A golden time

With so much of our lives on pause, Al Reem Al Tenaiji explores
why this is the perfect time to ask ourselves questions
and steer into consciousness and meaning

Fishermen spend long, taxing days at sea. They cast their nets into the water and wait for the harvest. The nets are resilient, consistent and reliable, allowing them to focus on their craft.

But there are days when fishermen cannot jump in their boats. The weather is against them or the sea is unyielding. This may frustrate the fishermen, but the nets rejoice. For these are the days the fishermen turn their attention to mending them, nurturing them and preparing them for when the sea is again calm.

We can learn from the fishermen. With the world on pause, Mother Nature is taking this precious time to repair her net. As difficult as the situation is, we must endure and take comfort from knowing that the world is healing. As Carl Jung noted, ‘There is no coming to consciousness without pain.’

The lesson of consciousness is always a gift. But when pain is the giver of that gift, contentment is harder to attain. So how do we do it? How do we create a conscious space to thrive in challenging times?

First, we must be ready to accept the challenge, and accept that it may be tough. We must give ourselves time to shut out all the noise and go within, healing and freeing ourselves from conditioning, just as Mother Nature is doing.

Conscious repair begins with checking the stories you tell yourself. It might not feel like it, but this is a gifted time to go within and be honest about who you are, what you think, what you want and what you don’t. Do the stories you create correspond with your truth? What motivates your thoughts: comfort and ease or desire and passion?

There is so much power to the way you think. You control the steering wheel. Every choice of what to listen to, observe and consume is directed by you. The greatest epiphany is to realise that you can change direction at any time. Your mind is free even when your body is not. With a conscious life you can never fail. Once we learn to relax and let our soul express itself, inner healing happens. It realigns our motives and attitudes with what is truly inside rather than what we do for approval.

To explore, create and seek answers to important questions, we need to activate our minds in new ways. Inherited wisdom is an intellectual prison. We must burst through the barriers of convention and pass through the jungles of the unknown. Freedom of thought drives fresh purpose.

Unwind and unlearn. A tense mind has limited space for anything new. It clings to dogma and detests change. Unless you learn to let go, the mind shrinks, creating frustration. A free mind is inclusive and absorbs more. This is where the power of spirituality, once strengthened, can be the net that your mind needs.

So use this precious time to mend your net. Like the fishermen, we never know when we need to be ready. What we catch comes down to how well we prepare. Do not be disheartened by the way this golden chance to repair has come about. Remember that things are rarely black and white, and that beauty often lies in shades of grey.