A Reflection on Covid-19 Crisis by Josefina Castillo

Dear Hildegardians and friends,

These are certainly times of confusion and uncertainty about the present time as well as of the near or long-term future. We are all in the same boat now, most probably kept within our own homes, though undergoing different situations in terms of places, family members (or just ourselves) and personal attitudes, but the contingency of the epidemic crisis hits us all in one way or another.

Some might be filled with worries, fear, and/or anxiety; others might just be calm and inviting God/Sophia to send her love and compassion to our crushed world, or perhaps a combination of all these feelings.  I have heard numerous stories, have read articles based on scientific data, have listened to prophetic explanations, and have come to realize that what fits me best in these challenging times is the opportunity to reflect, as a creature of God/Sophia, about the bonds with my loved ones and about the need to collaborate with other groups or other people who are in worse constraints.  Today, this very day, is a favorable condition to join forces and walk in the same direction.

During the first week of February, just about the time that the virus was spreading out, I took a Vipassana course in Kaufman, Texas. This is a buddhist meditation technique that centers on the breath, and by focusing on our breathing we may become aware of our cravings as well as of our aversions; these are attachments which we have nourished all through life, but that are impermanent.  Impermanence here is one of the key elements of this meditation. Everything moves, nothing is permanent. The past is all gone, the future we don’t know, so let’s focus on the present time which is the only certainty we have. If we feed our awareness and become observant of how we react to circumstances without any judgement, in this very moment, we might be able to turn our fears and uncertainty into positive thoughts.  Let us work together, meditate together, and make road while we walk (“caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar”) as the poet Antonio Machado once wrote.   

In sorority & solidarity, Josefina


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