From a shamanic perspective, it has become clear what the next four years and beyond will be about.

Working through our collective shadow as a nation.

Trump has brought our nation’s bigotry, greed and hatred further out into the light. Issues don’t get healed in the dark. They have to be brought out into the light for all to see. Here’s our opportunity to work with what is being illuminated.

Now is the time to do our work as individuals and as a country and look at why we accept racism, sexism, and corporate greed at the expense of the poor, the disenfranchised and the environment. All of us are being called on to lead the way in going within and doing our inner work. Where do still act in privileged, entitled, racist, homophobic, sexist, greedy ways? True change comes from within. By all of us doing our work, we can hold space for the collective consciousness to be raised.

We’ve got hard work ahead of us. Shadow work is uncomfortable. Our ego keeps our shadow hidden from us, and like a feral cat, it comes out hissing and scratching when it begins to be revealed. This is where we’re at right now in our country. The dwellers on the threshold have come to challenge us.

This next stage of evolution requires us to hold our seat and persist – even when it’s hard, even when it’s terrifying – in shining a light into the darkness. Our higher self with its energies of love, connection and compassion will help us.

It may not seem like it at the moment, but humanity is undergoing an awakening, a turning toward higher consciousness and greater unity.

Obama was a change agent, bringing hope for a different experience where all are treated with equality and respect. The bigotry and fear that was already in our country’s shadow started to come out into the light.

Trump is a change agent as well, giving us the gift of continuing to bring our societal shadow even further out into the light. We may not like this change agent, but it is part of the process. We must first see and identify our hatred and greed in order for it to heal.

Think back to a time when you struggled with making a big decision in your life. You probably felt anxiety, doubt, even trepidation. You may have argued with yourself, “Is this really what I want?” During this in-between time, you felt deeply unsettled, and in your pain you may have acted out in ways that resulted in self-sabotage. Thoughts of wanting things to stay the way they were likely arose. You may have agonized over your choices, going back and forth in your mind several times before making your decision, all the while being fearful of the unknown that lay ahead.

This is where we are at right now as a country. We’re in that place of indecision. We experimented with making a change over the last eight years, but then it got uncomfortable, so we pulled back. We aren’t yet sure how to move forward as a nation, and as a result, we feel deeply unsettled. This back and forth may continue for a while. It’s a natural part of the process. Eventually, the desire for change, forward movement and growth will outweigh the fear of the unknown.

It may appear like our world turned upside overnight. It didn’t. The bigotry was there all along. Greater and greater numbers of people are now seeing it. This is what it takes to heal it.

So, as part of the lightworkers ushering in the awakening, how do we make it through the chaotic times ahead?

– Hold your seat. Choose to source from a place of love, compassion and connection (the higher self) rather than from a place of fear, hatred and separation (the ego).

– Take the time to grieve and to be present with your needs. Reach out for support if you need it. Then when you’re ready, get involved.

– Get involved in a social action organization and do something. Volunteer in your community. Join a peace organization which promotes non-violence such as One Heart.

– Engage in intentional acts of kindness. Hold doors for strangers, smile at people in line with you at the grocery store and post office.

– Extend friendship and support to those around you of other races, religions and sexual orientation who are now fearful for their safety. Let them know you care. If you observe someone being harassed, move to sit or stand next to them and begin a conversation so they know they’re not alone – and so the bully gets the message their behavior is not okay.

– And lastly, take care of yourself. Exercise exquisite self care. We cannot advocate from an empty vessel. This unsettled place of change may take years (longer than four or even eight) to work through. We may be holding space for awhile. Each one of us is needed.

Please take good self care today and in the coming times. Continue to love yourself and love each other. Hold the faith. Love prevails.