Last night we had one of the most intense thunder storms I’ve ever experienced. I’ve spent 27 years in New Mexico experiencing thunder storms and New York as a child. Never do I remember experiencing what I experienced last night. At one point the thunder just kept rolling and rolling for seemed like hours. It felt like it was just circling the Island, round and round it went. It hasn’t stopped raining since last night.

At one point, about 5:30am, I was up trying to feed our cats. I was standing by the kitchen window, spoon in can, when the hugest crack of lightning struck, making me scream like a child. The cats went running and didn’t come out of hiding for well over an hour.

I am a big baby when it comes to thunder storms. When I was a kid, I was so scared that I used to sleep in the basement of our Long Island home. I’d take all my pillows and blankets and crawl down there to sleep on the floor. l felt safer in the basement. No logic to it.

Now, you think at age 67, with all my spiritual practice, I would have gotten over this intense fear that makes me scream. However, recognizing it with new eyes right now, I know I am able to move through this fear that really has no logic behind it. I’ve never been hurt by lightning. I understand that this is an old program that is running unconsciously. I’ve played the tape so many times, that as soon as I hear a clap of thunder, Pavlov’s dog goes crazy.

This is just an example of what many of us experience with the unconscious reactions we have to what we call our triggers. Perhaps someone says something that sets us off into guilt or anger. Perhaps we hear a particular song and we immediately move to tears because it reminds us of our lost love. These involuntary reactions are lodged in our bodies, ready to awaken without our volition. Some of us go through our whole life unconsciously reacting.

The truth is we are at choice and we can retrain ourselves. Is the reaction serving us? Is it making our life better? Is it really keeping us safer. For example, I do not want to fear lightning for the rest of my life. Some people love electrical storms. Why not me?

Choosing courage over fear is important and will help us through this challenging time we are going through now. We can train ourselves to not react with fear to what we hear on the news and the conversations that seem to be rumbling everywhere. Some people say, “well, do not listen to the news.” I think there is a difference between not listening at all and just staying informed. I would rather be informed and learn to not get triggered.  The way I do this is to be prayed up before I start my day. I work on my peace of mind first and then venture out.

My lightning storm reaction was a perfect example of what happens to many of us who are unconscious of the fact that many of our fears are unattended programs that need conscious attention by us.

We are living in unprecedented times. There more than likely will be more surprises that could or could not throw us into a state of fear. It’s a pretty logical reaction. However, I believe that we are being asked to go really deep and shift our consciousness surrounding this whole experience. Continuing to be in resistance to what is, is definitely not the answer. For me, the answer is to shift my focus and change my perception of this whole thing.

Last night, during our spiritual cinema zoom discussion, someone called this Coronavirus a “Love Bug.” Looking at it this way assists me in finding the good that is occurring which far outweighs the negative. If I am looking for the good, more than likely I will not have the fear-based reactions when something shifts and changes or a new order comes out.

Really, I understand how uncomfortable this whole thing is and how scary it can be. However, I do believe that we are being called upon to continue to dig a bit deeper into ourselves and change our way of being. We are being called to a higher consciousness. Many of us our getting this. We weren’t listening even with all the numerous accelerated signals that something wasn’t right with our world. It took Miss Corona the Love Bug to scream “STOP!”

When those in power say they want to get us back to business as usual, I say “no!” We are forever changed by this and I am knowing it is for the better. We will never be able to take a hug for granted or the freedom to go about our life unrestricted. I trust and pray that we are not able to go back to our mindless “doing, doing, doing” consciousness.

We, I know, are becoming a new species because of this experience, a new breed of humanity that will never take our freedoms or those of our brothers and sisters for granted again. This truly is a “Love Bug.”

I’m so grateful for the message that was stirred within me from my lightning experience. I am so willing to just keep growing.

In Love and Truth,

Rev. Rita