I jumped in straight at the deep end… from Brexit to the Catalan Referendum. It is a LONG process with an even longer HIStory behind it all… I want to share some positive lessons I learned.

2017 has been full of highs and lows! There have been many events this year that have stood out for me wheel being in Barcelona. From the highs of the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games to the drastic drop of the terrorist attacks…

I had a heavy heart for the last few weeks, I just couldn’t shake it off! The looming news of the 1st October Referendum was also thick in the air. As I always say in all my posts… in Barcelona, you feel/see everything. It felt like a strong repeat of the feelings I got when the results of the Brexit referendum came in. I remember the night before, there was terrible lightning storm that literally shook me out of bed and clouded the whole day of the results. My heart was feeling cloudy again.

Right now, my friends, the banks and many companies start to leave Catalonia – I was also feeling like maybe I needed a quieter place to live far away (again). After all, I came to Barcelona because I was looking to deepen my yogi lifestyle. As I have Spanish nationality (through my mother – Madrid, Bilbao, Burgos roots), my own family are now starting to ask me why I still want to be in Barcelona and not in Madrid with them… I won’t lie, the last few weeks have been confusing to me. This situation is personal when family get involved.

In this post, I want to share some general soul-full lessons that have strengthened my journey so far. I am a huge believer that all of these external factors are triggers that will bring out what we need *right now* in our life… There is a positive lesson in it all, somewhere!

These are just my personal reflections (they could change), I’m in no way saying it is the “right way” for anything. This is just me working things out here – Maybe you agree, maybe you don’t… it’s OK. Maybe someone reading this will be triggered into something also… This blog was made for being honest and authentic on my journey and sharing it. So, here we go!

Some Soul-Full life lessons I am learning right now…

🌟 We are each part of a long journey of our ancestors and those energy ties continues in politics too…

I remember one of my yoga teachers saying that we are each carrying the energy ties of 7 generations before and after us. Think about it for a second… this is powerful. It’s not just our physical bodies that contain our ancestral ties, but we also accumulate life lessons, social behaviour, the emotions, the environment etc… Each generation is part of cycles that continue. With this in mind, everything that happens  on a political level shapes us (and our past/present/future) too.

Let’s talk about the current Catalan Independence situation… Take a look at its history and maybe you can see/remember that it is not just an issue from today… it goes waaaaaaay back.

 

🌟 Identity, belonging and connection is in strong need everywhere now…

It’s not hard to see that we are now increasingly lacking a deep connection. The funny thing is that we have more choices to connect – for example: social media. Yet, more people are feeling isolated these days.

I often wonder if this is also one of the reasons why the global social trend showing up of “us Vs them” is starting to grow. Add to this other factors, like the growing distance between rich/poor, job insecurity, educational reforms and more. It can all make us feel isolated and in need of some form of connection. The lack of community and growing globalisation in today’s world is maybe one of the many factors why people hark back to the past where their country/culture/community were a certain way? Unfortunately, this does not always apply to the here and now. We can also often forget that those days had bad times too, rose-tinted glasses syndrome.

Being proud of who/where you come from does not mean you need to be divided or suppress another. Throughout history, this is another fear-full belief pattern that has caused many social problems.

Our identity is also very complex. In this case, being “Spanish” in nationality can mean that you also come from many regions, each with it’s own identity through regional food, music, culture, language etc. Spain also has it’s roots in many other parts of the world – like Africa (watch this trailer documentary for more information). 

Where we feel we belong and connect is also a very personal thing – It might not even have anything to do with our family roots. I have know many people  who felt “at home” in a country/culture that seemingly has nothing to do with their own background. It’s all very complex – and beautiful!

I ask my Self daily now: What makes me feel connected to joy? This is one of the reasons I try to consciously seek out inspiration every day, to feel connected to what really makes me feel joy in my heart. Ultimately, isn’t this what we are looking for? It’s something deep within. It’s not something we will find outside of our Self.

