The Ripple Effect
We do not consider ourselves Hindus, but each year my family celebrates a modern Hindu holiday. It’s called Pancha Ganapati and it honors the Hindu God Ganesh, the half-elephant, half-boy son of Shiva and Parvati.
What I absolutely love about Pancha Ganapati is the way that it brings my husband, two sons and I together for a few moments of quiet togetherness each of the 5 days of the holiday. Right next to our Christmas tree, we set up an altar with a little statue of Ganesh, colored pieces of fabric, some candles and the daily puja– a treat for Ganesh.
The main focus of Pancha Ganapati is to cultivate a vibration of love, harmony and forgiveness. The vibration starts within each individual and, each day, is spread to family and friends, then to acquaintances, then to all beings on the planet.
One of my absolutely favorite holiday traditions is sitting down with my family each evening of Pancha Ganapati to meditate together and send out that ever-expanding vibration of love to all.
There is a ripple effect to this practice.
If you think about it, every single one of us sends out ripples of energy every moment. This is exciting and a little bit heavy too if you agree with this assumption.
When I am buzzing with light, love and generosity, that vibration emanates from me. I walk down the street and it can be perceived and felt, on some level, by others. Conversely, when I am angry and closed down, that can be felt as well.
If this all sounds too “New Age-y” to you, let me put it another way…
No matter how hard you try to slap on a pleasant face, if you are bitter and angry, others will know. When you genuinely feel a sense of love and openness toward yourself and others, this will also be perceived.
You have probably encountered a shift when you are in a room full of people having a fine time and then someone walks in who is quite obviously hostile or upset. That person’s hostility (even if he or she attempts to contain it) can be felt throughout the room and it affects everyone else.
What kinds of ripples do you send out?
What Pancha Ganapati reminds me to do is to be more aware of the vibration or mood I am sending out to those I share space with– in my immediate vicinity and beyond.
I tend to get frazzled and overwhelmed around the holidays and my patience runs thin more often than I like to admit. When I take the time to just sit for even a few moments each day and intentionally send out love, harmony and forgiveness, I am doing myself a favor.
I am also benefiting others. I am not only more pleasant to be around, I am potentially uplifting others with that vibration of love. Some claim, I am helping the world too.
Over the past couple of decades, scientific studies have been conducted and findings support this claim. When groups of people meditate on peace, crime rates have dropped.*
Yes, there are certainly a whole host of factors that can affect whether crime rates go up or down, but what if the vibration that we each send out also plays a role?
Perhaps being more deliberate about the kind of mood or energy I am emanating will not directly stop wars or end violence…but it sure does make me feel better and, I believe, the ripples travel further than that as well.
If you want to change your vibration, change your habit of resistance.
So, let’s say that you are in agreement with me that your energy, mood or vibration broadcasts out to others, possibly to the entire world. What do you do when you’re having an off-moment or a bad day?
This happens for us all and, like I said, trying to pretend that you aren’t angry, sad or afraid when that’s what you feel is not going to change the vibration that you send out. It’s important to be real.
But, even in the space of being authentic about the challenges that you face, the sorrows you’re experiencing and the things that have you pissed off, you can still be deliberate about the ripples you send out.
Notice it when you’re beginning to feel annoyed, fearful or slighted. Allow yourself to feel what you are feeling. Soften into your emotions and your mood instead of hardening yourself against it (or against the person who “wronged you”).
In the same space as that anger or fear, you can also find forgiveness, compassion and even love. It may not be what you’re used to, but give it a try. Acknowledge what you’re feeling and expand to create space for more– allow room for the forgiveness, compassion and love too.
You might decide to take action to change the situation and you may choose to set boundaries with another. You can also let the love come through, for yourself and others involved.
This is the way to end wars…those within ourselves and those in our families, communities and world.
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*Click here for more information about the modern Hindu holiday Pancha Ganapati.
*Click here for more about the scientific studies that show the link between lower crime rates and meditating on peace.
