Posted by Michael Finkelstein | April 22nd, 2020

The Gift of Confinement

Another lunar month has passed, and we’re now firmly out of sorts — an unusual mix of rooted simplicity and chaos. To be fair, isn’t that true of life always? What’s different now, however, is the degree to which we are bound. And, no surprise, we struggle. Some are doing better than others with the confinement, perhaps because they are fighting with the external forces more than the others. But we are all struggling in one way or another. So, what can we do about that?

To begin, let’s consider a fundamental aspect of the human condition — a soul incorporated into a body. Right away you can see the root of the confinement problem. Indeed, we grapple with the struggle for freedom at our very core. This period, then, can be seen as a reflection of our deeper consciousness and its natural manifestation. The global nature of the pandemic further suggests even more about our collective consciousness and where we are at this point in our evolution. So, there are two levels on which we are bound, as individuals and as a collective. And, by logic, the way out it requires dealing with them both.

It’s easy to view the cause of all of this as a virus — maybe from a bat reservoir in a wet market in China or maybe from a nefarious scientist or regime in an enemy’s camp. Either way, nothing is particularly new about the fundamentals of the situation. The planet has always been full of threatening microorganisms and people competing with each other for resources and power. If we think that the right and natural reaction is to kill it, we actually will perpetuate the problem, since our warlike thought-forms will feed the same dynamic and keep us bound in a viscous cycle of disease and decay.

So, what can we do that is new and different, for it is that which might truly change the outcome and help us finally be free from our confinement on every level? We can choose a different response and actually look at the opportunities presented to us…in this body, in our small apartments.

This is a great time to practice non-attachment — the practice of accepting what is. And, while you do, not only do you let go of expectations for specific outcomes, you sit comfortably in whatever space you have at the moment and simply be. And, that’s where the discomfort begins. It’s so hard for us just to be still. But that is what’s called for. Anything else adds to the struggle and won’t feel good because, in fact, it is not good for us. The wisdom in this is clear, though the practice is hard. But, that’s why they call it practice. And God knows, we’ve got plenty of time for that now (and there’s no Fear Of Missing Out) …what a gift! Indeed, simply being alive is a gift. This is such a propitious time to appreciate the embodiment of our soul and make good use of it.

And, while we do, let’s send a collective blessing that all our loved ones stay safe and well and that healing occurs for those who have already been hurt.

Mitakuye Oyasin,

Michael