Embracing the Wisdom of Change

As our world continues its historic acceleration towards major metamorphosis, and many of us, find ourselves on an intense journey of rebirth and reinvention, what can the powerful wisdom of change teach us on our path forward?

Rebirth – The Phoenix

In the powerful mythology of the Phoenix, it is said that the great bird, aged and tired, flew to the City of the Sun Egypt. There, atop the Temple of the Sun, on a nest of spices of every color and variety, the great bird welcomed its fate. As the sun ignited the nest, the old phoenix died in a spectacular display of flames and a new, young phoenix emerged. Adorned ever so beautifully with shining purple, red, and golden plumes, the young phoenix rose from the ashes, ready to live again, reborn.

As many of us find ourselves on path towards major change and like the great phoenix, preparing for a grand rebirth, what can we learn about the natural wisdom of change to keep us moving forward?

Act I: The Natural Cycles of Change

To us decay is death, but to nature it is another beginning.
~ Steven Callahan, Author, “Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea”

Every day, month, season, year, the Earth cycles through an ever-consistent pattern of change. Leaves fall and regenerate, crops die and regrow, animals shed their skin to allow for greater growth, and the seasons come and go refreshing the Earth each time. The underlying truth of life is CHANGE and none other than nature understands this best. Nature recognizes that to survive, evolve and thrive, change is necessary and organically woven into the cycles of life.  But for humans, we’re not quite as attuned to this natural process.

For us, the process of change is understandably difficult. We fight against physical change by seeking ways to hide or obstruct the aging process, when aging, is a natural, revered part of life. When it comes to change within – emotionally and mentally, an even greater battle ensues. Many of us spend years if not an entire lifetime, running from or ignoring the growth and change we need internally. So entrenched, rigid and comfortable we become in the status quo of our thinking, in our wounds and traumas, in our fear, that we gradually become stuck where we are, blocking our own path towards self-mastery and higher purpose.

Like a wise teacher, Nature and our powerful phoenix, teaches us by example, to accept the cycles of change as natural and necessary for growth. It teaches us not to resist what must be let go and transformed. And it teaches us to follow the flow and cycles of change as they occur. The seasons must come and go, the leaves must fall and decay – they will undoubtedly regenerate, the phoenix will be reborn. The cycle will begin again, repeat itself over and over, every time providing rebirth, sustenance and regeneration.

To attune to this powerful, natural flow of change, we only need to learn to integrate with the abilities we already have within us. We’re not meant to be living life blindly, and if we listen closely and align to our own inner cycles and rhythms, we discover that we’ve already been receiving the guidance and clues we need to master the change game. Like a juicy mystery novel, the clues have been there all along, guiding our steps. We just need to learn to observe, listen and get out of our own way!

Act II: The Call – Follow the Clues Within

Penny believed with her whole heart that there were moments – crucial instances – that defined who someone was going to be. There were clues or signs, and you didn’t want to miss them.
― Mary H.K. Choi, Author, “Emergency Contact”

Any good detective follows clues, and that’s what we have to become in a life that is ultimately, the greatest mystery we’ll ever know. Constantly unraveling and unfolding before us, life is always presenting us with paths to choose and changes to make. One way we can become smarter at recognizing these pathways for change, is to follow the clues and hints we already receive. I call these signs and synchronicities easy clues and hard clues. And they’re sprinkled all throughout our life path, providing us hints on where to go and what to do next.  We just need to practice paying attention!

Soft Clues (The Easy Way)

What I consider soft clues are gradual, slow-burn hints that reveal themselves to us bit-by-bit, consistently over time as feelings, urgings, and nudges. Before committing to a major shift in my life and retiring from a 20+ year military career, a sense of dissatisfaction and discontent had been gradually permeating my daily existence. Even while my life was stable, my career was advancing, and all looked well (on the outside), I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was missing, like I had another purpose to fulfill and I wanted more. I had outgrown where I was and who I was, and I felt dissatisfied with where I found myself. Over time these feelings kept getting stronger and deeper until eventually, retirement was the only solution and the catalyst I needed, to shift into the life path of my dreams.

