The Day After: Processing Shock And Despair

A personal reflection on processing difficult emotions and finding release through a gentle guided meditation and music. May it support your own inner work, encourage growth along spiritual lines, and help you recognize the possibility of learning and transformation on the other side of suffering. – Paul

Transcript

Let's start with a nice deep breath in.

Give yourself over completely to each breath in and the releasing that comes on the exhale.

Come into the presence.

Each of us is on our own hero's journey.

This journey of life is a road of trials.

With the events that have unfolded politically in this country,

Many of us are being called on to practice what we preach.

The temptation to go to judgment,

To create separation,

Is very challenging.

For me there is a quality of death and resurrection about this time.

The person I was two days ago is no longer here and one of the emotions I'm experiencing is grief.

But I've been around long enough to know that the passing of this former self has opened up the space for a more evolved version of me.

So let's together get centered.

Come back to this moment by taking a deep breath.

Allow spirit to ride in on each breath.

With each breath we release the thoughts that create upset,

That paint a picture of catastrophe and disaster.

Thoughts that are fear-based,

Thoughts that are future events appearing real.

So,

For many millions of us today there is pain.

Deep feelings of upset and I do not intend this to be a spiritual bypass.

It's important to feel the feelings.

So I invite you to come into your body and just notice where the upset resides.

With each breath the energy that is spirit,

The energy that is love,

Comes into your body and goes to that place where you're feeling what you're feeling.

And it cradles that space in a cocoon of love and it gives you permission to simply feel.

Leave the future to the future and come into this moment right now.

It's right there in the next breath.

It's all okay.

It's all right there.

Each breath brings you into alignment with the energy that created you.

Which is beyond any kind of institution,

Organization,

Gathering of people.

The energy coming into you on one breath,

Right now,

Says it's all okay.

Feel the gratitude in your next breath.

What is one thing that you are grateful for?

What are the blessings in your life right now?

Your awareness sets you apart from the majority of the people on this planet who are living moment to moment,

Day to day,

In a state of unconsciousness.

Your awareness,

Your higher consciousness is a gift and is the doorway to your purpose on the planet.

And over and over and over again in life,

We come into a deeper awareness of our purpose when things change.

And it's so easy to be pulled down into the madness,

At the heart of conflict,

Pain and suffering.

It's so easy to go there.

But you've been gifted with awareness.

In this moment,

Begin to move into acceptance.

Remember the voice of acceptance is okay,

So this has happened.

You may have had an expectation of the future,

A turn of events that have not played out.

The danger in expectation is a sense that we know what is right,

We know what should be,

And when the expectation is not met and our vision falls apart,

It's very easy to catastrophize,

To create a picture of the future that is bleak.

I'd like to invite you to follow along in this visualization.

And you may actually want to do this later on.

Imagine that you are writing down on a pad of paper every toxic thought,

Every crippling feeling,

Every judgment that is disturbing your peace today.

Imagine it being a purging of limitations,

Toxicity within you.

And now imagine taking those pieces of paper out doors and setting fire to them.

And you watch the paper transform into thin flakes of carbon that crumble,

Fall to the ground.

Some of them float up into the sky and are carried away by the wind.

And you breathe deeply,

Turn to your higher power and say,

Okay,

I am handing over to you all that stands in the way of my moving forward,

Of my being a healing force on the planet.

And now I am opening up to you for further instruction.

How can I put forward my talents and my skills,

My sensitivity,

My awareness to do thy will?

I am not going to succumb to the fog of judgment because I know better.

There is important work to be done.

There are problems to be solved.

I know that hanging out in the consciousness of victim,

Attempting to control people,

Staying angry and resentful will only further the problem.

And instead I choose to hang out in the consciousness of creativity.

What is my role going forward in leaving the planet a better place?

Why my gifts,

My skills,

My experience?

What is the loving choice today?

And it is absolutely essential that any loving choices,

Any loving actions start within.

So,

How can I up-level my self-care?

How can I make more real my demonstrations of self-love?

What do I need to let go of?

What do I need to acquire?

If you are having a dark night of the soul,

If you are having a death,

Rebirth episode,

Take comfort in the possibility,

The very likely possibility,

That you are right on track.

