The Virtue of Impatience | Catherine Viel

By Catherine Viel, January 21, 2023

(Golden Age of Gaia)

January 20, 2023

Patience must be the charm
To heal me of my woe:
Patience without offence
Is a painful patience.
~Thomas Wyatt, Patience, Though I Have Not



I recently become interested again in homeopathy. I researched it ten or fifteen years ago, but haven’t paid much attention since.

But a friend’s talking about it over the last couple of months prompted me to get out the slender introductory book I bought from my homeopathic veterinarian perhaps a dozen years ago. Alas, she retired, but luckily, books never retire.

I remember that I was confused reading that book a dozen years ago. Back then, I was only tangentially familiar with alternative therapies and energy work such as Reiki. I’m better versed now in what I’m pleased to imagine is how the universe really works. This time around, the book makes more sense…even its disclaimer that long-standing diseases or conditions may take (gulp) years to heal with homeopathy.

People in straits more dire than mine must be foaming at the mouth (not literally, one hopes). How many of us have declined existing healing protocols because we’re sure “med beds are just around the corner“?

I’m not immune to the wishful thinking. My reasoning goes, why spend time and energy for costly conventional or alternative therapy that may not even work, when we’ll be completely cured of everything practically in an instant, real, real soon?

*****



Every time unpleasantness in any flavor arises in my life, a prissy little reminder pops up in my head: take a breath, go to the heart, remember, all is well.

Because my patience is running on empty, I must resist the urge to treat the prissy little voice to a rude hand gesture.

Such disgruntlement might just be the ego or inner child having a little fit. One suggestion might be to acknowledge the fit, but return as soon as possible to the equanimous assurance that all is really well despite how bad it looks.

After all, if we give in to the hissy fits of ego or inner child, who will do the essential work of anchoring the Light and energetically spreading love? Not to mention, perpetual impatience and frustration are debilitating.

*****



When I get right down to it, it’s all just a passing mood. Impatience and frustration aren’t permanent. Neither are feelings of freedom and contentment (though I dare to hope that in the New Earth, freedom, contentment, and all good things shall be the permanent norm).

Since I allow frustration to flow into and then out of my sphere, after the initial surge of unpleasantness or family triage passes, I can find solace by picking up a sketchbook and some brilliant, cheerful colored pencils. When I’m not mad enough to spit tacks at the universe, I become willing to tender the payment of patience and trot out faith and trust to saturate my psyche.

It might be a stretch to express gratitude, that stellar virtue, for impatience. Acknowledgment may have to do. I can hope for universal allowance to feel and express—and even publish!—all the ups and downs of my experience. Even when it reflects bone-deep displeasure at the way things are, and pathological impatience for the ancient nastiness of the world to be fully, permanently routed. And the new beauty to be fully installed.

They say patience is a virtue. I say, so is impatience, when respectfully acknowledged and given its voice and due. Who knows? Perhaps a bit of righteous impatience at the world’s continuing iniquities can chivvy along the unfoldment of New Earth in a way no amount of acceptance and trust and faith could do.