“COPING IN DIFFICULT TIMES: FOUR QUESTIONS”

If you are feeling dispirited, depressed, disheartened, frightened, perhaps it might help to ask yourself the Four Questions asked by healers in many shamanic societies:

… when did you stop dancing?

… when did you stop singing?

… when did you stop being enchanted by stories?

… when did you stop being comforted by the sweet terrain of silence?

The questions are simple
… and profound.

When it comes to dancing
… by ourselves or with a partner, dancing is a way that our body and mind can communicate with each other and bring about an integration of body and soul.

When it comes to singing
… endorphins are released when we sing, reducing stress in our mind, body, and spirit.  And besides, it’s fun.

When it comes to “being enchanted by stories”
… important lessons in life can be learned and our imagination can soar as a brief respite from life’s difficult situations can become part of our experience.

And when it comes to “being comforted by the sweet terrain of silence”
… perhaps turning off the news for a few days and listening to the songs of the birds, the rustle of the wind, the flutter of butterfly wings will help cultivate a deep sense of peace within. 

Perhaps one way to cope in difficult times is to ask the Four Questions of ourselves?