We are living in a world where there is a lot of contrast and division. Battle lines are being drawn and tempers are rising. As we break away from old paradigms, or ways of thinking, it creates separation and fear. It can be threatening and scary to move away from one way of thinking and perhaps entertain another way of looking at life.

With our new administration we are being asked as a country to look within and find a way to shift our view, so that a whole new way of being can emerge. We are being called to put down our disagreements and shift our focus to finding solutions. Releasing our long held opinions of how we think things should look. We are being called to look deep within with compassionate eyes, to see that I am another you and you are another me. We breathe the same air and walk down the same sidewalks. It is time to embrace each other with compassion, knowing that each of us have suffered, each of us is wounded, each of us is deserving of compassion.

When I do ritual, I am reminded that we are all interconnected. Our stories may differ yet our primal need is to be heard and to be held with compassion. I invite you, as you step out into your world, to notice the people who you see and who you interact with throughout your day. Notice how you feel when you encounter them. Is it with disdain and judgment, or love and compassion? They may be very well be mere images of you. So stop for a moment and reconsider, is this a time to practice compassion?

Author's Bio: 

This article is based on the words found on page 23, Feeling Compassion for All, of the newly released book of heart whispers, "The Soul of the Heart" by Catherine VanWetter, Inner Resolution Facilitator of Peace, Compassion, Forgiveness & Love. To review the beautiful, heart-filled pages of "The Soul of the Heart" and to listen to a section of the accompanying meditation CD visit http://TheSoulOfTheHeart.com