Positive Expectations

     Do I even know how to act in social situations anymore?  After the “altered state of life” for the past year, many people are asking themselves if they are ready to re-enter the social world, assuming things continue to open up.  Of course, the big news is that after a year of the pandemic, the vaccine is now being disseminated.  The general assumption is, even if there are spikes, the COVID cases will decrease over time, and the world will increase more in-person activities and functions once again.  Many of my clients, friends, and associates have expressed concern that they have been too isolated in the past year to even remember how to behave in public or other social situations!  Many individuals have also noticed a new sense of apathy or resistance to social situations due to their experiences this past year.  We may be confronting a fear or the uncomfortable prospect of change.  Can I adjust to change (once again)?  (Do I have to?)  This is exhausting!
      I spoke about the cycles involved in the Creative Visualization process on the March 16th episode of Mystical Adventures, and how sometimes we don’t see our goals and dreams manifest right away because we are in an inner cycle, or period that naturally favors reflection and release, which is needed in order to manifest what our hearts desire.  Often only after going through this period of release are we able to get to an outward cycle, or a period that naturally allows external growth and expansion.  In some ways, one could argue as the vaccine is being distributed and the infection numbers decrease over time, the world will naturally shift from an Inner cycle to an Outer one.  It is also the beginning of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, and a shift in Nature is occurring from the slow, reflective winter to a blooming renaissance of spring.  We have confronted and released some things collectively.  Do you feel you have individually?  One can see how the universe is cyclical in nature, as are we. 
      Speaking of your individual cycles, do you suppose you are in an inner-release cycle in your life right now, or an expansion-active cycle?  I am just finishing an inner cycle myself, preparing to feel more energy as I shift into my own active phase; so, I feel in sync with the arrival of spring.  (This is not always the case: sometimes Nature or those around us seem to be experiencing an abundance of manifestations while we are not, and perhaps we are then in a cycle of release.  Being in an inner cycle does not mean one is out of alignment!)  I can get very frustrated with the inner cycles, which often feel forced upon me, and buck at the slower pace.  I know it is my humanly impatience.  Embracing the inner work and releasing that needs to occur is always the medicine I need to move through such periods.
      I remind myself that cycles are an Eternal universal principle, and to embrace the changes in cycles is embrace eternity.  I’m getting more comfortable with change and not knowing.  (At least that’s what I tell myself!)  Will we be able to adjust to more normal (or semi-normal) life again?  Okay, maybe it won't be normal.  Perhaps it is better to think about re-engaging in life with all of the lessons and tools we gained from this past Inner Cycle of 2020, in a new way.  Are we allowed to dare to believe things might be getting better in this world?  Maybe the answer is to reframe the question as a statement:  I see positive change around me each day, and by observing it, it grows, in perfect cycles and timing.