Thriving Amid Swine Flu and Other Perils

One of my teachers says that from a shamanic perspective, there isn't so much difference between cancer, swine flu, traffic accidents or being eaten by a jaguar when it comes to danger in the world. While the western world categorizes illnesses with different preventive strategies, the shamanic perspective looks to right alignment.

When you are in right alignment, the universe will conspire on your behalf. When you track and follow a destiny in which you thrive, you are profoundly protected from all harm, from the smallest virus to the largest predators. It's a different perspective and a truth that can be held along side the truths you may glean from statistics. If understanding the science and research makes you feel safe and empowered, wonderful! Keep using it. But if you find that listening to the media talk about swine flu or the latest cancer or murder statistics stirs up feelings of vulnerability and fear, I invite you to consider looking at things from a shamanic perspective.

Instead of following the latest news, consider doing something to increase your right alignment and right relationship to the world. This alignment could be thought of as living in a state of grace and harmony with the world around you: with your conscious mind, the unconscious mind, your soul and its plan, as well as with the divine. Find ways to honor the sacredness of yourself and everything around you.

This could take the form of eating something that nourishes your body or allowing yourself some extra sleep. It could be a spiritual practice such as meditation or an act of service for the world around you- be it recycling or a charitable donation.

My guides specifically suggested finding an experience in your life that you are holding tension around. When you think of work or a relationship or a current situation, does your body tense up? If so, give yourself a few minutes to hold that stressful experience in your mind and breathe into it. Tune into your body and consciously relax your muscles while thinking about the experience. You may find that as your attention wanders or you feel the emotion of the situation, your body tenses up again or you stop fully breathing. Just come back to the breath and ask your body to relax. Ask your guides, angels or your higher self to send energy to the highest and best outcome of the situation and to clear away any wounds from the past that are causing additional pain in these circumstances. Stay with this as long as feels appropriate. For some, 15 seconds may be the limit. Others may be able to breathe into something for 15 minutes. The trick isn't so much to stay with it for a long time, but to come back to it again and again.

Each time you do this exercise or one of the other things mentioned, you bring yourself further into right alignment. This creates strong protection from illness, injury and misfortune, in other words: cancer, swine flu, car accidents, burglaries, and jaguars.

- Katie Weatherup