This episode addresses the storm of political, ecological and emotional crises we are all experiencing. These are extreme times in which the world seems to go upside down repeatedly and anything can happen. These are also dangerous times and the repeated stoking of unconscious fears can lead to extreme reactions and raw emotions that erupt in a kind of psychic parallel to the fires raging in one part of the landscape and hurricanes threatening in another. As all manner of extreme notions and outlandish beliefs take the stage at the same time the veil of normalcy is not only lifted, it is ripped aside. As the social fabric unravels more each day, the tapestry of what we used to call reality becomes further shredded until everything seems to be barely hanging by a thread.   It makes sense if we feel ourselves to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown, on the verge of depression or about to slip into some state of protective numbness. Yet we can't simply refuse to take in all the chaos, confusion and corruption because it is in the very air we breathe. In the same way, the corona virus is in the air and the smoke from various kinds of fires are now in the air we breathe. We are increasingly exposed to harsh realities, including the darker, shadowy sides of life.   For anything to change psychologically, we must first accept the trouble we find ourselves in. At the same time, we must undergo an expansion of self that gives us, both individually and collectively, a deeper sense of our capacity to change our lives while in the midst of adversity.   The instinct for finding moments of unity and beauty in life runs deeper in the human soul than the energy for division and conflict. The deepest layers of the harbors the great human inheritance of imagination and our natural instincts for beauty and creation. However, to truly connect to our deep soul center, we must suffer some of the vulnerability, the emotional pain, and the radical uncertainty of the moment.   Thank you for listening to and supporting this podcast.  You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his new online series “The Soul of Genius” that continues through Friday, August 28. Register and learn more at mosaicvoices.org/events.   You can support the podcast and receive additional content each month by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. A big thank you to everyone who has joined this growing community of supporters.  Members receive 3 bonus episodes each month, including regular live Q&A events, the full podcast archives of over 260 episodes and a 30% discount on all products, courses and live online events.  Learn more and subscribe at patreon.com/livingmyth.    You can further support this podcast by leaving a review on iTunes and sharing it with your friends.