A
great change is upon humanity. The Age of Aquarius which values social conscience combined with love and unity is replacing the
Piscean Age of dualism, hierarchy, and power. No one knows exactly when each
age begins or ends, but most experts seem to agree that humanity is in a very
important transition period. Unprecedented change and upheaval can happen when
Piscean values that have lasted for over two thousand years is taken down to
make room for a new world. Perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic with its devastating
impact on health and the economy is related to such a seismic shift.
This
transition to a new age is gradual and has been in progress for a long time.
The world will become a better place once the transition is completed, and
humanity can celebrate the promises of the Aquarian Age. Such promises include
peace on Earth, end of poverty, love and kindness, pure spiritual awareness, true democracy and
more. Some of these promises are happening now as humanity is racing to combat the coronavirus
with medical breakthroughs, along with caring for the sick and dying. The
sacrifices of the frontline medical personnel and many essential workers reflects
humanity’s love and kindness.
Everyone
has a role to play in welcoming the new energy of the Aquarian Age. It involves
letting go of the illusion of materialism as the “secret” road toward fulfillment.
Instead, embracing cooperation and humanitarianism is a part of this evolution
of consciousness that is needed for this major change. Without a fundamental
shift in consciousness and spiritual evolution, humanity won’t be able to move
in the new direction. The pure spirituality associated with this new age is the
innate knowing of the Divine’s love within one’s heart and not extreme
religious ideology.
During
such a challenging transition, pure spiritual leaders, along with trauma therapists,
can play major roles in helping people. Spiritual leaders can help humanity realize that this shift to a
new era can become less chaotic when people stop worshipping money and power as
their source of security. When the world economy is based on infinite expansion
which leads to the depletion of the Earth’s resources, suffering is inevitable.
Given the fact that economic expansion has
resulted in replacing fish in the oceans with plastic, forests with urban housing, clean air with
pollution, and turning the ecosystem into a garbage bin, transformation to a new
age is necessary. Spiritual leaders need to remind everyone that an outdated
frame of reference to a past era won’t help
love the Earth back to health. It is time to welcome the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
“The
darkest hour is just before the dawn,” as humanity stands upon the cusp of the
Piscean-Aquarian Age. They need to be prepared for disruptions that can happen
before the completion of this major shift. As exciting as it sounds to move to
a different era that can open the world to the splendor of a new life, the
transformation might be intense and at times beyond humanity’s “window of tolerance”. There might be more climate catastrophes,
pandemics, mass shootings, political chaos, terrorism, wars, xenophobia,
homophobia and other ugly phenomena. To be aware of what is happening allows
everyone to prepare, and work in cooperation with this energy of the new era. Crisis is not always
about danger but also the opportunity to transform. Trauma therapists are more
than ever needed to hold space and help people recover from the intensity that is associated
with this major transformation. They can play a vital role as the universal
trauma holders and healers. Helping people to stay centered and grounded during
a crisis is among the contributions that healers of any kind can offer.
Those
of us who have spent decades helping traumatized people feel safe again know
that trauma is a fact of life. Healing from any kind of injuries involves
offering helpful resources for those in need of treatment. Since it is easy to
feel helpless in the face of trauma, resource is power. One of the most
accessible resources for anyone looking to grow, evolve, and/or heal beyond any
traumatic experience is working with the body, in particular the nervous
system. Healers who are trained to work with trauma can help people become more resilient living in this
transitional time by teaching them how to find safety within their bodies. As a
recent example, a man who survived the
AIDS crisis of the past century, and now recovering from a COVID-19 infection,
shared during the peak of his illness, there was an episode in which breathing
became very difficult to the point he thought he was going to die. It was a
scary moment for him since he was living
alone at the time. He did not know if he was experiencing a panic
attack, difficulty breathing due to COVID-19, or both. He reported what helped
him lessen the intensity of that
terrifying moment so that he could call 911 was hearing a “gentle voice” of his
therapist inside him inviting him to notice his feet, hands, and the felt sense
of the support his body was experiencing lying on the bed. Perhaps, knowing how
to track his pleasant sensations initiated a physiological event that resulted
in helping him breathe a little easier until the paramedics arrived. How to
track his bodily sensations was an important resource which he described as a “lifesaver.”
Another woman, who was struggling with COVID-19, reported listening to calming music helped
her chest feel less tight and began to
experience warm sensations flowing around her heart. Tracking her pleasant
sensations improved her mood and her physical symptoms.
The
COVID-19 pandemic has triggered many people’s survival mechanisms, and their
nervous systems have become fixated in one or more processes. For some in a
high sympathetic tone (fight/ flight) that can involve being restless,
anxious, and for others in the state of dorsal
vagal response that might involve shutdown, freeze, and other acute
stress response. Body-inclusive therapy offers
techniques that can help people in distress shift their autonomic state that is stuck on
FFF (fight/flight/freeze) toward safety and relaxation. Offering people
resources to lower activation and regulate their nervous system is an example
of the important roles trauma informed healers can play during the current pandemic
or any crisis. “Body-inclusive” therapy is one approach that healers can offer
people in distress to lower their activation and regulate the nervous system. There
are many different paths toward healing. One size does not fit all. A resource
needs to be tailored to the needs of the individual.
As
the planet goes through a turbulent transitional period paving the way to the
Aquarian Age, humanity can witness disastrous events, turmoil and other intense
experiences. The transition from the Age of Pisces to Aquarius might feel
like a traumatic birth that once endured will result in a glorious birth of a
new consciousness with universal love at its core.
© Dr. Payam Ghassemlou MFT, Ph.D.
is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Psychotherapist), in private
practice in West Hollywood, California. www.DrPayam.com www.SomaticAliveness.com
