In response to Covid-19, I see a lot of metaphysical friends sharing uplifting advice on social media. Common advice includes things like staying positive and focusing on the “good.” This mentality is inspired by the Law of Attraction or selective focusing.
Selective focusing is a wonderful mental discipline. But, not when it is dualistic (judging good or bad), innately self-serving (striving for a preferred personal outcome) or delusional (imagining an idealized celestial state).
Because we are living in such trying times, it’s important to have a good relationship with your inner self. It is also helpful to have a number of tools to rely on, whether it’s selective focusing, meditation or prayer. Below I share more information about spiritual growth amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spiritual Means Living Boldly with an Open Heart
To strive for positive vibrations is escapism. However, your spiritual path is not about avoiding what you view as negative. Things like bad vibes, grief, anger, agitation, desire, fear and suffering are actually part of your spiritual path.
It’s important to know that your spiritual path is not a metaphysical journey to a mentally transcendent place. Nor is it a belief system that preserves your identity or viewpoint. Walking a spiritual path is a process. It is a journey that strips away falsehoods about who you are and descends you into the reality of what actually is.
By committing to experiencing life as it is, you can learn more about yourself. Vibes expose your needs by offering insight into how you interpret life. In turn, you have the opportunity to respond to life with decisions that address your true wants and standards. This is more constructive than projecting a world-view that preserves a false sense of self.
Giving Up to Get Real
By surrendering any knee-jerk impulse to manufacture an alternative experience of objective reality, you gradually reveal who you genuinely are. This can be frightening. But, the willingness to be genuinely seen and heard is an act of self-love.
You see, by surrendering to reality, you begin to accept yourself, quirks and all. This is especially important during desperate times of disease, unemployment and increasing political and social instability. What follows is a trust in your authenticity and inner resources to handle whatever comes.
Without these experiences, you will remain inwardly anchored. Many people believe that only “spiritual” people can surrender to reality, but the truth is, anyone can. By practicing these tools today, you will have them for a lifetime.
Getting Real is Not a Joyless Process
It is funny how giving up self-soothing notions of spirituality fosters real evolution.
Selective focusing, as a method for being spiritual during trying times, is best understood as a method for skillfully remaining open to reality. We prioritize growth-enabling perspectives so that moment by moment, we can feel and fulfill our needs most efficiently. Of course, we must do so in the most human, helpful, compassionate and productive manner possible.
In summary, such an embodied state makes us a light unto our small corner of the world. And, isn’t this what our world really needs right now?