Help For Our Collective Healing
One of the common themes I heard from students this month, as we continue to navigate COVID, the murder of George Floyd, and what will inevitably be more divisiveness amidst an election year was, “I don’t really know what to do.” I experienced this same level of sadness and humility in many deep thinkers around me. We are truly beautiful people trying to study ourselves in this difficult time.
I took this compassion and heaviness with me on my walk yesterday and was met with the following wisdom. The Owl swooped in reminding me to “Conserve your energy and be aware of your surroundings”. Traditionally a symbol of Death, the Owl alerts us to change, and the need to release the Old. Letting go of what no longer serves us is a healing process, and it beckons us to allow more stillness and rest.
In this place of pause, we can learn from the essence of the Chipmunk, abundant in the woods right now as new ones have recently been born. The message of the chipmunk is typically of playfulness, curiosity and trust. I struggled a bit to feel the appropriateness of their lesson, until I recognized that when we’re down, it’s important to continue doing things that bring us small joys, remembering what we love and are grateful for. Don’t let these things go. We need you to stay vibrant and balanced.
As many of my students reflected in this month’s Yoga Philosophy Community Call, the evolution of our humanity is not an easy fix, nor are we guaranteed to see any progress in our lifetime. The only change we can truly affect is within ourselves. 
I hope you will feel as supported and encouraged by the wisdom of Nature as I am, in the video playlist below. Like spiders weaving their webs, little by little into a complex masterpiece, we can take one small step in the direction we want to go. The snake helps us remember that a natural part of life is shedding our skin, personally and collectively. The blackberry flower encourages us to stay grounded and that we will have the energy we need to act, when directed from the unique wisdom of our Self.
With Great Love,
Julie
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"Help For Our Collective Healing" Video playlist - (click on the photo) Track 1: 4:44min; Track 2: 1:19min; Track 3: :53min; Track 4: :42min
