We just experienced a cultural earthquake.

It has been just over a week since the world seemingly tilted on its axis and sent many of us into shock following the election.

We are going through a massive energetic shift — in our culture, in our communities and in ourselves. And we cannot go back. We cannot go to sleep and wake up in the lives we used to live and in the selves we used to be. They are no longer here.

In the past week, our planet has been experiencing physical shifts as well. There have been devastating earthquakes across the globe, in New Zealand, Dehli, Nepal, Indonesia, Argentina and beyond.

As these natural disasters humble me, pull at my heart and remind me what matters — that I am lucky to be safe and healthy in my home, I have been struck by the similarities that can be drawn between a phsyical earthquake and what we have undergone in the past week or so. There is no comparison to the impact, desctruction and lives lost in these countries across the globe, and I do not want to diminish that, but these earthquakes have shown me more clearly the energetic shifts we’re experiencing here on a different plane.

The way I see it, we have just experienced a cultural earthquake of sorts. Earthquakes seemingly come out of nowhere and disrupt and destroy everything on the surface. They cause after-effects such as slides, tsunamis and so much more. The impact is extreme and long-lasting. When an earthquake hits, a place will suddenly become unrecognizable to its inhabitants — no longer their home. And, that place can never become exactly what it was before.

As we all know, earthquakes are beyond devastating but they are also an opportunity for rebirth. Following a quake, when a place is rebuilt, it will not be built to replicate its original shape and structure, it will be rebuilt and improvements will be made to prevent and protect against future shifts and outside forces. It will evolve.

As for the people of that place… they will be forever changed as well. The earthquake will affect some of them more directly than others. Those people will lose their homes and even their lives. These are the people that will need the most support. There will also be those that stand strong in the crisis, for whom the earthquake is a catalyst to rise up to save, support and help their family, their friends and their community.

This reflects what I see playing out on a cultural level with this election. We will never go back to the way things were. We will never feel the exact same. And we will never be exactly the same people. Some of us will be more directly affected than others and will need support, shelter and healing. And some of us will step into our power to save, support, heal and help those that need us. And as we rebuild, we will build anew — we will not replicate what was built before because those structures were not strong enough and we know that now.

So… what do we do now?

First, we allow ourselves to grieve what was before and we begin to accept that we will not go back to “normal” — this is a new reality and we will work with it and build from it.

We also allow our new selves to show up. This earthquake has thrown so many of us into a new part of ourselves that we might have had an inkling was present but it wasn’t awake. Now, it is awake. Allow it to show up. It will likely be uncomfortable and confusing at first, but you know you need to listen to it. Let it be there. And listen.

And finally, we can choose to be victims of this earthquake or we can choose to see the opportunities present in this situation. During my coach training, Martha Beck shared a wonderful shift of perspective that has changed the way I approach difficult times. We could look at this in the victim mentality as “Why is this HAPPENING?” Or, we could look at this with a sense of curiosity and consider… “Why IS this happening?” We can find the opportunities present, and look at the good that could come from this situation — where is the light in the darkness? Why are we here? Why did this show up?

A few of my thoughts on this…

I believe that each of us is specifically meant to be on this planet right now, in this country, and exactly where we are. We are meant to be a part of this moment in time and we are meant to play a part in some way. So, you’re here in this reality for a reason. Own that.

I believe this is a part of our personal evolution. That we are becoming stronger and more awake versions of ourselves because we are part of this experience. This is a catalyst for us to wake up, stop hiding and be our truest selves, all of it.

I believe that women in particular are waking up. That feminine energy, strength and power is rising up in us — not just in women, but in everyone (although it may be more apparent in women who have been holding back). I believe that feminine energy has been hiding underneath the surface and this situation is breaking the mold that has been holding it in, for us individually and also as a culture. This was meant to happen to break that open and allow feminine energy to return and rebalance with the masculine energy that is more dominant in our culture. The rebalancing will be a bit bumpy but I feel strongly that it is an important shift us to undergo and for our collective forward movement and evolution.

And finally, I believe that we are meant to see that it is essential for us to lean more into love instead of fear. I believe that we are born of love, built for love and meant to love, and that is basically all that matters.

We just experienced a cultural earthquake. And, we are only a week out. So, you may not be in rebuilding mode yet and that is okay! Allow yourself to be wherever you are. You may just need to process, let the dust settle a bit and get used to the aftershocks. Give yourself time to feel and space to heal. And when it is time to shift gears, you’ll know it.

And when it’s time, rebuild. Rebuild for the better. Rebuild with love.