The Great Mother in the Moon cares a lot about people’s safety and well-being.  She notices the desperation and terror running through the collective field. There are so many people who need our help right now. You can do something about it–for yourself and others. You can comfort yourself—and help to steady those in danger—using a simple breathing practice from the Tibetan Buddhists: tonglen.  It’s compassionate and transformative.  I love this practice so much, it’s been part of the Mooncircles full moon rituals for over twenty years.

Tonglen’s technique is powerful because it leverages the divine energy—prana—that rides on your breath and pours through your personal energy field.  Conscious breathing can strengthen and amplify this healing force.  You can then use it as a spectacular positive weapon. You can send pranic goodwill out into the collective field.

Tonglen is simple to do.  First let images of the tragedies you’ve recently seen in the news come to mind. As you do this, open your heart and inhale the emotions that are naturally arising,  sorrow and fear. Don’t think about this. Don’t cling to it. Just hold the emotions as a balloon holds air. In this light state, between inhale and exhale, you can then gently turn the energy–so that you exhale calm and peace.

Inhale terror, exhale peace.  Inhale the shivering cold, exhale the warmth of a safe place.  Inhale thirst and hunger; exhale water and a delicious hot meal.  Sometimes the idea of inhaling negativity freaks people out. If your head is buzzing and your nervous system is on high alert, this may not be the right practice for you. But I encourage you to give it a try. The very word “e-motion” suggests movement, energy-in-motion. Feelings are designed to move.  When your mind isn’t clinging to them with opinions and old stories, difficult feelings are easy to replace with better ones. Notice how quickly feelings can come and go when you’re not thinking about them.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” –Fred Rogers

It’s easy to feel helpless during times of great crisis.  But you don’t have to.  Shift your thoughts in the opposite direction. Toward the helpers.  Affirm your connection to the millions of helpers in the Great Mother’s army.  Open your eyes and heart to the fear, terror, sorrow and anger of the victims—inhale this.  Hold it lightly in your system as a balloon holds air. “I hear you–I feel you–I receive you,” this says. Then gently turn this dark cloud of emotion into the opposite direction.  Exhale your blessings.  “I exhale light. I exhale the safety, peace, abundance, and the good health that I currently enjoy.” In times of world crisis, don’t feel guilty about your blessings. Use them energetically to comfort those in need.

 

Gaze at the child’s face in this photo.  You’ll notice one of the many secrets you learn on the road to emotional mastery. Humans can host two different feelings at once. Here, the child is feeling sad and comforted. Eventually the child will go all the way to comfort and wriggle out of her mother’s arms.

Again, emotions are made to move.  And you have the tools that can move them. First send breath into your sorrow—receiving it, as a mother receives the vulnerability of her child. This willingness to witness and receive what’s difficult is important. You have to receive the energy before you can shift it to a more positive state.  Then you can transform yourself into someone who feels comforted, loved, at peace.  And you can send this out to those in need.

This is a technique you can use throughout your life.  Welcome your difficult emotions, your sorrow, anger, or helplessness … then start blending in more positive feelings: happiness, strength, peace. The memory of all good feelings exists inside you. You don’t need to know the details. Just pull an imagined comfort into your sorrow. Mingle the two.

You can do this no matter how crappy your childhood. That’s because everyone has access to the Great Mother. She’s got the broadest shoulders in the world. Bless her on this difficult Virgo Full Moon.

 

How does the Great Mother express herself through you?  You’ll find her in the Moon in your chart.  You can learn more about her in my best-selling Moonprints report. Order here.