Navigating Through Times of Transition
Transitions poignantly carry us into new life, as the familiar gives way to the unknown future.
During times of transition we are bound to touch a liminal space, a space in between what we know and what we are about to walk into. With one foot in the old life and another in the new, the ground of on which we are used to standing might feel shaky.
This place of vulnerability and openness to uncertainty serves as fertile ground for transformation and for birthing of new life.
As change steps into our doorway, we can either invite her to enter or we can shut the door in fear and resistance. If we welcome this capricious guest and roll with her, she’ll take her rightful place in our domain. She won’t behave like our typical guest though.
She might rearrange our furniture.
She might throw away what we cannot afford to keep.
She might whip up a temporary chaos.
She might make us cry.
She will, for sure, create space for our becoming, creating space for new life to be BREATHED IN.
Then, she’ll leave us in peace…
Until next time!
What is essential in us, though, will not be touched. On the contrary, as the layers of our cocoon are peeled away, our essence will emanate into the world with greater potency.
In the times of change, we need to learn to live with uncertainty. As a solid state of the familiar becomes fluid and the shape it will take is not yet known, we learn to surrender and to let go of control. We learn to grapple with feelings of fear and excitement, allowing ourselves to feel them without getting overwhelmed.
The tendency to go back to our comfort zone is normal. The new, often times, feels unpredictable and threatening. We might cling, shut down, numb, and avoid contact. We might distract ourselves from our inner process. Each one of these inner movements is intelligent.
Transitions often serve as thresholds that usher us into a greater version of ourselves. We need to ripen and have enough sustenance to pass through the rights of passage. With new found strength and courage, we become capable of living our new lives.
Transitions without loss are impossible. One of the primary emotions that surface during this time is grief. This emotion keeps the heart alive on the journey, if we let it flow through us. If we repress our grief, our hearts close, holding in tightly the tears that beckon to be released.
Grieving is a form of shedding. This feeling can expand our being, so that we can continue to live our lives with greater fullness and depth. So we can allow the intelligence of life to take us to new becomings, new loves, and new horizons.
As the river of life carries us forward, we will find new ground to stand on. With refreshed eyes, hearts and bodies, we once again look into the world with innocence, juicy aliveness and pure anticipation of what is yet to come.
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