Lessons from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
OH MY GOD.
The countdown to the solstice is on, and the energies are unrelenting. I am just coming up for air after Hurricane Sandy here in Brooklyn, NY (It’s 11/11/12 as I write). Luckily, I suffered no damage, no power outages and no flooding. I was so lucky, not everyone was.
We are now settling into the long term damage the hurricane has created. Relief efforts have been phenomenal, both on the grass roots level and on the government level. New Yorkers don’t miss a beat when it comes to doing what needs to be done quickly and efficiently. Our city has been through a few major traumatic events in the last 15 years, and I can proudly say we have learned and are all working together. Still it is never enough when you are the one with a burned down or flooded house. Our efforts will need to continue well into the winter and beyond.
As an empath, I can tell you, being in the energy of New York City in the aftermath of a hurricane is completely crazy. Between the damage, the flooded subways, the unavailability of gas and the pre-election tension, the astral chaos and anxiety was at an all time high. I have done a lot of work on boundaries and inner strengthening, but I have my limits. I have been through many hurricanes without blinking, but this hurricane was hard on me. Deep existential terror arose, kicking up feelings that I had not experienced in years. I simply could not settle in and ground or feel safe, and the lockdown in the city did not help. In these situations you want to be able to flee, and in fact, that was very difficult to do. No, I had to sit in my uncontrollable fear as I went shopping for canned goods to donate.
Six days after the storm, I had to teach a psychic empowerment class (of course that would be the class I was teaching during what is arguably the biggest psychic mess I have ever experienced). I called in the directions before hand to set up sacred space. What usually takes me a few minutes, turned into a lengthy ordeal because the etheric grids were in a disarray, and the directions simply were not coming into place. It took some time of repairing the grids in my office for the directions to “lock in.”
I noticed that the majority of the students in the class were experiencing some symptom of existential terror, whether they were in the Northeast or not. So, I learned something that night….
Natural disasters bring up your stuff
Big time. We all have habitual defenses that will be exaggerated during a natural disaster. So if you have a fear of abandonment, it will be multiplied. If your tendency is to disconnect from painful emotions, you may do that to the extreme and upset the people around you. If you have a savior complex, you will be a hero and everyone will want to be around you! If your life doesn’t have the support in it that you desire, it will be obvious during these times. Learn from that and become active in creating a life surrounded by loving care. We all need strong community and love in our lives, take the time to foster that. Gather together with your families and communities and discuss how you want to move forward, should this or anything like this happen again. Reach out to those who have gone through it, every phone call means a lot.
You don’t have to have gone through a natural disaster in a big city to feel the chaotic energies of this time and existential terror it can create. So many are being knocked out of their comfort zone over and over to transform rapidly. Hang in there! If you are sensitive and empathic, you may recognize yourself on these handy lists I put together to help you through the fear.
What does existential terror look like in a natural disaster?
- Feeling helpless to do anything
- Feeling terrified of being along
- Feeling panic in general
- Losing sight of your life path and purpose
- Disconnecting from everyone
- Being scattered and unable to focus
- Feeling powerless
- Feeling like you “don’t exist” (my personal favorite)
- Feeling trapped
- Not having any sense of the future
- Feeling like you are falling through a black abyss
- Unable to handle the pain of others
What are some things you can do to alleviate this?
- Being held. Physical contact helps to soothe the nervous system
- Quality time with loved ones. Feeling like you belong and are taken care of is essential.
- Spending time on the land connecting with nature
- Meditating and taking extra time to get spiritual and emotional support
- Doing whatever you need to do to feel safe
- Being gentle with yourself, taking the time (if you can) to give yourself the healing response.
- Getting active: helping, serving, donating
- PARTY! Blow off some steam and dance all night
- Being patient, it will pass and you will feel better
- Learn from the experience what you need and honor that
THE OTHER SIDE
After I did all those things on that list, I knew I needed to go upstate into nature. Almost as soon as I thought it, the perfect situation arrived. When I was able to get gas, I immediately drove to Woodstock to relax into the land and into the care of my wonderful hosts. With the woodstove burning, and glasses of wine in hand, we completely let go and toasted to our reproductive rights as Obama claimed victory. I felt a relief I can’t even describe.
So what is the other side of existential terror? Why, it is claiming full embodiment once again! It’s receiving more of your spiritual self so that it can be used as a gift in the physical plane! I found that with half of my energy out of my body, frightened to death, I had an opportunity. After relaxing enough into the land, and reconnecting to the core of the earth, I called myself back in, but I came back new and improved. More information and energy about my life path came downloading in. My Woodstock friends and I rejoiced in our common vision for what the land up there has to offer, and what we want to offer through it. I realized a dream I had been dreaming alone for many years was being co-dreamed by soul family, right on that land.
One of the best things about getting older is learning how to take life step by step. This particular step was magical, rich and loving. As I gave healings from their little detached studio, with the pine trees and the wind singing around me, my li;elong dream of living and working in Woodstock was unfolding effortlessly before my very eyes. My soul was smiling as more of my spirit was present for such beauty and knowing.
When I returned to Brooklyn, not only was I restored, I also knew that I was right on track for the shift. The roadmap to the next chapter of my life was being built, and I was delighting in the unfolding. The hurricane blew my soul open, revealing a deeper need to connect into the land and live my purpose fully. The downloads and activations continued for days.
2012 has so far delivered in her promise to transform the crap out of us. Hold on to your horses, your hearts, and your sanity, she ain’t done yet.
Donations for Sandy victims
If you feel called, I highly recommend donating to Occupy Sandy NYC. The occupy movement has evolved into a community building and sustaining effort. They are on the ground without the red tape and in touch with local relief efforts. They have simply been amazing. People are not thinking about whether or not they should volunteer, we all know that’s just what we need to do. Your money is being put to good use here.
CC Treadway
Lives in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more about CC and the Treadway Esoteric curriculum, please visit www.treadwayesoteric.com