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Your alarm rings, and you reach for your iPhone to turn it off, immediately catching sight of several news headlines on your notification screen.
They make you feel queasy, but you can’t help opening the first article. It’s yet another heartbreaking story. Your stomach churns as you scroll—story after story—sending you into a spiral of sadness, anger, and… fear.
You open Facebook or Instagram, only to see posts along a similar vein. Your mind reels, your heart beats faster, but you don’t notice. This is the world right now, and it’s important to stay informed, you tell yourself. You repost a few stories, share your thoughts with your followers, and continue scrolling. Minutes slip by, and before long, you realize it’s been 45 minutes since your alarm rang.
You put your phone down, feeling drained, hopeless, and worried. As you shower and get ready for your day, your mind continues to race—negative thoughts, fear, and anxiety looping endlessly in the background.
Do you take a moment to check in with how your body feels? Or are you on autopilot, already bracing for the next surge of information?
The day unfolds, and everything seems cloudy. You don’t notice the warmth of the sun on your skin or the early spring blooms bursting to life all over Portland. A mother with a stroller walks past you, and a baby grins at you, but you don’t see them—your thoughts are too loud.
You arrive at work, where colleagues chat about their weekend. The conversation quickly shifts to the latest news, and you watch as everyone’s energy deflates. You feel the same weight in your chest. You should do something. But what? What can be done, except talk about it and scroll?
It feels responsible to stay informed, to care. But at what cost? Is there another way to engage with the world’s suffering—one that doesn’t leave you drowning in it?
Protecting your peace is especially important if you're a parent, a leader of other people or your work involves holding space for others (healers, therapists, coaches etc.).
The Cost of Carrying It All
A dear member of our community reached out to me, sharing their distress and feelings of depression and hopelessness. My heart went out to them—not just because I saw their pain, but because I understood it. The weight of the world can feel unbearable, especially for those who care deeply. When suffering feels so widespread, it’s easy to believe that pausing—even for a moment—is a form of betrayal.
The reality for this individual, and for so many others, is that:
The relentless news cycle is taking a toll on their emotional and physical health. They wake up with anxiety, struggle to sleep at night, and feel an ever-present sense of dread. They know it’s impacting them, but the thought of looking away feels selfish.
They feel guilty for taking a break from staying informed or engaging with the world’s challenges. Every moment spent in self-care can feel like time taken away from being of service. They tell themselves: If I pause to rest, am I turning my back on those who are suffering?
Their nervous system is in a constant state of stress. They don’t realize that their body is reacting as if they are in immediate danger—heart racing, breath shallow, mind on high alert. They feel exhausted, yet wired, unable to rest.
They feel powerless to create real change. Despite all their efforts—sharing news, raising awareness, donating, protesting—it never feels like enough. They are left emotionally drained and spiritually depleted.
Perhaps you’ve felt this way too. The world’s pain feels like your pain. The suffering of others feels like your responsibility. And yet, you may also sense that carrying this burden in isolation isn’t sustainable.
So how do we find the balance between staying engaged and protecting our peace? How do we ensure that our empathy doesn’t become a path to burnout?
This is where the distinction between conscious awareness and spiritual bypassing becomes crucial.
The Fine Line Between Protecting Your Energy and Avoidance
This is a common struggle: wanting to stay informed and engaged but not at the cost of emotional well-being or spiritual groundedness. How do we navigate this as a spiritual community—one committed to both individual and collective healing, and to creating positive ripples in the world through our words, actions, and the energetic frequency we hold?
First, it’s important to remember: protecting your peace doesn’t mean ignoring the world’s problems—it means engaging from a place of strength, not depletion.
When we operate from fear and reactivity, we engage only a small part of our brain—the primal survival-driven part. This keeps us in stress mode, limiting our ability to think critically or act effectively. In contrast, when we are grounded and connected to our Higher Selves, we see problems as challenges rather than threats. From this state, we make clear, conscious, and impactful decisions rather than reacting impulsively.
Most importantly, we learn how to engage with the world’s suffering without absorbing its trauma into our minds, bodies, and spirits. This is especially vital for those who identify as empaths—because compassion does not require self-sacrifice.
What is Spiritual Bypassing?
Spiritual bypassing happens when spirituality, positive thinking, or detachment are used to avoid uncomfortable emotions or difficult realities rather than facing them with presence and discernment.
Examples of Bypassing:
Dismissing suffering with phrases like “everything happens for a reason.”
Avoiding hard conversations by retreating into meditation or “good vibes only” mindsets.
Using spiritual practices to escape personal responsibility.
While these approaches may seem like self-preservation, they suppress emotions rather than integrating them, leading to disconnection and inaction.
But the spiritual path—and the path of deep healing through plant medicine—is not about escape. It is about developing the self-awareness, resilience, and wisdom needed to engage with life fully, authentically, and effectively.
Protecting your peace with spirituality is not about bypassing pain—it’s about learning to hold it with awareness, process it in healthy ways, and choose how to respond.
Protecting Your Peace as a Spiritual Seeker: Engaging with the World While Staying Spiritually Rooted
So, how do we use our spiritual practices and sacred plant allies as tools to create a healthy balance—one where we can stay informed and engaged with the world while continuing to heal our past traumas and live the thriving life our ancestors envisioned for us?
