We know why.
We don't have to suffer, and yet we do. If at all possible, we do it in a group. En masse. It's a way of letting the feeling of standing alone dissolve for a while into a group of fellow sufferers. It justifies our suffering. It's the same for everyone else. So the suffering must surely be legitimate. The arguments are ready and clear. We know why we are in pain. Or so we think. Suffering takes us by surprise. The cause can lie anywhere, in people and in situations. We are quick to point the finger at it and, depending on the circumstances, we clench a fist or overstep the bounds of decent behaviour to free ourselves from the pain.
The anniversary of the coronavirus measures that came into force last March makes me pause for a moment to reflect on suffering in general and on the suffering families are going through now. Being seriously ill and seeing loved ones pass away are painful life situations. Losing your income is no laughing matter. There is no reason whatsoever to deny that.
As if it were already Easter.
The psychological and emotional effects of the measures, felt by young and old alike, are going through the proverbial roof. The alarm bells are ringing so often you would think it was already Easter. There is a shortage of help. What do you mean, there is a shortage of help? It depends on how you look at it. Through the established channels, the help on offer may fall short, but there are other routes too. Criticised by the established channels? Less well known? Less used? Less popular? But effective nonetheless.
Boils spoil the pretty façade.
The boils of exhaustion, depression, burnout, violence, abuse and suicidal tendencies have been there for a long time. Until now we could still hide them behind a pretty façade and a few pills, but the prickling pressure of the virus's little spikes is relentless. The boils have to burst. The pus has to come out. The wounds have to be rinsed clean. People have to become whole so that they can live. Truly live. Live with soul.
The fear technique
Fear is a formidable ally of the measures. Fear is centuries old. The history books are full of stories in which fear sweeps through civilisations and plunges large groups of people into physical and emotional slavery, wipes them out or leaves them decimated by disease. Many of us have a little fear button that you only need to point at to set it off. This technique has been used a great deal over the past year. Successfully, but fortunately not with everyone.
A range of new buttons
Every time we dare to look and step beyond the line of fear, we come across something entirely different. At first it takes our breath away, because we are not used to crossing that line. Then a whole range of buttons appears, still as good as new because we don't use them enough. A new landscape of life opens up, with possibilities that lift us and give us a new drive. We discover how to make use of our self-worth and self-confidence, and how to put our awareness to work for insights and actions that make us feel better. We learn to perceive and think from within ourselves, so that we can tell truth from untruth without having it spelt out for us. The boils become spots until, as after puberty, they give way to smooth skin again. You feel healed, stronger, equal to whatever comes your way. A new zest for life carries you along. You realise that what has happened over the past year has not happened by chance. There is a purpose behind it. You no longer need to believe it because someone tells you so. Every one of your cells sings it.
The virus speaks a language of its own.
When we were given a little more freedom last summer and I was able to continue my year-long training for family constellation facilitators, I was curious to know how the first lockdown had affected my students. I like to be guided by my intuition, and I asked them to sum up in key words what it had been like for them. A whole string of experiences appeared on the flip chart. Most of them spoke of a positive experience. A smaller number referred to the less favourable effects. As a systemic constellation facilitator, I chose to use that information to set up a constellation* about the virus.
The third eye of humanity
Each of my students represented one feeling chosen from the list, which they brought into the constellation as a citizen. We chose a representative for the virus and a few people for the policymakers. Everyone stood slightly apart. The virus stood at the edge, looking straight ahead and out over the circle. It was large, full of energy and powerful. Citizens with a similar outlook moved gently towards one another. They had little or no interest in the virus. The policymakers, on the other hand, moved round to stand in front of the virus and did everything they could to catch its eye. The closer they came and the harder they tried, the more easily the virus looked over their heads into the distance, into the open space, into nature, its focus on the sun that was shining brightly that day. The virus itself showed no interest in the policymakers' efforts. 'I have a different purpose. I am here to open the third eye of humanity.' As a group, we were deeply moved. The magnitude of it brought us to silence. The message landed. It rang absolutely true.
Awareness in motion
When we look around us, we see signs everywhere of a third eye that is opening. People tapping into their creativity and launching new initiatives, the rediscovery of nature, exercising in the open air, the high value of heartfelt social contact, the distinction between what does and does not matter, critical questions and voices, weighing up what is true and what is not, groups all over the world connecting with one another for a world that protects what is essential. Awareness is sinking in and reaching the heart. This makes it easier to live and act from self-confidence and love for the world.
Theory put to the test of reality
Since last March I had known it for certain. At that point, I was not susceptible to the corona bug. And so it turned out. Then, all of a sudden, the energy changed. I felt I had to be careful, even though I had been careful before as well. It is an advantage when you can read your body's message and sense in advance that something is going to happen. The surprise is what exactly it will be. At first I still hoped it was an ordinary respiratory infection, the kind I know well. But nausea and headaches were not usually part of it. Something else was going on.
Then came the verdict. The British variant. 'I've always been very fond of England,' flashed through my mind. I am now a little number in the statistics you hear in the media every day. A contact tracer even came to visit me. A smoker, of all things. As someone with no medical training, I found it a strange combination. My airways reacted straight away. 'Yes, that'll be because I smoke.' Come again?
The third eye of the individual
Sleep: I couldn't get enough of it. Day and night. Did I perhaps need absolute rest, and had the virus come to lend me a hand? I had no interest in eating or drinking. After a while I had to hold my ribs to protect myself against the coughing. I was ill, worse than some and less so than others. I remembered the virus's purpose and decided to observe my illness closely. When you fall ill, there is only one thing you can do. Embrace the illness. Allow it in. That is what I did. Trusting my body and my immune system. Taking good care of myself by calling on my capacity to heal myself. Using my third eye to see what inner energetic work I could do while I rested.
Opening doors
For me, illness is the closing of a particular phase you no longer need, so that a new phase can settle in. My osteopath reacted with surprise. 'How is this possible? In the other patients who have had COVID-19, the energy system has collapsed, and in you it has come fully into its strength.' Could the use of my third eye have something to do with it? For me, yes. I am experiencing a renewed drive, a now-or-never feeling, a need to rise and shine, a longing to spread my arms wide and meet new people, a longing to open doors and walk unknown paths, a longing to be visible and to be received.
Could the covid bug have come to whisper something like this to me? 'Rise up and go, love and spread light to create a conscious world.' Could that be? What do you think?
Group awareness and group healing.
To allow healing, we need to step out of our beliefs. More of the same will not help us break free. It is a process of surrender in order to get to know our inner world. That is where our gold mine lies. Freeing ourselves of our obstacles every day should be as natural as brushing your teeth. If we glance back over our shoulder for a moment, after a while we see how far we have come in our growth. Step by step, we become whole again. Becoming whole together, as a group, while still keeping your individuality, is even more powerful. Group awareness will become more and more important. The realisation that we can restore balance from within where it has been disturbed, and that we can create new, favourable situations because we have shaken off our ballast. Subtle healing work makes that possible. We need it. Men and women, young and old. Together, we make a healing difference in the world.
Here you will find the link to the group healings and the dates. You can also read there how others have experienced the group healing.
Hilde Van Bulck
Speaker — Author
Systemic adviser for schools and companies — Awareness coach
AMI Activator — Motivator — Inspirator
- What is a constellation? It is a method in which you can place various elements related to a particular issue in a space, each facing in a particular direction. The constellation brings clarity to what could not be understood before.
