We can CHOOSE to Change the World

​I was recently feeling bogged down by all of the politics in the US and in the world, and wondering how it is that I or anyone can really make a difference. I know there are ways involving voting and becoming active, especially in supporting the rights of those whose voices land on ears unwilling to listen.
 
I was asking John, my husband, his views and he responded that while yes we can vote and be active, the most powerful change that we can implement starts and begins within. John and I both have our moments of being caught in the daily grind, getting stressed and being unwise. But this moment was a wise moment for John, and I took his wisdom to heart. 
 
In most moments, we may not realize this reality -- that we possess great and tremendous power. This poem speaks to my heart deeply.
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​I have come to the frightening conclusion
that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable
or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture
or an instrument of inspiration;
I can humiliate or humor,
hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they’re called to be,
we help them become
what they are capable of becoming.
                                     ~Johan Wolfgang von Goethe

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So how can we find ways that support and sustain us, so we can utilize our power and make wiser choices more often?
 
The first simple act we can do within to create change and make wiser choices is to find spiritual nourishment. One of the ways I’ve been seeking this is to look at ways that nourish my heart and spirit. Carol Horning says, “The body must be nourished- physically, emotionally and spiritually. We’re spiritually starved in this culture—not underfed but undernourished.”
 
I take this up as we have lots of opportunities to be fed spiritually, but we need to seek opportunities where we feel nourished by it. And to receive nourishment, it needs to be in doable and digestible bites.
 
I love poetry, as I have shared a poem above, and it feeds and nourishes me. I also have a regular daily practice that I began in January, where in the evenings after putting Eliza to bed, before doing anything else like dishes or cleaning or office work, I sit in my bed by myself and write down at least 5 things I am grateful for. I write these in a journal and that’s all that is written in that particular journal. I also read from a daily inspirational book. I find this to be spiritually nourishing for myself in very doable ways. I originally had tried to read in the morning, but that was more stressful than helpful with Eliza pulling on me and wanting my attention. 
 
What are ways that you can feed yourself spiritually and feel nourished by it? Is it poetry, writing, reading, taking a warm bath, going on a walk, calling a friend, joining in a community…?
 
The second simple act we can do within to create change and make wiser choices is to notice our breath.
 
Change can happen with each breath.
 
Our breath is a beautiful automatic function, where we exchange air from around us to within and vice versa. This ‘exchange’ represents and holds the elemental energies of letting go and receiving.
 
Your Exhale – the exhale is a Letting go of what no longer serves. In the physical sense, it is carbon dioxide. And yet in another sense, what else can you let go of that no longer serves you? Are there judgmental or attacking thoughts? --On others, On yourself? Are there thoughts that continually hold you back from your gifts and potential? 
I feel on each exhale we can choose to create an invitation for our mind and body to let go of all that no longer serves, feeds or nourishes us from within.
 
This letting go then creates Space. It’s important to not rush past the space. As you breathe and notice your breath, allow time to notice the space between your exhale and your inhale.
 
Your Inhale – the inhale is a Receiving of new breath and new life. In the physical sense, it is oxygen. And yet in another sense, how can we truly breathe in and receive Life? And all the love and support that surround us? And all that we are grateful for? And take that deep into our being, into our bones?
I feel on each inhale we can choose to create an invitation to receive the fullness of life, and therefore become more alive to our truest and most authentic self.
 
As we become full, we can pause and again create Space. In this space, allow yourself to notice how you feel your fullness and aliveness. What are the sensations that accompany this awareness?
 
Naturally our bodies inhale, pause, exhale, pause, inhale, etc. Give yourself time and space to notice the affects of feeling your release and letting go on the exhale, as well as your fullness and aliveness on the inhale. It is our nature -- to receive and let go, to receive and let go.
 
How do you feel as you bring this level of depth and awareness to yourself and your breath? What are doable ways that you can remind yourself to bring this level of consciousness to your breath?

Photos by Janet Wepner

I’m certain as we continue this way of spiritual nourishment and conscious breath, we can change the world one ripple at a time. And as we do so, from our fullness, we can allow ourselves to ‘see’ one another in day-to-day life and to bring our aliveness to another by being fully in our presence with them. As Goethe says it very well, "In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated/and a person is humanized or de-humanized./If we treat people as they are, we make them worse./If we treat people as they’re called to be,/we help them become/what they are capable of becoming."
 
If you are interested in your own becoming and learning more about your self while practicing these ways of nourishment, and also exploring the terrain of Spruce Knob, West Virginia, you might enjoy one of the Hero’s Journey® Foundation’s signature summer week-long intensives. You’ll have an opportunity to find nourishment for your inner spirit as well as practice letting go and receiving. We all have reasons why not to take up such a journey – yet a deeper part of our self may know that we hunger for something more. This might be a calling for you.
 
I hope that this writing finds you well and that you were able to receive a moment of inspiration that may then carry you forward on your journeys and adventures in life! May these words today not only inspire you, but also empower you to make wise choices, choosing to change the world by changing your world within.

written by Janet Wepner