Letter from the President April 2020

“Moving into the Sacred Circle”

I recently asked a friend how things were going, and she said, “Life is like a roller coaster – you can either get in the car or get dragged along behind. Either way, you are going for a ride.” She continued, “COVID-19 will be a catastrophic ride, but many people are still chaffing to get back to work, ignoring the ‘stay in place’ orders.”

She ended by saying, “In a crisis, we have the opportunity to move to a higher level of consciousness. We all can move forward, but only some will move forward. Not all. It is the way of things – the cycle of birth and death, senescence and renewal – the sacred circle.”

I found it intriguing to think about some of us moving forward in our current crisis to a higher level of consciousness, while others do not. Why is that? What makes the difference? More to the point, will I move forward or not?

Moving to a higher level of consciousness requires a paradigm-shift in thinking, which indeed is something that often occurs in the midst of a crisis. The idea of a “paradigm shift” was offered by Thomas Kuhn, who said that fundamental changes in the basic concepts of science do not happen gradually. Instead, he argued, they occur in sudden dramatic cataclysmic shifts. Some get on board, many do not.

What opportunity does the COVID-19 crisis offer humanity today? For one, it offers the opportunity to move to a higher level of consciousness at a personal level, at a national level, and even at a global level. The paradigm shift won’t happen for you or me unless we are open to this deeper level of understanding. You may ask yourself, “Am I ready to get in the car or be dragged along behind?”

You and I live out our lives with neighbors who hold different belief systems, have different colors of skin, speak other languages, have higher or lower levels of education, and worship at different

temples, synagogues, mosques, or churches. Some do not worship at all. What could the coronavirus crisis be inviting us to embrace? What higher level of consciousness?

These questions are worthy of our deepest thought and consideration. I believe COVID-19 has shown us that we are all vulnerable and that we are in this together. Today, perhaps as never before in human history, we are one people – no matter our race, creed, or the nation we call our home. A lethal virus has forced us to realize that we are one people. One people, on planet earth.

To fully embrace this reality, we must accept the invitation to make the shift to a higher level of consciousness. It will change everything about how we see ourselves and others.

“Am I ready to step inside the sacred circle or do I prefer to be dragged along behind?”

John K. Graham, MD, DMin President & CEO
Institute for Spirituality and Health