The healer at the edge of the village

There’s a traditional story about a village that was experiencing a severe drought. It goes something like this: The earth was parched, no crops could grow and the people were thirsty. So the villagers sent for a renowned healer who was said to work miracles, which was just what they needed.

When the healer at last arrived, the villagers asked her what they should do. She said, “Build me a hut at the farthest edge of the village, away from everyone.” The people did what was asked and the healer retreated into the solitude of the hut for several days and wasn’t seen or heard from at all.

Just as the villagers began to lose hope, snow began to fall! Although this region rarely experienced snow, the precipitation was welcomed in any form, and it provided plenty of water for their needs.

The healer emerged and was greeted with cheers of gratitude followed by questions about what she did to bring on the needed snowfall.

She replied, “I saw that things were out of balance here, so I went inside until I could bring myself into harmony. There can be no balance on the outside until there is harmony on the inside.”

On the march for peace–inside and out

I think of this story when I take in the news and witness what is happening in the world from missile strikes to violent uprisings, to climate emergencies and political leaders pandering to the public’s worst impulses. I wish for a miraculous healer like the one in the story who can put the world right. But the tale reminds me that in addition to writing letters to elected officials and voting my conscience, there is a step I must take first: I must find the balance and harmony within myself.

I thought of this when I went on a protest march last weekend and found myself shouting down counterprotesters along the route. Realizing I’d lost my balance, I stepped away from the crowds for a moment and then chose to walk alongside a man with a guitar who was singing songs of freedom and justice rather than engage with the handful of hecklers.

As a conscious dreamer, I know that what I see outside is a projection of what lies inside. When I start shouting at counterprotesters who are shouting at me, I see myself mirrored in their red-faced rage. It felt good at first to vent my anger, but I know better. There are more productive outlets for my anger that align with my beliefs and don’t involve useless verbal warfare. I do what I can with my very limited power to change the world, but I can have a guaranteed impact when I turn inward and get curious about the warmonger inside myself.

We can think of world events as collective or mutual dreams, and explore them the same way we’d work on a nightmare: By examining the various characters and scenarios and looking for how they represent a repressed or rejected part of ourselves. Once we can see the pattern or problem inside us, we can begin to take steps to address it.

In addition to all we must do out in the world to affirm and protect our highest values, the interior work that we do in meditation, journaling, therapy, and dreamwork contributes to our collective healing in ways beyond what we can imagine. It might even bring some healing rain to the parched fields of fear and despair we see inside and outside of ourselves.

Three steps on the path to a better world

In addition to whatever work you are inspired to do in your community, and in the world at large, I encourage you to take 3 steps to bring more peace to your inner world that can radiate outward.

ONE: Sit in stillness for some time every day. Spend 5 minutes or more in stillness and silence before you start your day, or before you step out to do activist work in your community.

PRO TIP: Find a meditation practice that works for you. There are many good options out there that suit different temperaments. For example, there are sound meditations, walking meditations, and mantra meditations for those who have a hard time sitting and focusing on the breath.

TWO: Check your alignment. Integrity means harmonizing your thoughts, speech, and actions with your principles and intentions. Are you living in integrity? Do you say you want a more loving world but spout bitterness and intolerance toward those who don’t agree with you? Do you treat yourself with the kindness you promote for others? Do you help the hungry but starve yourself of rest or spiritual nourishment? Pause and re-set your intentions as often as you need to. The extra time you take to bring yourself into integrity will supercharge your efforts to do good in the world.

PRO TIP: The reason we have fewer role models of people living in integrity than those who don’t is that it’s difficult to keep in alignment with our best intentions. So be gentle and forgiving with yourself as you commit to doing the best you can.

THREE: You don’t have to go it alone. Conscious dreamwork can be a path of transformation where we examine our thoughts and beliefs and become more flexible, awake, and aware in daily life. Practice dreaming for the collective good with 350 Dreamers, an international network of people who dream together for the planet in the face of climate change. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s meaningful. CLICK TO JOIN.

PRO TIP: Once you join 350 Dreamers on Facebook, read the files section to learn more about how to incubate dreams for healing, and how to interact with the group.

May you find peace, inside and out, and wake to the beauty of the world each day,

Tzivia

© 2020 Tzivia Gover

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