Image courtesy of “Planet With Stars” by artist xedos4. From http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Whew! What a difference 24 hours makes! Saturday, I was fired up, disgusted, and angry at yet another Trump rant, and ready to fight. Today, I am choosing to embody love, light, and forgiveness – because radical, unapologetic, unrelenting love is what will transform everything that needs to change.

We celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life today and I realized that we all have inherited the radical love and light he possessed. We sometimes forget this beautiful inheritance, when we see an out picturing of hate coming our way or when we, ourselves are acting out. But, as Dr. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

If I want things to change, things cannot change with the same energy that it already is. It has to change from the opposite of what it embodies. In this case, when someone is acting like an ass, I need not act an ass along with them. I show them the love that I wish to see and be.

What brought on this change? Two things – exhaustion and my loving Healing Reike Circle. I was mentally exhausted from all the news reports of a certain president elect acting un-presidential – yet again. All of this negative energy caused me to forget my own inheritance of peace and love. I was frustrated, hurt and felt like I was trapped in a country that is hell-bent on self-destructing.

Reike is a healing modality that combines beautiful intention, love, and healing hands to another. Each person gets a turn at having loving, healing hands sending healing love energy and the person on the table gets a chance to receive love. In giving love to my healing circle friends, I realized that just as I can give love to these lovely people, I can give love to others who may not like me or agree with my views. Love will boomerang back to me, because that is the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction (like attracts like). What I put out into the world will boomerang back to me and what is attracted to me.

Here are a few tips on being the light and love of the world:

• Before responding to a negativity, ask yourself if this is even worthy of your energy. If it is, then ask how can love be infused into the situation.
• Pray for (or meditate on) the person or situation that is causing angst in your heart and life. The power of prayer transforms from near and far, and moves hearts closer.
• Remember and hold the vision of a peaceful, cooperative, and loving world. You may not be able to do this in the heat of the moment of a debate or rant, but when you have a chance (each day), take some time to envision all that you want to experience. We spend so much time focusing on what we don’t want, that little time or energy is directed towards what we actually do want.

By no means am I condoning suppressing your beliefs to make someone else feel more comfortable or less threatened by different views. But, I am saying to take a moment to ask yourself if you could benefit from hearing someone else’s point of view or at least empathize from where they are coming from. Perhaps once they feel they are heard, they will then be ready to listen. The only way we can move forward is through MUTUAL respect.

No matter what, we still have to keep our inheritance of peace and love close and near, especially because that’s what most of want to have in our experience. Brotherly, universal love was here before the election, and it will be here well beyond four years. We cannot lose sight of the big picture, based on others’ immaturity and ill-will. Even when we have to navigate into and through the negativity, we should remember our birthright and not be so fast to toss our love aside when it is that very thing that will save us all.  Our aim should always be to fly through and above the negativity, not to wallow and roll around in it.

I will try to follow my own advice, especially next time I see or hear something that is not in alignment with what I want to experience. I will ask – how can I be the love and light in this situation?

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley