A Hole or a Door–Which Will You Choose?

Recently, this quote came to me at just the right moment.  It’s been circulating on the internet for a while and I couldn’t find out whether it is correctly being attributed to Chief White Eagle from the Hopi Nation but no matter who said it, it’s a good way to look at life at any time and especially now. 

The words struck me as very true—to remember our joy as a means of resiliency.  Decide what to pay attention to.  You have the choice.  Don’t let the dings and likes make the choice for you.  All of our emotional, physical, and mental efforts are really spiritual efforts.  Treat them like they are sacred.  Don’t forget the joy, love and play!

“This moment that humanity is currently experiencing can be considered as a door or a hole. The decision to fall into the hole or go through the door is yours. If you consume information 24 hours a day, with negative energy, constantly nervous, with pessimism, you will fall into this hole.

But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, to rethink life and death, to take care of yourself and others, then you will pass through the door.

Take care of your home, take care of your body. Connect with your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself, you take care of everyone else at the same time.

Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Take the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader view. There is a social demand in this crisis, but also a spiritual demand. The two go hand in hand.

Without the social dimension, we fall into fanaticism. Without the spiritual dimension, we fall into pessimism and futility.

You are ready to get through this crisis. Take your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal.

Learn resilience from the example of the Indian and African peoples: we have been and are still being exterminated. But we never stopped singing, dancing, lighting fires and having joy.

Don’t feel guilty for feeling lucky during these difficult times. Being sad or angry doesn’t help at all. Resistance is resistance through joy!

You have the right to be strong and positive. And there is no other way to do that than to maintain a beautiful, joyful, and bright posture.

This has nothing to do with alienation (not knowing the world). It is a strategy of resistance.

When we walk through the door, we have a new worldview because we have faced our fears and difficulties. That’s all you can do now:

– Serenity in the storm

– Stay calm, pray daily

– Make it a habit to encounter the sacred daily.

– Show resilience through art, joy, trust and love.”

          In a time that seems to more challenging than other times, I am reminded by our elders to take the long view—or the view of the eagle and look at the whole, long view of life and history.  Evolution and growth are not in a straight line.  Sometimes it’s so painful it takes your breath away.  When you start to breathe again, make sure you sing, and dance, and play so that you are still moving through the doors. 

          A quote from a teacher named Maya Shetreat says “What you are not changing, you are choosing.” Which will you choose—the hole or the door?

          If you need help learning a new way, reach out to a trusted loved one or helping professional.  You are not alone and help is within arm’s reach.  You can start all by yourself elevating your joy by getting out in nature.  Joy rising is the way forward. 

          If you need some help with raising your joy and finding your F.U.N. (Fundamental Universal Needs), I can be reached at jteleia@gmail.com for counseling or coaching. 

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