When I think of smoke and mirrors, I think about illusions. How some things seem one way when they are in fact, another. It’s November 2024 when I’m writing this, and election season is over. The political polarization of the US is evident in everything we do. It’s my habit and preference never to discuss politics. Unfortunately, it was something I couldn’t avoid as it would inevitably come up in conversation with people angry over something and fearful over something else. From my perspective, this is a classic example of smoke and mirrors. It’s a distraction. Although I have no idea what it is that we need to be distracted from noticing.

Illusion and distraction are the domain of magicians and charlatans. They keep us so occupied that we fail to notice something important that would destroy the illusion and bring back the stark reality of life. A friend of mine was concerned about the election, as were many. She even asked her spirit team to influence people to choose a particular candidate. I shook my head when she told me. I said to her that spiritual work goes beyond who occupies the seat. Regardless of who wins, there will be suffering and dismay. The overall problems of our country and planet will not change when someone takes the seat. They will try their best to assist, but there are so many obstacles in the way of real action that it’s almost impossible to make any progress. Everyone is furthering their agenda, inevitably leading to someone else’s downfall.

The point I made with my friend was that those of us who are working to bring balance and stability to our lives, our town, our state, our nation, and our world need to look at it from a big-picture point of view. We need to spend our time disbursing the energy of contention that has soaked into the fabric of our society. The energy of the us vs. them and every man for himself mentality needs to be disbursed. Our world has deep divides that have nothing to do with politics or war. Those are the physical representations of fears and beliefs that have manifested over time.

I think about what got us here. Most people can be fearful, but something always incites that fear. Once the fear is triggered, people can be convinced of almost anything. Think about advertising. A great deal of it is that if you don’t want this to continue, take or buy this. Even a simple sentence like that can trigger a fear someone has, and off to the store they go. It doesn’t matter if it actually works or not. It’s the possibility that it could stave off some perceived threat that has people handing over their money.

We are human and can’t help how we feel about things, but we can choose how we react to them. We need to remember that everything is temporary. Things will change. Sometimes, it’s for the better, sometimes not, but it will not always remain the same. I look at what lies underneath the division in our world, fear. It’s the fear of loss of something that can drive people to do the craziest things. That fear is usually attached to things like money, power, and control. This is not meant to be a commentary on the state of the world but to say that from a metaphysical perspective, all this stuff is small potatoes.

Yes, we have to live in a world where all this happens, but I focus my attention on the energy that drives all of it. I send good thoughts and energy to disrupt the flow of negative energy that influences all the fear that drives people into survival-based action instead of actions based on higher cognitive functions. I told my friend she could have done that with her spirit team instead. Things happen the way they are supposed to happen. In the meantime, we must continue to do what we have always done, support and send good energy with the best intentions for the highest good for all concerned. That is where true power, growth, manifestation, and hope for our country and world live. The rest is smoke and mirrors.