The Paralysis of Hopelessness

It’s ok to wallow.

To sit within the vacuum of hopelessness looking out with dull eyes at whatever surrounds you.

Hopelessness is a feeling. Feelings are not right or wrong, they are a sensory response to the present social environment. Hopelessness arises from a lack, an imbalance, from dissatisfaction.

No matter how plush and inviting or harsh and grating the environment, hopelessness is a valid response to an absence of something essential to your purpose, your survival.

Don’t judge the feeling with thoughts of how things could be worse. Don’t shame the feeling with thoughts of how others would appreciate where you are so you have no right to feel down. Don’t invalidate the feeling with thoughts that you should be happy.

In that Moment, hopelessness is your feeling. Simple as that.

Greet it with compassion and curiosity. Embrace it. Hello Hopelessness, what can I do for you in this moment? What brings you here today? What have you got to say for yourself?

And in the vacuum of silence and stillness which accompanies hopelessness, listen very carefully.

Trust the silence. Sometimes it will whisper, other times roar. But it will never lie to you.

The Shine of Stability

Have you ever met someone and they radiated contentment, compassion and acceptance? Without saying a word, they made you feel safe and secure? Did you find yourself fascinated by them, unable to look away as they went about their life? Were you surprised to catch yourself saying things you never thought you’d say or sharing your innermost thoughts after only the briefest of connection?

That is what it feels like to be around someone who is elementally stable and neutral. Someone living in the Moment. Someone who’s surrendered to the present and has no expectations of those around them, only boundaries. They shine with serenity, vulnerability, and hope and it is infectious and appealing. They shine with Synergy.

Some people are naturally born with greater stability in their core structure, meaning they can be neutral not only when alone but also interacting with others, and have always been that way. On the Periodic Table the elements displaying this calm, peaceful behaviour even in the presence of other atoms, the family of elements on the right, are known as the Noble Gases. Group (1)8, with 8 electrons in the boundary energy cloud.

Noble meaning non-reactive. Stable. Not volatile. The clouds of electrons surrounding the Noble gases are satisfied, meaning they do not need to discharge negativity or collect it. The stability of Noble gases is what all other elements are striving for via volatility and reactivity. Every atom wants to feel the fullness of satisfaction, the contentment of completion, and is capable of attaining it.

Both positives and negatives exist in every atom and every personality. They must, because balance requires opposing forces. The Noble Gases are electrically balanced and internally stable. Only in extreme circumstances will they react with other substances. Their behaviour is the same when in isolation and when exposed to the environment.

Noble Gases are used to light up neon signs, fill helium balloons, even prevent reactions between other elements.

People with stability and serenity play a similar role, lighting up others, lifting their spirits, and insulating them from volatility.

Other elements become like Noble gases through forming bonds, through developing relationships and interactions, in order to either release negativity or to collect it.

People too become stable by forming bonds, developing relationships and interactions, aspiring to find satisfaction and live in the Moment.

Pain and Suffering

Pain is part of the price of admission for living, for growing character and resilience. Suffering is voluntary and arises from resistance to the reality that people will disappoint your expectations, goals will fail to fulfill you, and you will let yourself down when you turn out not to be who you believed you were.

No expectations, only boundaries. Even for your own mind and body. Surrender your self-expectations, too, allowing instead discovery of your purpose. That is how to avoid suffering.

Physical and emotional pain only interfere with life if we allow them to. We hear stories about mind over matter and admire feats of courage where someone overcomes great discomfort in moments of crisis. Are those people different? Do they have a gift?

No, they were present in the Moment and received strength and tools to escape the situation using their own existing core emotional and physical structure. They were not distracted by doubts or fears of not being good enough or making mistakes.

Pain arises from imbalance. Physical imbalance comes from structural or chemical deviations from optimum. One person’s source of pain is not the same as another’s, a debilitating deficit for me is not a source of dysfunction for you. Addressing them requires the use of all the escape room tools and resources available in your situation. The process of healing the imbalance must start from inside yourself, from identifying what it feels like. Physical suffering sometimes comes from the uncertainty and fear of not being able to articulate the nature, quality and parameters of the pain, not necessarily the dysfunction itself.

Emotional imbalance comes from social and relationship deviations from optimum. One person’s source of emotional pain is not the same as another’s, a debilitating toxicity for me may not be a source of dysfunction for you. The process of healing the imbalance must start from inside yourself, from identifying what it feels like. Emotional suffering sometimes comes from the uncertainty and fear of not being able to articulate the nature, quality and parameters of the pain, not necessarily the dysfunction itself.

