Becoming the Remover of Obstacles
This is not a call for hope.
There are many, many things happening right now that make this world a hopeless place. In such a place, holding on to hope can be a pollyanna endeavor. No, this is not a call for hope because Superman is not coming. Rather, this is an invitation for becoming the remover of obstacles ourselves.
A few months ago, I took the Foundations of Mantra course from Asheville yoga teacher Michael Johnson. I have been practicing mantra chanting during my morning practice for about the last year or so, but this course was a way for me to dive deeper into mantra and discover the meaning behind powerful yoga mantras that I wasn't quite familiar with before the course. One such mantra was the Om Nam Ganapataye Namaha mantra. This mantra is meant to invoke Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. However, as Michael Johnson illuminated in the course, it's not simply a call for a supernatural being to come and be the remover of obstacles, see rather, it is an invitation for us to find the strength within ourselves to be the remover of obstacles.
Over the weekend, our landlord came over to do a little home repair. He and his wife are gearing up to host a refugee family seeking asylum, and the community is rallying behind them to provide groceries, home goods, whatever they need to host this family. What a beautiful example of becoming the remover of obstacles. In their own way, my landlord and his wife are removing obstacles for this family by providing the support they need. I was inspired not only by their kindness and generosity, but the kindness and generosity that the community has shown through their support.
As we stood on our porch discussing what they were doing to get ready, our landlord said, "kindness is there if you look for it." The news is bleak. So many things are happening that I never thought I would see in my lifetime, yet the truth is, kindness is there if you look for it, and we can embody that kindness ourselves. Superman isn't coming. We have to find it within ourselves to become the remover of obstacles to support ourselves, our families, and our communities.
Whether you feel called to chant Om Nam Ganapataye Namaha mantra or not, we can all spend some time reflecting on where our gifts meet the world's needs and how we can best serve. We can all endeavor to remove obstacles and make our corners of the world a little more free.