I heard a talk by Michael Beckwith recently. I was impressed. He was asked if change requires pain, suffering, or chaos. We certainly see repeated evidence that this is so.
Dr. Beckwith had a wonderful answer. He said that we are pushed by pain until we are pulled by impulse. This resonates deeply with me.
Pain and chaos have motivated me to change many times. There have been changes I’ve wanted to make that I simply couldn’t make until the pain became severe. This all culminated in huge chaos for me about a decade ago and then something remarkable happened; Out of the darkest, deepest chaos, something else emerged. From that point on, I have been pulled by impulse to change, evolve, expand. There are still areas of my life that have required pain in order for me to find the willingness to change, but more often, I have been pulled by impulse.
What is this impulse? I call it Life, Spirit, or the Divine. You may call it God, Creator, or the Absolute. Others call it the Evolutionary Impulse. It is what will cause the daisy bud to open.
The bud is ready to burst with life, just as the baby birds have burst from their shells. I wonder what it is like to be on the inside of the shell as it is cracking. What if I could remember rushing from my mother’s warm, watery womb to the bright, expansive world beyond the womb? It was traumatic!
The world today is in severe crisis–in trauma. Are we on the verge of a birth, or evolutionary leap? Have we had enough pain to now be ready to move forward by impulse? In other words, are we ready to more forward by choice and intention to do what is right for our planet, each other, and the whole? Or are we going to continue to wait for someone or something else to take care of things.
Change will happen, by either pain or impulse. Which do you choose today?
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Carla,
This is a beautiful post. The choices seem breathtakingly stark. Why can’t we seem to make the right ones? Over and over, we stumble down the road only to find ourselves at still another crossroads.
Elora
I have found this to be powerfully true in my life as well. It’s so affirming to see this in words, paired with the bud and the baby birds. I’m finding I keep having to return to a sense of radical trust that most pain has a purpose and is not just random, senseless suffering.
dearest Carla.
I’m just catching up with you again after some t.l.c. here fore the house and garden. I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment and your energy vacillates (I think it’s common for creative women). Take heart. Your devotees are thinking of you (me included).
Here’s some more inspiration for you http://visionandverb.com/ a wonderful collection of women photographers and writers around the world. I think you would be very at home among them – they are the best.
Love
P
Thank you for your kind support, friends.
Pamela, I do visit Http://visionandverb.com/ from time to time and always enjoy. The post you sent on Tuesday was perfect. Thank you.
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