Pandora’s Whirlwind

‘Amidst the chaos of the world, enter into stillness...’

We are in the middle of the spin. Of the whirlwind of world chaos, picking up speed and in the process, trying to annihilate what is pure and good in the planet.

In the physical Earth, our seas have become garbage patches, smog obliterate the views of our cities, animals die in their natural habitat due to oil spills and climate changes, polluted waters drain into our systems creating illness.

And humans, well, we are seeing the whirlwinds come into the minds as humanistic values are forgotten, creating a destructive evil force of killings by maniacs, violence creating a separate whirlwind of destructive events like senseless wars, terrorism and coups. The whirlwinds of the mind show where ego battles out its dominance allowing dramas of suffering, pains, regrets and fears to play out.

On a personal level, ego’s drama can create stressful havoc with the physical body through illness as well as destructive, negative relationships. Technology and media do not help, and the manipulation of consciousness becomes the weapon used by one percent of the world’s rich and powerful force that move from the foundation of greed and the need to retain power at all costs. And like what the ancient Greek myth spoke of, Pandora’s box was open and all the evils of the world flew out.

The whirlwind, in its vortex movement funnels into a central point. What is interesting in the phenomena of the whirlwind is that at the very center from where it spins, there is no howling of the wild winds. Rather, in the vortex, there is silence in that one still point.

I will use that analogy to repeat what the sages say: amidst the chaos of the world, enter into stillness to clear your mind. Oftentimes, too, we will find this stillness in the part of nature hidden — so hidden that we must actively seek it. We need to find pristine spaces and sacred spaces and connect with them. Or in the daily vortex of our own lives, go deep inside ourselves to just breathe and leave the mind, to connect to the body electric, to feel the loving space of the heart, and to let our breath connect us to spirit’s quiet presence. This is where the first fight for good, for peace, begins. This is from where we understand and harness the best part of ourselves connected to the divine, to come forth and make itself known. If every single one of us takes time daily to move into stillness and quietness, reflection, prayer and meditation, we will create together a higher force for good.

Within nature, and within ourselves, mini-worlds and new ecosystems are being born. These are new harmonious spaces and environments of sharing, collaboration, co-existence for growth. We see it now as people come together to clean the earth, green the planet, farm small plots, create sustainable communities, support livelihood, create healing circles, invest in our women so our next generation becomes healthier and more whole. This collective force is gaining steam as more and more people awaken to the horrors of what is happening. And a counterforce of alternative actions kicks in!

My suggestion for each of us is to find that little space in which we can all bring in the good. Something dynamic happens in that stillness. As we clear our minds from the old, the past and the dramas, new spaces allow for birthing of ideas, innovations and new directions. And if we subscribe to the belief that we create our own reality, and that all things of this world emanate from the dreams of our mind, then together, we can actually dream in a new world into being. The movement is from a personal level (just even by watching judgments that arise in our minds, checking our addiction to social media, consumption and unsustainable lifestyles) to a collective level that speaks for good. Our tiny shifts in consciousness as a collective will allow the breaking away from the archaic thinking and reactions that cause the chaotic whirlwinds today. We must, together, evolve. From our little spaces of strength and actions, the many little ones build to become bigger spaces, groupings and movements.

We can build more eco-systems that support the good, green the earth and help gender disparity. More people will peep into Pandora’s box, where one last remaining “gift of the gods” is. There, in the bottom of Pandora’s box remains HOPE fueling the birthing happening now, deep down at the center of the whirlwind.