🌟 You can’t run away from the global patterns and cycles that are taking place…

Wow, was this a real lesson for me! I still hadn’t learned that moving away is not the answer. You can’t outrun your shadow Self or the global problems that we ALL face. My optimist Self thought that making a more permanent move to Barcelona would mean I didn’t have to deal with Brexit’s intensity in London – I saw how it was changing people and the things I used to love. This was not the only reason, it just happened to be a big synchronisation on the same week of my big move. Now, I’m slap bang into this Catalan Referendum business. It brought up a lot of my *stuff* (triggers) again. I was seriously thinking of moving away again – but where to run off to this time?

This is when it FINALLY hit me… You will find the same thing (in many forms) everywhere. You can’t keep hiding. This runs from a personal level to a wider reflection. Especially now, we can actually see how the patterns are the same around the world. This is not just in politics too – It is also in many other issues that affect our lives – For example: the environment (think of all the hurricanes this year!), the financial patterns etc. The chances are that if you think you are able to travel away from a problem to another location, I can guarantee you that you will most likely jump into another murky puddle. Even if you are a hermit in the middle of a forest, the energy right now is too strong! We are all affected. (Read my post – Why travel will not solve your problems)

🌟 Think about the long-term consequences to every choice…

How many people would change their choice in the referendums if they knew the long-term effects it has? How much information can we fully know when we make a choice at any given moment? How much information were we even given to start with?

It’s easy to jump right in without knowing the full facts or without looking at the long-term challenges that can come up – This goes with every choice we make in life in general. I am reminded that if I made a choice in the past (or now), I have to honour it and know that I did the best choice with the tools/info I had at that moment – And to also remember that everything is a series of events. Saying this, we all have the chance to take responsibility and change if needed, for something that will bring better results on a wider scale.

Fear is an easy trap. Is it me or does it feel more fear-full these days? The media do not help. Choices can be made through 2 routes – through fear or through love. Fear seems to be the easiest option most times.

🌟 Violence and big egos solve nothing…

We all saw it in the news on 1st October 2017. Yes, there were many violent acts against the people who wanted to vote and the police. It made my heart sink to see it.  Nothing more to add, violence is NEVER an answer.

Equally sad is how the politicians deal with things. This could be a HUGE opportunity! It always feels like they are more concerned with their image than the real needs of the people they are so-called representing. I can’t watch or take it anymore – how politicians are so engrossed in their own “vision” and egos that they can’t see that they are getting in the way of a real opportunity to change things… to release old cycles, old power-struggles, old dynamics that no longer apply today… to make a real difference.

More dialogue, leave the egos at the door please. Unfortunately in this situation,  it is taking big companies and banks to walk out of Catalonia for politicians involved to maybe take a step back and reflect… Does it always come down to money I wonder? Money in its essence form is not a negative thing at all (it is just a form of energy exchange) – but why must it seem to be the only reason people budge from their stubborn  corners?

🌟 Things do get better… Eventually.

I tell my Self this now. I am not going anywhere. I decided to stay here in Barcelona, through the thick of all of this mess. I’ve been through enough things in the past in other countries to know that transformation can happen, especially through any deep crisis. I love Barcelona, I love Catalonia and Catalan culture – I don’t see why I should choose to go.

In a strange way, we are where we are in this world for a reason too. I have been coming across so many Mind-Body-Soul inspirations again recently reminding me that each of us is exactly where we need to be right now, in the bigger picture of things.

I also like to remind my Self that there is a larger balancing scale taking place. With the focus being on so much negativity in the world, there is something amazing happening to counteract it with positive. This is the time I am choosing to get involved with more of the projects and people who are doing wonderful things out there. Barcelona (and Catalonia) has many beautiful things going on, despite all the negative press it has been getting lately.

I want to leave this post (for now) with reflection questions: How are you pro-actively making a positive change in your daily life? How is that contributing to a more positive wider picture? This is where we take our yoga off the mat and into the world, with all the highs/lows and crazy things that come along the way.

SAT NAM ❤️