Serenity Amidst Chaos

Serenity Amidst Chaos ©2017 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

Seventeen years ago, I was training to become a CPC (certified professional coach) and being coached myself. I asked her how to maintain a sense of calm within the storm of my life at the time. She had me come up with an image, and I immediately saw a Buddhist monk in saffron gold robes.

A Buddhist monk can maintain serenity regardless of whether they're standing on a mountain in Tibet or in the midst of the Mall of America at Christmas.

It was a very effective visual image. Later she gifted me some sheer saffron cloth, which was a lovely affirmation as well.

I've moved several times since then and have no idea where that cloth is, but I sure could have used it this week.  Our neighbors are having a new roof put on and the noise and chaos coming through to my office has been unbearable.

We're in tumultuous times. There are earthquakes, fires, and floods happening. There's combustive events in the news. Astrologically we have some very major eclipses coming up and people are already feeling things being suddenly "eclipsed" in their lives.

What helped me in the last few days was being aware that, even if my nerves were frayed from high pitched tools and staple guns, there was a part of me that had a bigger picture of what was going on. That greater awareness could navigate through the "Sturm und Drang".

What surprised me during this time was how upset my body was, and how emotionally detached I was as Consciousness, at the same time. I wasn't in denial that my nerves were shot. I just continued taking the next indicated action. Kind of like a mom that needs to get her errands done with a toddler that is overstimulated and needs a nap.

Finally yesterday afternoon I plugged in the earbuds (wished I'd remembered them earlier) and blared TedTalks really loud. Pandora would have been a better choice for concentrating and working but by that time I was done, completely done, with work.

Operating as Consciousness doesn't necessarily mean having all aspects of ourselves on board. Doesn't mean our bodies and our personalities are as composed as Consciousness. It just means letting Consciousness drive. The rest can sit in their car seats or nap in the back seat.

Our bodies and personalities just want Consciousness to drive anyway. Even if they seem to be struggling for control.

We are not our bodies nor our personalities. We are Consciousness. We created Our bodies and our personalities as vehicles in the physical. We're meant to inhabit them, and drive the car from within them.

When you shift your identification away from just being your body, or your personality, to being Consciousness, it completely changes your life.

Imagine yourself as greater Consciousness, and imagine focusing into form. I like to pick an 'anchor point' in my body as a focal point. It's like you, as Consciousness, are the entire internet. And your body is the device you're using. Your focal point is your inner cellular connection.

Play with this, play with bringing your information as Consciousness into your form. And notice what happens!

Harmonize for Holiday Harmony!

(c) 2009 Joan M. Newcomb

Last Monday was our island's annual Christmas sing-a-long at our local movie theatre.  It's very hokey- a small town affair.  Having lived here nearly 25 years, I have lots of lovely (& uncomfortable) memories of these sing-a-longs.

My earliest is my son Graham at 4 or 5, wearing his cowboy boots (which he lived in during those years) and Santa hat (which remained glued to his head from Thanksgiving through New Years) and running/dancing up and down the theatre aisles while everyone sang.  He's now a 6'4" freshman at Vassar!

My most recent is last year, sitting by myself in a nearly empty theatre, my heart full of loneliness and pain.  A blizzard had snowed us all in, my husband was stranded at his mother's in Bellevue and my kids at their dad's miles away, and I was alone the full seven days up to Christmas morning.  I'd hiked 2 miles into town to participate in the caroling.

This year was totally different, the place was packed and my husband was by my side.  That in itself was a Christmas miracle; he's a devout Buddhist and doesn't like to sing!

While we were singing, I had a revelation which I'd like to share with you - something that may make it easier to get through the rest of the holidays (and life)!

I like to sing alto.  When I was 6 or 7 I joined our school choir and learned the harmonies to all the Christmas songs.  What I felt was, that it was okay to be different.  I was the only American in class (we moved to England when I was 5).  I'm the only girl in my family (3 brothers).  Learning to harmonize, you learn to sing a different tune than others are singing.  You keep your musical line while others are singing the melody.  Energetically what this means is you hold your own vibration at a different level than others.

In a group, however, you're matching the music of others in your section, so you do have the strength/power of all the other altos (basses, tenors, sopranos, etc.) to match.  Alone, you learn to hold your own when others are singing the prevalent tune.

By the time I left high school, I'd sung in school choirs in four countries.  I learned to adapt to different cultures, make friends quickly, yet be ready to let go when my dad was stationed somewhere else.

What does this have to do with Harmonizing for Holiday Harmony?  Well, I've been writing about how to stay sane when visiting your (dysfunctional) family members.  Someone recently asked me how to stay serene around friends who are frenzied about Christmas.  And the answer is the same -

Set the vibration you want to be at, whether it's serenity or joy or peace.  Hold your own vibration where ever you are.  It's okay for you to be in a different space while others are going wiggy.

How do you do this?  I've several suggestions.  Imagine yourself in a bubble of gold - your own private Christmas ball.  Or pink.  Or blue. Whatever symbolizes to you the vibration of what you want to experience.  Have an emotional touchstone.  Does a particular Christmas tune or sound set it for you?  Does humming jingle bells awaken your inner child who still believes in Santa?  Does the image of Mary invoke her serene demeanor within you?

Before getting together with others, take a moment to use one of the above techniques (or one you've made up) to 'set your own tone'.  And let yourself hold it while you're with them.  It's okay for them to be emanating strident Yoko Ono sounds while you're humming the Little Drummer boy.  It's okay for them to be playing Flight of the Bumble Bee while you're ohming your way to serenity.  It's okay for their auras to be flaming red while you are fir tree green.

It's okay for you to have sanity in your head regardless of others' experience.   It's okay for you to be happy while they're sad.  Actually, it's okay for you to be sad while they're manically happy.  You can breathe and be real and you don't have to match anyone else.

Try this for the next week and see what happens!  And let me know! Joan@JoanNewcomb.com