Don't Despair ~ Raise Your Vibration

By raising our consciousness, rising above partisanship and drama and the endless, outrageous narratives, both personal and collective, we can certainly lift up own vibration and maybe, just maybe, inspire others to do the same.Don't fall into the trap of believing everything you read or see in the news. Don't fall into a mindless addiction to the news, a need to know, now, every gory detail.Don't get lost in despair. I've been there. It's not a place you want to be. It's not a place you'd wish upon your worst enemy.Depression, despondency, despair: they can be difficult to avoid for a breathing, thinking, feeling human being on the planet these days.Although perhaps it is an exaggeration to say "no news is good news," the fact is that most news is bad news. There is a dearth of stories of goodness, virtues, transformation, growth, generosity and kindness. Why? Because these kinds of uplifting stories are not as dramatic, they don't sell as well and they don't feed into the System's desire for the audience to remain indefinitely very afraid.It's the Trump Show. We are all watching: many aghast in horror, his fans/constituents cheering him on, whether publicly or privately. He is polarizing. He is hated or loved. He is abysmal or "tremendous." I have lived outside the U.S. borders, living and loving the expat life in Guatemala, for nearly 9 years. Never have I felt so ashamed of and embarrassed for my country of birth.It is just outrageous! It's an outrage!However. Instead of feeling desperate about the endless cycle of depressing news about the myriad ways in which the rights of anyone who is NOT a rich, straight, white, male are being violated or desecrated, I am choosing to focus on expanding my own consciousness. Following the news in a balanced way (not going to either extreme of shutting it out nor watching too obsessively), speaking out through my writing.I am choosing to rise above. Still I Rise. (Amazing poem by Maya Angelou. Go listen to her read it on YouTube, ASAP.)By raising our vibration we are thereby also raising the vibration of all of humanity, with our one grain of sand.I am sending loving kindness to myself, my community, all beings, no exceptions. Praying that more and more people wake up to the harm we are doing to ourselves and our Mother Earth through our current, consumerist, corporate-capitalist-driven always in a hurry hashtag busy hashtag soblessed ... wifi microwaves frying our brains meanwhile zombies mesmerized by screens needing apps just to be able to meditate 5 seconds a day...It's scary how much technology has changed us, is changing us. Point being: expand your consciousness. See beyond the little ego identity. Get a glimpse of the ground of being, your buddha nature, innate goodness, golden heart.How to Raise Your Vibration, and thereby Humanity's

1. Breathe deeply
2. Pay attention to the present moment.
3. Let go of what needs to be let go.
4. Focus on what needs to be focused on.
5. Keep an open heart.
6. Drink pure water, herbal tea, goodness and eat local, organic, natural foods lovingly prepared.
7. Buy local; cultivate local community; support small & independent local businesses
8. Spend time outside in nature, contemplating trees, mountain, sky, water.
9. Cultivate compassion for self and others.
10. Practice loving kindness for all beings including oneself.