Each of us is individual and unique. Sometimes we suffer because we are told we should, because another person experienced pain in a similar situation. Pain is subjective, it is in the mind, and can be used for growth.

All pain has purpose. No suffering does. Giving meaning and reason to pain alleviates suffering. Spending a Moment to investigate the pain with curiosity and acceptance will reveal to you the purpose. Embrace the pain, because at the moment it is your reality and all that is, is as it must be.

And, if you have been suffering…forgive yourself. That moment is over and a new one just beginning.

Offense verses Defence

Surrender does not necessitate victimhood. Acceptance does not require acquiescence if the moment includes opportunity and tools for defending boundaries.

Again the distinction between expectations and boundaries is crucial. An expectation puts action in the hands of others and is a matter of offensive momentum, creating situations rather than responding to them. To expect someone to meet your expectations is to demand compliance from them and gives them power over your interactions.

A boundary puts action in your hands and is defensive momentum, responding to situations rather than creating them. To expect someone to respect your boundaries is to reward compliance with your ongoing involvement with them, and gives you power over the interaction.

The best offense is a good defence. The high ground is least vulnerable to attack. Every situation has a degree of vulnerability because no two people are completely the same. Most elements on the Periodic table are reactive in the presence of other atoms, even their own kind, with the exception of the Noble Gases which react reluctantly under exceptional conditions. The moment we leave the safety of our own company, when we may need to assert boundaries and respond to the actions of others, we become volatile and reactive unless we exert Noble control.

Reflecting on your boundaries, understanding your limits and your chosen consequences of non-compliance by others, puts you in a defensive position. Awareness of the tools available in the escape room at the moment will guide your defence. Synergy has your back if you trust her. But as soon as you SEEK retribution, as soon as you procure tools rather than accept the ones Synergy offers you when the time is right, you move from a defensive position to an offensive one.

Offense generates resistance. Defence slides through resistance to the core of the purpose Synergy has given the situation. Whether in court proceedings, romance, business, sports, or everyday life, timing is everything and a defensive, open, and curious position at the key moment defines many a rousing win.

Compassion – A Different Kind of Pain

Aggression says ‘get up from there’ while standing on top of you.

Passive aggression says ‘let me help you get up from there’ while standing on top of you.

Sympathy says ‘it looks awful down there’ while standing beside you.

Empathy says ‘it sucks down here’ while laying beside you.

Compassion says ‘get out of here’ while taking your place.

Compassion is the deepest form of love and shows no regard for sex, age, race, or religion. It offers no resistance to abuse or trauma or dysfunction because it knows those who are in the greatest pain cause the most pain.

Living in the moment fills you with intense compassion because if you are not holding on to the past nor grasping at the future, you are able to treat the present moment with love, curiosity, hope and joy no matter how badly you’ve been wounded by those spending that moment with you.

Both living in the moment and living with compassion take incredible strength, courage, and endurance. The drain of allowing yourself to be vulnerable to exploitation is at times overwhelming and isolating. Keeping faith that all will be well and perseverance rewarded by peace and joy can be so excruciatingly wearisome.

But the reward always comes. You cannot ask or expect a certain form of reward – that’s a transaction, not compassion- but the pieces needed for fulfillment in your life will follow acts of brave compassion like rainbows follow rainstorms.

Unrepentant? That’s ok!

True unconditional acceptance must be exactly that. It does not require the participation of the beneficiary. Synergy does not require confession or atonement. She does not demand recognition or obedience. These are constructs arising from overthinking, from judgement, from the disconnect between Eidolon, Matter and Synergy.

Everything and everyone is welcome. Religion is not the will of the universe, but rather an echo of the universal truths put into material context. Even if you don’t believe in an intelligent design, you will return to the collective consciousness. Even if your material existence was filled with negativity and you caused others pain, you will be balanced and not punished. Because truly Synergy created each of us thus has ultimate responsibility for our actions so how can she reject us for her failure to elicit satisfaction, understanding, curiosity, gratitude and hope?

When a teacher has students failing in the classroom, they can either examine how they teach and grow from that reflection, or they can blame the student and remain stagnant in their hubris.

Synergy is the ultimate mother, the ultimate teacher. She tries, tries, and tries again to figure out how best to share the vast knowledge contained in Eidolon. Yet few of us grasp her presence and even fewer fully accept and surrender to her will. Don’t mistake piousness and abstention for understanding. It is easy to think you understand something by thinking on it but only those living life to the fullest- meaning exposure to all of its problems and passions – are able to clearly speak from the Eternal mind.

