As many of you know, our family has been facing extreme adversity in the last few weeks. As if all of 2020 has not been enough to deal with, now we have election-fueled hatred of entire groups of people reaching all-new levels. I find myself cringing when people say that 2021 can’t possibly be worse (tee hee).
Adversity is a noun which has been part of the English language for more than 800 years. The work originates from the Latin adversus, literally turned against and figuratively hostile or unfavorable. When things seem against you with current circumstances or a sudden stroke of bad luck, you are facing adversity. Sometimes people use a common phrase, which describes turning adversity into opportunity, to help with the hardships. This saying refers to the ability some people or companies have to turn an unpleasant situation into a successful one. In other words, taking the sour taste of lemons and working to bring the sweetness out of the fruit.
As a musician, I often find that my most creative songs emerge during times of great adversity. Out of hardship came an entire genre of music called the Blues. Country music is filled with songs with themes of adversity. There must be a link between adversity and creativity. I need whispers on the subject of adversity to help find new music, direction, and purpose:
The energy of a trauma, adversity, and difficult situations can be transformed. A big part of the challenge with any transformational process depends of the condition that occurs in early development. Children are observers even when they appear to be focused on something else. They tune in with the energy and the frequencies of their environment to sense and feel transformation. Experiencing an adverse reaction being transmuted by a creative response teaches the child a valuable life lesson.
Having a psychological advantage when facing struggles and hardships determines an individual’s ability to thrive. Adversity during incarnation is a vital aspect to the process of growth through soul-testing experiences. Being chosen for the incarnation process is a lot like winning the lottery. Those who express a desire to de done with this life and all future lives must understand the value, purpose, and extreme rarity that brought them here.
Forced positive thinking supported by spiritual bypassing does not fully teach ways to cope with adversity. Expressing true positivity must come from all dimensions, not just the mental. By the time you reach mid-life, reacting to misfortune will be part of your DNA, not your destiny. Overcoming adversity cannot emerge from a defeated spirit. Instead, it comes from mental, physical, and spiritual reactions to the trauma everyone will face.
If you push away the pain and suffering, you will never understand the process. You must learn to face adversity to know how to react with understanding. Feel every emotion in a difficulty, then channel those emotional energies through faith and a greater vision of the big picture. It is there you find God in the flesh, creativity, a love for life that is bigger than adversity, and a purpose that helps you pivot away from trauma and challenges life holds. Lift your heart, and your mind and spirit will follow you on the journey back to the Light.
Bring joy, ease suffering and create beauty, then dance like you mean it!
Blessings, Russell
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
Haruki Murakami
