I don’t know for sure how the last few weeks have been for you, but if my conversations with Shaumbra the last few days are indicative, it has not been the easiest of times – to say the least. We have been dealing with family dramas, internal traumas, chaotic energies and waves of doubt, and it hasn’t always been pretty. Adamus was right when he called it a “crazy week.”

But what I noticed was that even though the energies were crazy on a global scale, each person who reported “a week from hell” went through some really personal and specific stuff. In other words, instead of just feeling a general sense of “crazy energies” we went deep into our own issues. And actually, I think that’s pretty cool – even though it wasn’t very fun.

I like analogies, how about this one? Being Shaumbra is like being on the ocean and finding out that you are responsible for the boat you’re sailing in. Instead of being adrift, at the mercy of tides and storms and icebergs and sharks and some unknown ship captain, we are taking the helms of our own ships and learning how to navigate through life in a whole different way.

But then along comes a raging storm, like we’ve had recently, and what do we do? Instead of pulling in the sails, hunkering down and riding it out, we open up and let the howling winds actually serve us.

You see, each of us knows, somewhere deep inside, exactly what our next step is, what the best route for us is and how to follow our own charts. We know what issues and layers we’re ready to unravel, what aspects are ready to integrate and how to move through it all. So instead of hiding when a consciousness storm starts blowing, we use it to our advantage. We turn our sails, grab the rudder, and allow the storm to blow us in the direction we need to go. Yes, it stirs up our own issues – stuff from this lifetime, stuff from other lifetimes, beliefs that aren’t working any longer, aspects that need to come home (storms can bring up some pretty nasty ones), and all sorts of other opportunities to choose compassion for ourselves.

It can be hard, thinking we’ve steered ourselves right into a mess, wondering why we can’t see the light of day in any direction. But that’s the time to breathe, trust the You that’s running the show, and remember – it’s just a passing storm. It’s not about you, even though you’re allowing it to serve you by doing a bit of personal house cleaning.

Love yourself for the issues that come up. Respect yourself for the challenges you handle. Hug yourself when it seems like you’ve made a mess of things (have you ever cleaned out a closet? It always gets messy before it gets clean). Breathe when you’re tipping into overwhelm. And remember – you are not alone. Even if you can’t see them, there’s a whole flotilla of our boats, riding through the storm together. We’re each dealing with the personal challenges it brings, each manning our own boat, but we’re in it together. And when the sun comes out again, you’ll be in a whole new place, full of a new clarity inside you, stronger for what you’ve weathered and wiser for it all.

Look at it this way, Shaumbra. We have already gotten through so much in this lifetime of intense change. What’s a little more? We’ve honed our skills – breathing, trusting, allowing, loving ourselves – and now those skills are needed more than ever.A new challenge doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’re now a master seaman who’s able to handle the biggest storms life can throw at you. And when others see that your personal boat hasn’t capsized, they’re going to want to know how to do it too.

They will feel your Shaumbra heart and marvel at your courage, and you’ll just grin and say, “What a ride!!”