With the incident leading to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico occurring more than two months ago, the tragedy has only gravely worsened in impact and has yet to come to resolution. As we all know by now, the wildlife (like the Manatee pictured above), the sea creatures, the inhabitants who earn their living in the area and the polluted waters are but some of the destruction the spill is leaving in its wake. How is it that in a world with technology modern enough to build such a rig in the middle of the sea that we do not have the resources to repair it? While that question remains to be answered for me, we can all play our part in finding a solution through the thoughts that we think.
The Power of Positive Thought
While local rescue teams, scientists, firefighters, air-traffic and volunteers do the important work on the scene in participating in clean-up efforts and most importantly, stopping the spill, those of us living far away can still have an active participation through sending positive thought. Maybe it sounds trivial, but two recent encounters have explored the power behind this and without negative consequence, I implore all of us to try.
This weekend I had the honor of attending a yoga and meditation workshop with one of my favorite teachers, Patricia Moreno. The focus of the class was to understand the impact our thoughts have on creating our reality. That we actually have the power to visualize that which we want in our life by simultaneously appreciating that it is already there and having faith that it will continue to flow in an excess beyond our wildest imagination. After self-reflection, we closed the class with a 10 minute meditation for healing the gulf. We visualized a thriving ocean, healthy sea-life, a prosperous community, clean waters and the end of chaos. Why not?
Positive prayer, as some call it, has been used since the beginning of time to silently hope for a particular outcome. I know I have witnessed this occur in simple daily things (manifesting a parking spot or a speedy train, for example) to monumental life changes. Imagine the impact a whole world could have in sending focused and positive thoughts to heal the gulf*.
The Proof is in the Water
Dr. Mosaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, is most known for his research in the changeable molecular structure of water in response to emotion. Through his work he is able to quantifiably evaluate physical shifts in the structure of water molecules by changing our emotional state. As the human body is made of mostly water, his research is often used as the basis for healing through positive thought. Given that the oil spill is a problem contained in the ocean, it makes even more sense that his theory could be applied here. Rather than emitting the fear and anger regarding the situation (although there is much reason to be afraid and angry through the destruction and political implications alone), he encourages the following thought pattern in an effort to find resolution from the inside (aka: the water molecules themselves) out.
“I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton, coral, algae, and all living creatures . . . I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. “
What I like about this prayer (if you wish) that arrived in my inbox this morning, is that it allows the space for us each to take responsibility for both the cause and the healing in the oil spill. To find accountability within tragedy is healing, even if it seems impossible that some of us played any part. The world is a gigantic tapestry of interconnectedness, for which we cannot truly isolate and separate ourselves. At the end of the day, the one thing we truly have control over is how we think and where we put our attention to. We can choose to sit in anger and frustration, or we can choose to try a different path. Either way, here’s hoping that with enough creative problem solving and positive imagery, this disaster will be turning around just as quickly as it started.
*The meditation used for visualization in Patricia’s class was the Meditation for Manifesting by Dr. Wayne Dyer, which can be downloaded here.