. We are programmed (for lack of a better word) with an innate understanding that this is our goal, but we are left with little understanding of what love truly is and how to practice is, and thus we often fall quite short of executing it in its true divine form. We try, of course, according to where we are in our cycle of soul growth, but like a child learning his or her first language, we learn the language of love in progressively deeper iterations. We often start by throwing that word around casually because we know we’re supposed to love, but we don’t really know yet what that looks like. So we say “I love you” often, but without depth.

We use the word casually and often, because it seems to cover a lot of ground in our immature emotional centers. “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family” seems to imply this – If I say I love you, then you’ll love me back, and all will be well. And while that’s a lovely thought, love is an active process, not a passive thought or statement. Love takes a lot of work, a lot of introspection, a lot of course-correction. Love isn’t “easy” as we’re taught to believe. If love is our ultimate divine soul lesson, then why would we ever expect it to be so simple?

When I seek divine guidance, almost everything comes back to love. To the deep, strong, resilient, robust kind of love that few humans understand, and none have practiced perfectly / flawlessly / continuously throughout their human lifetimes. To learn to love in a cosmic sense while existing in a dense physical form, to incorporate the “all” (all of life, all circumstances, all perceptions, all needs and desires) – and then transcend it… It’s an unfathomably deep concept which we can only approximate cognitively with our thinking brain and ego via side glances and dreams. But we can sense its presence – and its absence – when we sit with an open, honest heart. And as we go through the cycles of our soul lessons, each turn getting more expansive and flowing, each completion bringing our own aspects of rational thought, heart, ego, and soul into harmony as “one,” then we deepen our ability to love ourselves and others in the truest sense of the word.


Can you love another human that you struggle to understand? Can you love someone despite all their flaws and differences? Can you love another person that disappoints, hurts, and/or disrespects you? Can you love all life no matter how lowly? Can you put yourself in a place of service or vulnerability to another? #faith

Can you love yourself even when you don’t really understand yourself? Despite all your flaws and mistakes? Can you put yourself first? Can you love yourself so much that you never feel alone or unsupported? #grace

Can you balance the two processes? The two halves of self and other that make the whole of true love? Can you support another when they need it, even when you’re hurting yourself, busy, or overwhelmed? Can you allow someone you love to have the space to create their own life, lessons, and reality, no matter how much you disagree? Can you embrace the idea that sometimes the strongest love, the truest love, doesn’t look like “love” in the human sense of the word at all, that sometimes love involves space, boundaries, and even detachment? #unconditionallove #trust

The answer is, YES, you can; we are all capable of loving in all these ways, but not without sometimes falling, failing, and losing sight of what love is. Sometimes we have to feel its absence in order to feel its brilliance once again.

In the moments you feel lost, alone, unsure, or unable to love either yourself or another, try this meditation

In a quiet space, close your eyes, and begin breathing deeply and slowly into your belly. Focus on relaxing your body one area at a time. When your mind is calm and your body relaxed, bring your awareness to your heart space. Feel it first relax, allowing any tension, pain, or hurt to evaporate away on the out-breath like smoke. After you’ve done this a few times and your heart feels clearer, begin breathing directly INTO your heart, using your #sacredimagination, and see/feel/sense clear, crisp, cool air flowing in. Imagine this air is pure, energizing, and healing. Do this until you feel calmer and more centered.

For extra assistance, call in one of your angels, spirit guides, ancestors, or some other being you feel connected to. Ask if they will allow you to place your forehead (Third Eye) on their heart space. In this way you can better “see” or experience divine love. You may also ask that they share with you some of their loving energy. You may see this manifest as a direct channel between their heart space and yours. See/feel/sense as this energy flows from them to you, filling your heart, then overflowing into the rest of your being, filling you until it overflows from your body in a cocoon of loving of energy surrounding your body like an egg. Notice the color of this energy.

(For me, one of the most profoundly beautiful experiences I’ve had with the angels was when I called in Archangel Michael in a moment of extreme grief, pain, and exhaustion. I laid my forehead against his heart space and immediately my vision went white. I looked around and saw that I was deep inside what seemed to be a white flower. The petals were limitless and they enfolded me in a velvety soft gentleness that was soothing and peaceful.)

Love to you,
Sheila, RHHW

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