Hypocrisy destroys even the most accurate messages. Judgement drowns out even the most sincere of lessons. Sincerity and authenticity are tangible not only in eyes and voice, but even in print. The words of so many sound wonderful but feel just a bit off, like shoes that just don’t quite fit right as you walk in them but you can’t place exactly why. Because of the undercurrent of fear, judgement and resistance that permeates so much of our lives but are not blatant nor intentional.

There is no right or wrong. Let go of all judgement. This does not mean take actions in the future which intentionally cause imbalance in others – since we’re all connected that causes imbalance in yourself – but don’t hold on to what has happened to bring the world to this moment, don’t blame yourself or others. Take responsibility for what actions you can take every moment of your life from this moment forward, and only look back for information if necessary, not for recrimination. No repentance required!

Keeping Score

Keeping score is natural! That’s exactly what balance is. But our mistake is in seeking balance from those who unsettled us, expecting restitution from the ones who hurt us.

Admittedly, that is the most direct and satisfying way to restore balance. The one who broke us best knows what they broke, how they broke it, and how best to put it back together. This is why we so passionately seek healing from the source of our pain. But those who hurt others are themselves hurting thus are not equipped for reparation unless they too are ready for repair.

Synergy gives us all the tools we need to restore balance when it’s been stripped from us. Whether through no fault of our own, or because of our poor decisions and resistance to her will, she forgives all and accepts us unconditionally. We don’t need to ask for forgiveness or apologize to her, we don’t need to worship or praise her. We just need to listen to her gentle guidance and accept her generous gifts which surround us.

Satisfaction in life does not require religious practice or atonement or penance for past imbalance. Acceptance is complete surrender to the idea that everything, including the past, had to happen to culminate in the powerful moment which is here and now.

Globally, locally or individually the scoreboard needs to be reset to net zero before we can have balance at any level. We need not only to forgive ourselves this day, but everyone else in the world no matter how heinous their actions. Truly embracing mindfulness and enlightenment means ultimately EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING at this moment is EXACTLY how it was meant to be, that necessary things are in place.

Judgement is resistance to what is. Resistance is the source of imbalance and pain. Judgement does not create solutions nor hope for better. Acceptance and open curious reflection do. Keeping score is a judgement of the past which inhibits the power of the present moment, the only place where balance can be found.

Balance can’t arise from the past or future. It can only be grasped in the now. Synergy lays it out for us every moment, offering to heal us with what she knows is best for us so long as we aren’t fixated on what restitution we see as fitting.

Look around. What have you been offered today as a gift from Synergy? Is it my words you stumbled upon? An unexpected contact who lifted your spirits? A rainbow when you needed it? She’s there, sending you her love. Like a mother, she demands nothing in return but for you to accept her support and let her cradle you in peace and satisfaction.

Two Wrongs may Make a Right

Life is about balance. When we are in balance Synergy rewards us with profound insight, peace, hope, and joy. We reward her with gratitude and curiosity. There is no right or wrong, only balance and imbalance.

But imbalance is everywhere and quickly disrupts even the most stoic and centered of us. Cycles of negativity and patterns of toxicity persist through generations, accumulating in our collective psyche like mercury bioaccumulates in fish.

We can restore balance by piling positives on our scale, which is how most people approach the issue. Sadly, this becomes an exercise in frustration because the ratio of positives to outweigh negatives can be intimidating and exhausting. It always seems to take so much more effort to build up than to tear down! Especially when intentionally seeking to restore balance this way on a personal, community, or global scale. At times, these efforts can bear fruit with immense energy expended on righting wrongs and mending fences.

We see those as right, actions that benefit others. We see as wrong actions that harm others. This is the way it should be, where things which bring us all lasting pleasure are sought and those which bring any of us pain are resisted. But we live in a deeply flawed world where all are out of balance.

Where some turn to the second way of restoring balance – transferring negativity onto someone else! Projection, rejection, abuse, murder, crime. These are all strategies to alleviate imbalance, used by those unable or unwilling to restore their inner peace by cultivating positive balance through trust, curiosity, and surrender. It is so very easy, and admittedly, so very satisfying to give in to the impulses which hurt others. At times, these efforts can bear fruit when perpetrators become victims and learn lessons from having done to them what they had done to others.

We try so hard!

And there’s the trick! To not TRY to restore balance with intention or thought or purpose. Doing so is a type of resistance to what is. Trying to save the world won’t save you. Trying to save your neighbour won’t save you. Trying to save your child won’t save you.