The answer lies in conscious engagement: cultivating a relationship with the world that is rooted in awareness, wisdom, and spiritual strength. Our practices are not meant to be an escape, but rather a foundation that allows us to stand firm in turbulent times.
1. Ground in Sacred Practices Before Engaging with the World
Before stepping into the energy of world events, we must anchor ourselves in practices that regulate our emotions and expand our awareness.
Morning Prayer, Meditation, or Breathwork: Before checking your phone or consuming news, take a moment to connect with the Divine. This may look like lighting a candle at your altar and setting an intention for the day, your community, and the world. The way you start your day determines the tone for the rest of it.
Sacred Singing or Chanting: The vibration of sound can transmute heavy emotions, creating a protective energetic field. Chanting the mantra Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (“May all beings, everywhere, be happy and free”) sends your prayers through your body, into your consciousness, and out into the world.
Ritual with Plant Medicine Allies: Whether through a personal cacao ritual, herbal teas, or attending a sacred plant ceremony, plant spirits offer wisdom and grounding. These sacred experiences are portals that realign you with your core purpose and accelerate you toward your goals.
Approaching the challenges of the world from a spiritually grounded place allows us to respond with wisdom and discernment, rather than from a place of fear or overwhelm.
2. Set Energetic Boundaries with Media Consumption
Staying informed does not mean absorbing every wave of suffering. Just as we protect our ceremonial space, we must curate what enters our minds and hearts.
Set an intention before consuming news. Ask yourself: Am I seeking truth or unconsciously feeding my fear?
Limit repetitive trauma exposure. Social media thrives on keeping us emotionally charged—be mindful of how often you allow these stories to enter your consciousness.
Trust in Divine Order. Our ancestors did not have 24/7 access to global pain. They trusted in cycles, mystery, and the unseen forces of balance. We can too.
Protecting Your Peace as a Spiritual Seeker means engaging with discernment rather than compulsion keeps us spiritually strong and mentally clear.
3. Transmute Pain into Aligned Action
Rather than becoming trapped in hopelessness, we must ask:
What is my unique role in healing and change?
How can I channel this energy into sacred service?
True change begins with internal transformation. When we heal our own wounds, we naturally radiate healing outward—bringing more clarity, compassion, and wisdom into the world.
Offer prayers for the world. Collective intention and prayer hold profound spiritual power, creating ripples of healing and transformation.
Engage in heart-centered service. This could be community building, educating others, or having an impact those around you rooted in love, not burnout.
Return to plant wisdom. Sacred plants teach us patience, resilience, and the power of surrender. Let them guide your thoughts and decisions from a place of spiritual clarity. We have a number of ceremonies on the calendar.
4. Remember: Thriving Is Your Birthright
Our ancestors did not survive centuries of hardship so that we would merely exist in cycles of fear and depletion. They dreamed of us thriving.
Sing, dance, and celebrate life. Joy is not a betrayal of those who suffer—it is an offering of light. Throughout history, many communities have turned to song, dance, and celebration as a way to affirm their unbreakable spirit, even in times of hardship. This is the essence of spiritual resilience—choosing to embody light even in the face of darkness.
Create beauty in the world. The opposite of depression is not joy, its expression. Whether through art, ceremony, or community, your ability to create is a sacred expression of inner light and wisdom.
Prioritize healing and rest. A soul that is nourished and restored can better support others. Rest is an essential part of spiritual renewal.
The world needs awake, grounded, and spiritually sovereign individuals—not more exhausted souls drowning in despair.
Let us hold the vibration of love and hope for those around us, and lead from our hearts, not our wounds.
Holding the Vibration of Compassion & Hope
My prayer for us in this time is this:
Divine Consciousness, Great Creator, Mother Earth and Father Sky,
Let us hold the vibration of love and hope for those around us. Let us lead from our hearts, not our wounds.
Let us be the clear, radiant presence that brings healing, wisdom, and conscious intention into the world.
May we always remember—our peace is not a luxury. It is the foundation for creating lasting transformation.
Sacred Waters Sanctuary is a spiritual community dedicated to inner transformation, prayer, and conscious living. As a religious organization, we do not engage in political advocacy or endorse political ideologies. Our mission is to support individuals in their spiritual journeys through ancient wisdom, sacred plant allies, and community connection.
About the Author
Aria Tau is a Reverend of Sacred Waters Sanctuary and a Priestess of the Sacred Plants. She transitioned from a successful career in engineering and technology after a life-changing plant medicine journey with Grandmother Acacia, which reconnected her with her soul’s purpose.
Her personal healing journey led her deep into the habit patterns of the mind—the ones that kept her making decisions based on fear, anxiety, and the illusion that life is about survival. When she broke free from the limiting beliefs that told her she needed to overwork, chase ever-moving targets, and strive endlessly for happiness, she finally slowed down, turned inward, and began to listen to the whispers of her heart and soul.
From this place of intuition and deep inner knowing, Aria has guided herself—and hundreds of others—to quiet the noise of worry, doubt, shame, and fear, and to trust in their sacred power to change, transform, and most of all, thrive.
She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her divine masculine counterpart, Gabriel. Together, they are joyfully preparing to welcome their first child in March 2025.
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