The forerunner of change in my experience is resistance. And I love it. It forces me to take a deeper, a closer look and to prepare myself for what I am letting go of in order to make space and then welcome the New. I took this article as an invitation to look at the state of the world and at my own resistance to this immanent change.
Being a part of these times of changes is painful to me, it is troubling and overwhelming. One day while particularly saddened by the endless fires and the losses of so many life forms, I was reminded that many have been here before us and many have ceased to be.
This here city where I live, was once a forest inhabited by species that are long forgotten and ways of life that we living here now, cannot remember. The bears have vanished, the wolves are just returning and many wish the never had. Very few are intrigued by our far away ancestors, those that lived in these long-gone forests along with many gods, rituals and potions. There were druids and sages, healers and witches and we all know of their unfortunate fates.
All this is so far gone, so deeply buried in unawareness and under the many new adaptations our species have undergone since then, my generation and those before me seem to have forgotten that there was ever a time we lived differently. And does it matter? I am not sure. All I know is, these thoughts have made me feel more compassionate towards my own resistance.
The reflection has humbled me towards accepting that change and transformation are a part of the cycle of life, a part of evolution and who am I to decide, when and how it is to take place. Ideally, I would prefer the physical and natural world to remain as it is, to put it on hold to give us time to adapt and make the necessary changes so that our next 7 generations get to witness and experience life in all its forms known to me. But is this up to me?
Yes and no. It is not up to me to stop evolution or change from happening. But it is up to me to not stand in the way, to not stop new forms of life from unfolding and this means letting go of old ideas of how this world is supposed to be. It requires a great deal of flexibility and trust, of surrendering.
This change is hard for all of us whom have walked this earth until now, taking the oceans, the lakes and rivers, the fresh air, the ancient forests and each new tree, all the insects, all the animal kingdom and the endless offerings of the earth for granted. It was supplied, it was functioning and I cannot imagine a world in which anything I know now ceases to be.
So how can I be open and humble about this approaching change, when every fibre of my body is aching with the pain of loss and the worry of not being able to understand the world that is approaching.
I will begin with disconnecting from the panic that is only self-serving and that keeps me from being able to respond, to act. Change requires acceptance. It is from acceptance and peace that power and energy arise, constructive power and energy. And this is what is needed. The instant I accept that this change is simply what it is, I can focus on being more loving, attentive and caring with myself and all that surrounds me. I can be patient with my fear and the fuller and richer I become in love and appreciation, the easier it becomes to not take change personal.
I can now choose to protect rather than defend, feel responsible instead of guilty, inspired instead of frustrated and to give into joy instead of fear. These little changes in our thinking, in our speaking, in our manifestations are our power.
My daily practice is to rest in the awareness, that my pain is my fear of loss, my anger is my helplessness in facing change and my sadness is my deep love, appreciation and care for all that exists here on this beautiful earth with me.
So rather than fight I will love more fiercely, I will care more openly, I will speak more honestly, I will extinguish my own fires first, one conflict, one unawareness at a time. I will use my knowledge and my privilege to support all efforts of love and healing, I will show compassion instead of rage towards those whose own fires are burning them up alive.
May this change inspire you!
With love
Charu Eliza Hermsdorf
Co-Founder of DIMA Mallorca, A Centre for Conscious Living
Mediator and Conflict counselor at MediateBerlin
www.mediateberlin.com