Synergy will guide you through restoring your inner peace and calm once you surrender to her wisdom. Surrendering actually clears the weights, alleviates the burden of imbalance for you! Once you release the pain of your emotional response to the wounds of the world and yourself. Once you accept that everything around you is the way it had to be in order for you to become what you are meant to be. Only then you will see what you need to do today to begin your journey to optimal function and ultimate peace. Everything you need already waits to be discovered, hidden in the story of your life. Your balance is unique to your needs but crucial to healing our universe and restoring the net balance.

Yes, the world has suffered. Cruel, terrible things have happened, causing pain to so many. Sharing in that pain through commiseration does not serve a higher purpose of learning from the pain. Resenting the perpetrators and sickening yourself with anger and bile does not heal the imbalance which allowed horrible things to twist our world away from joy, gratitude, and playfulness. The net balance is Synergy’s to manipulate, not ours to judge. Judgement clouds purpose and absconds with playfulness.

Accept the horrors that are. Be present in this moment to understand what it feels like. Listen for Synergy to tell you what you can do to balance yourself which will help balance the world. You can’t effect change from a position of imbalance or hypocrisy. If you are not living a life of joy, curiosity and surrender, your efforts to change the world are simply another expression of resistance which exacerbates the conditions rather than alleviates them!

We are where we are. The culmination of millenia of imbalance. But we have this moment of global pause from which to restore peace, joy, and playfulness. Two wrongs may sometimes make a right.

Resistance is Futile…or not

Resistance is part of our human nature. We are designed to resist temptation to hurt each other. We are compelled to avoid causing deliberate fear or pain in others. We have urges to resist suffering on an individual and community basis.

Resistance training is used to build physical strength, and so too does resistance training build spiritual strength if appropriately and effectively managed. Where problems arise is from poorly directed resistance and misapplied strength.

Again this is not about good and evil or resistance to wrong, because identification of wrong and evil requires judgement. We are but children, uninformed and limited in our perception, thus our attempts at judgement are akin to asking a toddler their opinion on what the family rules and expectations should be!

We resist what we fear, what we do not trust, what we cannot understand.

The antidote to resistance is trust, faith, and curiosity.

Trusting in Synergy, that she will provide and make everything ok, gives the most incredible sense of comfort and relief. She is the mother who consistently and perfectly understands her children and ensures they have what they need while nurturing their independence and individuality. Love without conditions or expectations.

From this trust rises curiosity about what exactly she offers. There is such exquisite joy to be found upon waking each morning like it is Christmas and the day is the present under the tree waiting to be unwrapped. Such wonder to gaze wide-eyed on the world seeking the tools for understanding hidden amongst the distractions of the surroundings.

It’s those distractions for which resistance needs to be exercised. That is not to say the Escape Room clues are not embedded in movies or songs or video games, in fact they can be! Your favourite book, the movie which haunts your thoughts, or the song that resonates with you soul? Those ARE your clues to the meaning and purpose of your life!

By analyzing the patterns and interests which call to you, and resisting or ignoring the distractions which perhaps are expected but not fulfilling to you, you can learn who Synergy sees inside of you! You can begin to understand your purpose and release the patterns of resistance which cause you pain.

Resistance is futile and painful if you resist the wrong things, but is beautiful and admirable when applied as integrity and courage on the pathway to enlightenment.

A Moment of Choice

Every moment of every day, we have choices. Just because the outcome of a choice is unpleasant does not revoke our ability to choose. There is always a choice, including inaction which is the choice to surrender to the will of others.

Surrender is at times an excellent choice and one we were designed to do. Surrender is not giving up or giving in, it is giving trust to Synergy. To surrender is to accept what is, and to allow the moment to proceed as it needs to until a moment of meaningful choice presents itself.

What defines a moment of choice? The immediacy of action. If I ‘choose’ today to get a medical degree, that is not truly a meaningful choice in this moment because I cannot GET the degree right here and now. Thus this choice is not binding to me, there is not an ultimate immediate result from the perceived choice. It is a wish, not a choice.

A moment of choice is that instant when you recognize action is possible. When you feel the power of potential and promise permeate your brain, screaming ‘Now! Do it now!’ In the movies, you see the hero saying ‘Wait for it…wait for it…’ That truly happens in real life as well but only if you’ve surrendered to Synergy and have faith in yourself to recognize the when you have been waiting for.

True choice is about seeing an opportunity when it happens and being prepared to follow through on it then and there. It is about closing your eyes and diving in if that is what feels like the right decision in that moment. True choices are made in a moment of true connection with the universe and are rewarded by amazing results even if everyone else was unable to understand or relate to the choice being made. Those who surrender to Synergy are the ones who seem to always be in the right place at the right time to make the right choice.

That is not a coincidence.