Our 2023 Intention
Nature has so much to teach us humans. We tend to think everything must grow bigger, better, faster. Always an upward trajectory. But truly we have to learn to let go a little more and ride the shifts, circles and spirals as they appear to us so we can transform into our essential selves. As we learn and grow together this year, we will follow the metamorphosis of the butterfly, “Riding the Waves of Change.” The work offered this year is what I have been learning in Wayfinder Training with Martha Beck. This work seems deceptively simple and it something every human might need to know as change is always happening. If you are ready to fall more deeply into your life, join us for this transformation as we grow together in 2023.
In winter, we will honor square one of the change cycle: death and rebirth. This is where a catalytic event comes in and tells you it is time to begin again. This could be a happy, planned event (wedding, childbirth, move, job change). This could be a rug pulled out from under you change (global pandemic, diagnosis of some kind, divorce, a literal death). This could even be a change that just happens over time due to nature (puberty, aging, menopause). We may be at square one in our career, while in another square in other aspects of our lives. These loops and spirals are always occurring in our lives at different times and in different arenas. We will be pulled to square one many times in our life. We may even fight going there with every ounce of our being. But if we pause and resist the fight, this melting down of who we thought we were allows us to emerge as something new. Build a cocoon and rest. There is nothing to be done but let your old self go. The key is surrender and rest.
As we delve into Square One it is very similar to the idea of wintering. It is in the still, quiet where things lie fallow underground. This can be disconcerting if you don’t expect it. It is not our normal habit in society to pause and acknowledge that something has happened. Our motto is often, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” In reality we may wish to use this one from Martha Beck, “I don’t know what the hell is going on. And that’s okay.”
If you find yourself in a season of square one, a season where you are being called to let go of your old self and find a new way, it can be helpful to adopt a “Don’t know mind” from Buddhism. Not knowing is a positive thing and uncertainty will always be a part of our lives. Allowing ourselves not to know lets go of the way we define ourselves, the roles we play and the hats we wear. We can even allow it to be a little fun if we can let go. The struggle / suffering occurs when we hold on too tightly to the way things were. Surrender and rest.
Here are some things I have learned in my recent studies that are affirmed by times / cycles of change in my life. It is important to build a cocoon, this is your permission slip to introvert and stay in bed!
To remember / do in this cycle:
This is an internal process
Think small movements
Create a grief playlist
Read books around stillness and peace
Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller
Pause, Rest, Be: Stillness Practices for Courage in Times of Change by Octavia F. Raheem
Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
Wintering: the Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh
Journal
What are the things you are telling yourself?
What is coming up around this loss?
Yin Yoga
Shamata or Vipasana meditation
If you find yourself in a time of catalytic change, may you get still, quiet and rest. If you wish to just enjoy the season of Wintering, may you get still, quiet and rest. Wherever you may be, whatever is happing in your life, may you ride the waves of change as they carry you to the other side.
With love,
Liz
