Spiritual Growth in Fear-based Cultures during the Coronavirus Crisis

A tree with strong roots, laughs at storms —Malay proverb

The coronavirus is spreading, and our reactions and responses, both individual and collective, are indicative of how we were raised, how we are living, and how we can grow spiritually.

Many of us in the more modern societies, where things like diseases such as polio and cultural diseases of mass violence are not as rampant nor exist at all, have enjoyed both actual security and a sense of security. However, many of us have battled or are battling addiction, poverty, stress disorders and cultural and spiritual dis-eases of disconnection, workaholism, and other struggles. As a psychotherapist and yoga student/teacher, I am thinking about this idea of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs combined with reflections on the chakra system, regarding the first chakra, or root chakra, in particular.

There are facts and there is fear. Sometimes facts cause fear, and then there is fear that causes fear, and more fear. Think about it with regards to traumatic stress and your reptilian brain. The reptilian part of your brain is designed to keep you safe- physiologically alert to real or perceived danger. When we are constantly conditioned internally or externally to be on alert, our beautiful reptilian brain aspect gets pretty freaked out…