Spiritual Holding in the Unfolding Now

Dear Friends,

Today, I pray you are serene amidst the chaos, the news, the hardships that so many are feeling around the globe. My heart goes out to those who are living in deeply difficult situations. My love is sent especially to India, as social distancing is a total privilege there, and in other developing nations.

Someone posted a “joke” on social media the other day wherein Indian police were beating young men (wearing masks) with lathi sticks as they were not “at home.” The truth is, where is home for many of the poor? The person posting the video clip thought it was hilarious, a slapstick approach of what we could (jokingly) do in the U.S. to get folks to mind shelter-in-place. I refrained from commenting, though it made me feel very sad. It is not a joke.

I have also had several dreams the past week about persons in underprivileged or marginalized peoples in the U.S., specifically Latinx and African-American communities. I also am seeing in the dreamtime the impact of overly crowded conditions in the urban poor, as well as the rise of domestic violence. These dreams feel more like visions. I am being shown the pain in the collective - a canary in the coal mine as a channel and empath.

I am deeply aware that I have incredible privilege to be comfortable in a safe and warm home at this time. I have a bank card to order things I need online. I work from home. I am a healthy, educated, able-bodied White female; I even have a car, a smartphone and computer, and plenty of food.

Me and my friend Anita outside my hut, South India (2007)

I’ve also spent several years living out of a backpack among the poorer folks in India, so I know what it means to live in a hut and have very few possessions, though even at that time, I was privileged enough for that to have been a “choice” on my “spiritual journey” of monastic living. So I am used to living without comforts. I have been blessed, and for this I give thanks every single day of my life.

It wasn’t always this way. I grew up poor, on welfare, raised by a single mother in a rural county in a tiny “hamlet” in the remote High Sierra. I know what it means to depend on government programs. And to be scared. To not have food around. Frightened, and lost. Especially when the parents don’t know what is going on either.

Because of intense suffering in my personal history, I was brought to my knees in my 20’s, and again in my 30’s, culminating in an insatiable desire for awakening – the ultimate end of suffering. Realization of What Is, or “enlightenment,” does not bring an end to pain, or grief, or anger. However, there is a peace that permeates and transcends all states and conditions, which are temporary.

I know that this pandemic is temporary. I know that much of this world will go back to “normal” and there will be folks that maintain their old patterns, and desires and cravings and attachments. Yet, I also know that there is incredible opportunity now for a person to be free. To awaken to the truth of who we are – that we are Life Itself Unfolding. Keep in mind that word root "pan" (as in pandemic) comes from the Greek meaning all, every, all-inclusive and whole. Let us realize our wholeness, our true nature, now.

My work as an intuitive consultant and spiritual therapist is to guide others in this understanding. To in fact provide unconditional “holding.” This Presence, transmitted, is the ultimate attachment figure. It is never not here. No matter what conditions are showing themselves in the world, no matter what the horrors. No matter what the bank account says, the body does, the world manifests as – this unshakeable peace is available in you, as you – for it IS you.

If you are in need of this holding, I would be happy to hear from you. I help others to stabilize in embodied understanding – the Peace in the Unfolding Now. Present time is the only space that you have, and everything springs forth from this space. In you, as you. With this realization, limited space during a shelter-in-place is no limitation at all. For Everything is Here. Always. 

May you be at peace, unconditionally.

All my love,

Erin

Satsang Talks and Retreats

I've been offering satsang talks to help alleviate suffering. Lately, the theme has been surrounding the theme of "Peace in Times of Fear and Confusion," as well as The Unfolding Now. This is an unprecedented moment in time to drop into the Present, and discover the ultimate supportive resource of unlimited Being.  Curious? You can click here to listen to the last three talks.

Please RSVP to me here if you wish to join future satsangs. The talks are free; a donation of $15 to $20 is always welcome.

Such talks and meetings are called "satsang," which means "a spiritual discourse or sacred gathering." In Sanskrit, sat means "true essence, or nature" and sang means community or gathering. There is something powerful about gathering together in this manner, witnessing others' inquiries, and receiving transmission of wisdom in a safe, open space where the focus is on true freedom.

I'll be offering more satsang talks and retreats in the future; we just had our first online retreat last weekend ("Freedom in the NOW"). I was very pleased with the way it worked out on Zoom after all!

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary intuitive, spiritual counselor, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a spiritual counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering.