Seeking for hope

Dearest ones, In a few days we will welcome Spring, with its usual time change and longer days. Spring has always been a reason to celebrate, to welcome life back as days become longer and the weather feels a bit more benevolent. As nature follows its course, we, as a society and as human beings are presented with the horrors of war, of destruction, of the most vile and inhuman behaviours that can be possibly be imagined. And we become paralysed. What to do, how to behave, how to continue our day to day when there is so many people suffering at the moment? I don't have an answer, unfortunately. Those whom I have spoken in the last week, know about my struggles to continue functioning in a world that feels at times unrecognisable. But it has also brought moments of absolute delight, humanity and care for each other. It is when we are presented with incomprehensible realities that we are invited to search deeper inside, beyond the "sense making" - as I have come to terms that there are some realities and behaviours that are beyond human comprehension. To reflect, to ponder, to do deeper into the hermit self and seek for answers. For hope, for pockets of love, joy and trust in ourselves, in others and in our power to make things better. That's exactly what this photo reflects. Me taking a few days off after the last very intense and dense weeks, to reflect and return to myself. If I am constantly rushing and actioning without processing and strategising, how can I make good decisions? How can I show up for myself and others?

And this goes beyond self-care. This is about sustainable and strategic action, that comes from a place of elevated consciousness. From a place of freedom and liberation - see my piece on these topics last month - where we can find meaning and purpose for our day to day. And the reality is that we can be both grieving, devastated and allowing space for joy and contentment. It doesn't have to be one or the other. They can coexist and in fact, they are all necessary parts of life itself. It's about how we handle them, how we can carry on, with hope in our hearts. As I further investigated these, I came across the powerful learnings from Viktor Frank, who was himself a Holocaust survivor: We can discover this meaning of life in three different ways: 1/ By creating a work or doing a deed; 2/ By experiencing something or encountering someone; and 3/ By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering Which I then connected to the inherent capacity all beings have available any time: the opportunity to learn from any experience, regardless of how we qualify it - some might be pleasant, some might be terrible - but there is always valuable in all of them. Sometimes, we can even connect with a fire inside of us, a motivation, a meaning that will change us forever. The moment that we find meaning in our existence, the moment that w truly become alive. And that matters, to you, to us, to the world. The world needs every single of us to become more alive than ever. Might the current times inspire us to be better with ourselves, and each other. To be forgiving, to be strong, to be loving, to truly appreciate every single joy and gift we have and experience in our lives. All is impermanent, and all can change in a second. I'll leave you with one of my favourites passages from the Yogic tradition: ‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bahavantu’ May all beings everywhere be happy and free, May the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute to that happiness and to freedom for all May we all find the peace and love in our hearts in these troubled moments, The solace, the understanding, the support that we need, the world needs, Building bridges of hope, trust and oneness As some of you requested further resources to cope and find support during these difficult times, here is a summary of all the info you can find available: RESOURCES VIDEOS Summary of resources Coaching Lab: - Cultivating trust - Mindfulness - Working with fear - Working with anxiety Meditations BOOKS: Anita Moorjani Dying to be Me Thích Nhất Hạnh No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering WAYS TO SUPPORT TO UKRAINE: - Resources and links - Fundraising for Ukraine - see post below - Donate to local organisations or to their government directly - Pressure your local government to implement sanctions to nations supporting war and open borders to refugees - Demonstrate, have conversations with people, pray And any other way that feels authentic to you And remember, we all support in different ways. Some might be very obvious in the spotlight but that doesn't mean that's all that needs to be done. Prayers, thoughts and conversations can be as powerful as action taking. And as always, we invite you to continue reading to discover the activities coming to you this month. With all my love and gratitude, Monica x