The unprecedented demands on our behaviour as a society — stay at home, stay apart, stay clean and stay healthy — will likely be in place for at least the foreseeable future, not only straining our world economy, but also our social and psychological patience too! And as we are demanded to become cocooned in this ‘virtual world’, we are increasingly being exposed to the medias propaganda and misinformation is unprecedented, with political figureheads looking to blame and wiggle out of their actions or inactions and either suppressing information or at times, outright lying. Even the data on COVID-19 cases tells a different story depending on who has published it. 

I have been surprised at how many ‘armchair epidemiologists’ have been created amongst my social media feed! I think I mentioned last month that my own social media streams and email inbox has literally ‘ blown up’ with everybody’s opinions and the various ‘copy and paste’ posts are becoming wearisome. I now allocate time in my daily email routine to ‘unsubscribe’ having ascertained that holding space for everybody’s argument is quite frankly, exhausting! 

My dismay is that the pandemic appears to have deepened an already established ‘disconnect’ between the public and political parties. I am witnessing ageism, racism, and elitism as I never have before. The conspiracy theorists are having an absolute field day, using this deepening disconnect to hammer home their messages of distrust.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is good news out there, with some governments rebuilding public trust through competent and honest responses, but I see distrust and deception in public life is accelerating. And the already undervalued TRUTH in our recent history has become another casualty of the war against COVID-19.

TRUTH and TRUST are the new casualties of our time. More than ever before, we need to focus upon building our own TRUST. And Archangel Raphael’s message this month is in my opinion, the best place for us to begin:

'Continue to Trust my children as your world experiences change in your NOW. We the Divine are with each of YOU as you grow and learn many levels of understanding of your Divine Knowing within’

Speaking personally, I do not mind to admit my trust has been wavering, precariously at times, and this has disappointed me as I continuously work to grow and learn. Working as a Public Health Nurse at this time is demanding my implicit trust in my superiors, my colleagues and my patients. My well physical well being is dependent upon the honesty of my colleagues and patients to disclose any physical symptoms before I administer care. I need to trust my superiors that we have enough PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to see us through the peak that is yet to come. Every day we are trusting that our fellow citizens are taking heed of the advice given to them. And then you hear somebody arguing their reason to disregard the advice and fight for their civil liberties. This trust ’thing’ I cannot disagree, is a tough one to master right now. But I am in gratitude for the message above, for within it is some very sound advice that we can all follow during these troubling times:

1. Know that change is inevitable and necessary for us to grow. 

2. Understand that it is when we are at our most vulnerable that our greatest lessons are learned

3. Trust that we can find our own tools to survive this challenge and we do not need those that serve another: Look to our own TRUTH and INNER KNOWING to navigate our way through this history, for it is within that we hold all the answers stay strong, observers say: there’s reason to believe COVID-19 could end up putting the “civil” back in civil society.

On a final note, may I ask that we each look at the evidence of a renaissance of communitarianism all around our country, and beyond! At the same time as the governments are saying everyone should physically be apart and distanced, people are ‘coming together’ to assist, build up and spread the good will. 

Now imagine that it is September and we are through to the other side. 

How much will we each appreciate and love the company of one another? 

How precious will family and friends have become to us? 

How much will we value our health?  

Maybe, just maybe, we should take this time to master TRUST and learn to BELIEVE there is a reason far greater than we are witnessing and each of us, the world, will emerge with a renewed readiness to thrive.