Death and rebirth is a common theme in myth and spiritual tradition.

And symbolizes the evolution of consciousness.

Symbolizes the letting go of the version of me that brought me to this point,

But now must yield to a more aware version of me.

A wise person recently shared his favorite prayer with me.

It's really simple.

Two words.

Show me.

Evolving into higher consciousness is not for the faint of heart.

It's difficult.

I became aware of this metaphor recently.

A beautiful expression that went something like.

In life,

The bottom,

The depths of experience often turns out to be God's ceiling.

So I want you to acknowledge that school is in session.

That you have been given an opportunity to evolve.

To put into practice your wisdom and your experience.

To be the change you want to see.

One day at a time.

God bless you.

Reviews

Thank you. Listened to this for the first time on 8/17/25. This was a beacon of hope in a dark dark time.

Thank you. Was exactly what I needed. Thank you. Thank you.

This was helpful when I was having trouble falling asleep because of ruminations about living in the boost election US. I will be returning to it.

Thank you for this. I really needed after this week - 1/25/25.

Thank you; very helpful this morning, January 20, 2025. Live just a few miles from the Capitol Building and White House in Washington DC, and the vibes in the air are unsettling.

Thank you so much for this. As January 20th approaches I have been feeling so much anxiety and fear. It was nice to have my feelings be validated and know that I’m not alone, but then know that I have a role to play.

Thank you for this. Much needed this morning after the event in New Orleans, my birthplace, on New Year's Day 2025. Go forth in peace and grace, beautiful Souls 💞😇

Thank you for this, Paul. When the title and author of this meditation showed up in my feed this early morning, I immediately thought of the myriad of emotions following the election. As I listened to your soothing voice and accompanying words, I moved from wishing I'd heard this during my many "dark nights of the soul" following that dark day in November, to realizing that seeing this now, on the cusp of a new year, which also happens to be another year and decade older for me, is the perfect time. Blessings to you, Paul, for being here as we continue our journey, walking each other home.

🌿I've been searching for exactly this, Paul. Thank you 🌿

Thank you so much for this beautiful reflection. It's just what I needed this morning, made me weep. Going to listen to it many times. This really summarizes my experience and my quest.

I woke up to a dream where I was standing in the midst of utter devastation all around me. I am most deeply grateful for your prayer “God, show me”. God bless you 🙏🏻

Thank you 🙏🏼 It’s taken me almost 3 weeks to even be able to hear this message. So grateful for it. I’m going to send it to a few people I know would appreciate it right now. I needed this 💞

Yes, Paul, exactly This, And my first several days post-election blues hit all those stages of grief and anger...and acceptance doesn't mean agreement. It also doesn't mean I have to rub salt in my wounds by catastrophizing future events and let hatred fester my resolve. Self-care and honey for my wounds is what will restore me. A Soldier of Peace, in the Army of Love (Timber Hawkeye).
Do look at photos of the Lion of Lucerne, a memorial statue to honor the fallen of the Swiss Guard. He is mortally wounded and his face shows all the pain and anguish he endured. Heroes aren't made on Easy Street. And we can predict a bumpy road ahead. But right here... I am safe and healing; regaining strength and reevaluating the route to higher vibrations.
Be not afraid, eh? Thanks Paul.
Peace and Love,
Patty 🌻

So needed! Thank you Paul for addressing the elephant in the room. Time to walk my talk. Together and alone, connected to the good stuff I/we are here. Already I have experienced many times where I needed to be silent, and was. Where I wanted to post, but didn’t. Instead I breathed, I gave myself space, I walked away. We know how to do this and it seems like now, we must. And I have to trust that this is for us really. It’s like I just skipped several grades and was put into a Masters Class in awareness, patience, mindfulness, prayer, conscious & respectful self talk and self care & love, one day at a time, all day-everyday.
“When the student is ready the teacher will come” has taken on a whole new meaning.

This wasn’t even about the election for me but it was such a balm in one of the hardest periods of my life. Thank you 🙏🏾

Thank you for these meditative thoughts. I am discouraged, but willing to do my best to release fear and resentment, and to be kind and loving as much as possible.