Gratitude in the Time of CoronaVirus
I meet up with friends a few times a week. Keeping to the six-foot rule, we walk. As we head out the conversation turns to COVID-19. How many cases? Where has it spread? Are there enough face masks, ventilators, hospital beds, places to bury the dead?
This is my much-needed socialization time, my time to connect with people I care about. I wish we would talk about regular everyday things. I miss talking about mundane things, happy things, silly things.
Today, even the talk of our mutual friend’s first grandchild making her appearance in the world veers away from the usual talk of labor and delivery stories, birth weights, pondering who the baby looks like, and circles back to the corona. Instead, it is the story of our friend looking through glass doors to see her first grandchild, unable to hold her. Unable to be in the same household to help with the mountains of laundry, or to take a turn rocking a crying baby attempting to soothe her back to sleep.
How Much is too Much Information?
After my walk I head back to the small cabin I share with my husband. He reads me snippets from the latest newsfeeds on the virus and imparts this information to me. Mostly, I don’t want to hear it. He believes that I’m burying my head in the sand. I respond that I am an informed citizen, at least as much as I feel is necessary.
I believe that I know way more than I want to. I’m working at staying out of fear. Working at staying positive. Trying to stay happy. Trying to stay joyful in these trying times. Trying to stay out of fear.
Joy doesn’t come naturally to me. I wish it did.
Living in Fear
My sister she tells me that her husband sits in the living room watching the news all day, every day. He doesn’t leave the house very often fearful that he will catch covid 19. He is 73 years old and has kidney disease. Because of this he is, rightfully so, taking the necessary precautions to prevent getting sick. Contracting corona could very well mean a death sentence for him.
I believe that he is aware that watching the news isn’t a good thing for his kidney disease, or mental health. The National Kidney Foundation stresses that maintaining a positive attitude and outlook plays an important role in staying healthy.
The Vibration of Fear and Joy
Albert Einstein’s research supports what the Nation Kidney Foundation is stressing. Einstein said that, “Everything in life is vibration.” Everything is energy; therefore everything carries a vibration. The emotions that you feel resonates with a unique vibrational frequency that it generates. Scientists are able to measure the frequency of your emotions.
The Hawkins Scale developed by Dr. David Hawkins rates the frequency of emotions on a scale from 20–700hz. Examples of low vibration emotions are, Grief vibrating at 75 hz., Fear vibrating at 100 hz., and Anger vibrating at 150 hz. When we are vibrating at a low vibration we tend to feel heavy, sad or stuck.
Examples of high vibration emotions are, Love vibrating at 500 hz., Joy vibrating at 540 hz., and Peace vibrating at 600. When we are vibrating at these high vibrations we tend to feel light, happy and joyful.
What Emotion is Associated with Kidney Energy?
Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that fear is the emotion associated with kidney energy. The kidneys are the powerhouse of the body, the vitality center, supplying reserve energy to any organ running low on Qi.
Knowing this, how do we stay out of fear especially when we are under a constant barrage of virus information? How is it possible when I check my weather app to see what the best time of the day will be to walk today only to find that they are reporting on the number of corona cases in my area?
What Can We Do to Raise the Vibration of Fear in Our Bodies?
According to Master Chunyi Lin, founder of Spring Forest Qigong, it is Gratitude. A daily practice of gratitude can help negate the feelings of fear in your body.
This is what I do as part of Spring Forest Qigong daily practice. I put hands in prayer position, palm to palm in front of my chest. I inhale as I bend slowly forward from the waist. Exhale as I come back to standing.
Each time as I bend forward I say something that I am thankful/grateful for. Anything that comes into my mind. I feel the energy of gratitude flowing into each of the trillions of cells that make up my body. I feel the energy of thankfulness and gratitude filling me up. I feel how powerful this healing energy is in my body.
It is simple and it works. I trust it is helping me to raise my vibration, helping me to move out of fear and into joy.
With Love & Healing Energy from the Pond,
Laurel
BTW Lately, I find it beneficial, necessary even, to pause during the day when feelings of fear appear and breathe feelings of thankfulness and gratitude into every cell in my body.
