“We were made for these times” Prose to inspire the spiritual path.

“We were made for these times”, is an iconic line of prose by author Clarissa Pinkola Estes, that today feels more relevant than ever.

In the poem by the same name, she speaks to those that may be disillusioned by the state of the world, describing the helplessness that many of us feel in the face of senseless pain and suffering. Turn on the news, open the newspaper and the chaos of the world is there and it’s easy to feel like there is no end in sight.

In Level 1, our foundational course in the Training in Power Academy, we present the students this question to ponder in their meditations:

“Are you a human here having a spiritual experience, or are you a spirit here having a human experience?”

Each student must contemplate this for themselves, and for each of us, the answer looks and feels a bit different. At times, I know without a doubt my spirit is in the lead, guiding me to help others and live in a state of love. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Being an open, sensitive person can feel like a battlefield sometimes. It’s easy to get shaken up by the darkness we can encounter in our lives and within ourselves. We all have those days that leave us wondering if we can really make a difference when the challenges feel so big and relentless.

“In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without raising the sails.”

I always am inspired by the call of this poem, where Estes reminds that our focus is a powerful tool. We can allow our focus to be consumed by the darkness we see, fuelling the despair, or we move it to a state of empowerment which will breathe air into the sails of our ship.

So how do we do that? Where do we set our focus? How to we fill our sails to move forward with our spirit?

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.

Small acts that contribute to the critical mass, otherwise known as the “tipping point”, where the global consciousness moves towards the light. If it’s a culmination of the daily acts of many, as the poem suggests, this greater change  may not be so far out of our reach. And with spirit in the lead, we are often guided where to go, who to talk to and how to help. Sometimes we might not even realize we are making an impact on those we touch, it’s simply being who we are in that moment that can make all the difference in the world.

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times.

So are you ready to show your soul? To shine your light? To be the gold? If it seems like a lot for one person, remember you are not alone.

Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. 

There are more of us then you think. You are not alone. So let’s all stand together and let our souls shine. Who knows, this might be one of the most important times to be alive as a Human/Spirit ready to bring forward a new consciousness of love.

Read the poem in full here for more inspiration.