Soft clues are gentle and non-intrusive (at first). They start as an inkling of something and then eventually become clearer and louder over time if no action is taken. Examples of soft clues include higher spectrum feelings like excitement, curiosity, intrigue, joy and lower spectrum feelings like discontent, dissatisfaction, lack of fulfillment, boredom, and/or dullness. They include nudges like an intriguing idea to go back to school which eventually facilitates a career change, an exciting urge to travel which eventually leads to meeting your best friend or partner, an overdue desire for healing which facilitates wholeness and authenticity, an inevitable urge to retire which eventually facilitates a new path altogether. Soft clues are the universe’s easy way of letting you know when it’s time for change and expansion, reminding you that there is more to do and be.

Hard Clues (The Hard Way)

The hard clues on the other hand … not as gentle. The hard clues guarantee the same result but in a more dramatic, tumultuous fashion. At the point where you’re getting hard signs, it means the soft clues have not been acknowledged and bigger, more dramatic hints are needed. Hard clues are abrupt, possibly chaotic, unmistakable and they take on a harsher profile. You can experience hard clues like intense feelings of resentment, restriction, repression, grief, rage. You start to question everything – life, purpose, meaning. A dark night of the soul may be experienced. You may witness or experience chaos suddenly: you may get fired, you may be passed over for projects, you may break up with a significant other out of the blue, or you may have accidents or other crisis-like events. Hard clues are catalyzing signs or events that are meant to pry you loose from your stagnant [and stubborn] grip on the status quo. Hard clues force change to occur rather than coaxing it like soft clues. As a frequent recipient of hard clues and a recurring backpacker on the hard road, it’s a necessary path if a stalemate has occurred in your life, or you’ve been subconsciously blocking your own growth and evolution.

Regardless of which version of clues you receive, the end goal is always the same: to push you towards alignment and connection with your inner self, deep self-examination and then ACTION towards change and growth. Know there is no judgment on which clues or path is acknowledged or taken, only action and growth matters.

Act III: Action

In order to rise
From its own ashes
A phoenix
First
Must
Burn.
~  Octavia Butler, Author, Parable of the Talents

The Power of Fire – Re-ignition, Courage, Action, Rebirth

As iconic as the legend of the phoenix is, it’s really the energy and power of fire that takes center stage in this story. Fire for many cultures around the world, symbolizes the act of ignition, illumination, burning away, and letting go – the energy of ACTION. The phoenix used the act of fire to burn away its old form to make way for the rebirth of a new one. Humans can also use the wisdom and energy of fire to inspire the same.

Fire wisdom reminds us that when our clues and signs are guiding us towards change, action is our next big step. As long as we’re taking action on our nudges and feelings and not derailed by fear, we have an opportunity for growth. But most of us often freeze in fear at the action stage – we’re doing ok in our comfort zone, isn’t it safer to stay the same we often ask?

We need to remember that the comfort zone is comfortable and safe precisely because it stays the same. Sameness is the absence of difference, the quality of not changing. And in this way, the comfort zone does not challenge, it does not push, it does not introduce new opportunities that seem risky. Its purpose is simply to keep us at ease and untroubled, which is fine for a time, but not forever. Because we’re meant to grow and expand beyond who’ve been to become more. And the only way to do that, is to step away from the comfortable, into the uncomfortable, the new, the challenges presented to us. These are opportunities for growth, and opportunities to take action on what we’re being called to do. In other words, opportunities to step into the fire and become new.

Fire symbolism calls for us to re-ignite our sense of courage, to be brave in the face of fear so that we can keep taking ACTION on the things we desire and the clues we’re being given. It asks us to step outside our comfort zone, to be bold in the uncomfortable and not be afraid of failure. It asks us to do as the phoenix does: to follow the cycles of change and LET GO of what no longer serves so that a rebirth becomes possible. Such is the natural cycle of life and change after all.

Let Change, Change Us

In this era of great growth potential, it’s time to let change, change us. If we can learn to become leaders and architects of change rather than its victims, these powerfully transformative times can gift us an opportunity to evolve beyond the status quo and the old stories we’ve long outgrown

We’re heading towards an uncharted future I don’t think any of us could ever imagine or foresee. Those who will thrive best in this new era of transformation and metamorphosis, will be those who are brave and resilient enough to flow with the momentum of change and powerfully aligned to the guidance and clues already within leading the way.

For those experiencing a major change cycle now, keep going, push through to the breakthrough, right there with you.

~Carmen