Why all this talk about ‘story’ anyway?
Actually, ‘changing the story’ is a buzzword these past
years. We hear the call for a ‘new story’ from many places; from the Occupy
movement to climate change activists, from indigenous peoples standing strong
in the face of colonial policies, from our teachers and grassroots leaders
everywhere. We begin to understand that
when we change our story, the way we see and interact with the world,
everything changes. Changing our story changes the world’s story.
Many leaders and teachers have counseled us that the future
is created when we make ‘a new story’. Psychology
tells us, change one piece of a system and, of necessity, the whole system
changes. Thanks to grassroots movements
we see the cultural story being changed all around us. Our times might best be described as the era
of the old paradigm loosening its hold while the new emerges.
The message is inescapable.
But, we ask, what can I, personally, DO in the face of an
all-pervasive paradigm? We charge up our
activism and take to the streets. We sign petitions, write letters, make phone
calls, visit lawmakers depending on our skills and inclination. We do research or make impassioned speeches. We talk to our friends and figure out how to
talk to those who don’t agree with us.
And we just might turn to the ancient Hermetic adage: “As
above, so below” and its modern corollary, “As without, so within”. This is a traditional description of what
today is referred to as the microcosm reflecting the macrocosm. While we do the work of change out there in
the world, we augment it with our inner work.
But, as any of us who have tried to change can attest, ingrained
habits die hard. We can court change as
though it were a lover, but until we do our internal work, we continually find
ourselves falling back into the old ways, the well worn patterns of thinking,
feeling, speaking and acting. So what
can we do? How do we foster
transformation within and without and move forward?
I have asked many people these questions during my years of
counseling, mentoring and teaching. Some
of us think we can only change when our back is to the wall. We have to hit that proverbial bottom of the
pit with no possibility of escape before we take a new path.
Others of us can make a decision, create an intention and
keep it before us, feeding it and making the fulfillment of it the focus of our
attention. This is hard work and
incredibly rewarding. We learn that we
can come through for ourselves in the most meaningful of ways.
Sometimes we find that we are just plain bored living out
the same old same old. And change
occurs, just like that. As though
someone turned off, or on, a switch in our personalities. And the old ways fall away. Like a snake growing a new skin, we move forward
in our lives, nurturing our world.
And so, we gather our allies, those who we can count on to
support us. We gather our self-care
techniques and the expressions of our own growth that we have watched over the
years. We remember who we are and turn to those who can remind us when we
forget. We forgive ourselves when we forget.
We speak our truth, even when it is hard. We remember gratitude for each and every time
we remember who we are growing into.
Resilience
The wild beating heart
stands present and at
the ready
when life calls.
Showered in golden light
it illumines all. And
yet
if we travel the distance
there exists
an edge.
And at that edge, at that
exact place where
light meets dark, that is
the home of excitement.
Growth twines through our lives
in strength,
in mystery. We finite
humans,
we never know
cannot know,
when we open that door
to change, what
we will find. But the
adventure of stepping forth
in wonder
begs the tantalizing
question we name
Beauty.
She calls to us once.
And again, until
tugging at my heart,
I jump.
And, once more
find that I
can
fly.
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