DailyOM

So my best friend Karole encouraged me to sing up for this Daily OM thing a little while ago. i'm not one for this metaphysical horsecrap, i don't have the patience for yoga (my shit falls asleep) and thinking too much about myself and my future makes me sad & cranky. the Daily OM comes into my email box everyday and every other day or so, something hits a nerve or strikes fairly close to home.

i ended a 10 year relationship in April 2007. it took many months to completely separate myself physically from the ex, and at this point, he even still has my cats at the house that was once ours. (but that's an entirely different blog)

when i read this today, it's obvious that a huge part of me should have died with the end of the relationship, and a new me should be born. i wondered to myself how long that transition should take? i wonder if some of the difficulties i am experiencing with the new wonderful boyfriend are a result of my not being fully aware of the parts of my that have died and may still be dying and interfering in our complete happiness. the new dude also ended a relationship this past year. 9one not nearly as tumultuous and ingrained in our livlihood as mine, but nonetheless...) i think i should bring this up to him, to try to use this as a way for us both to work through some of the problems we are having. not as an excuse, but as a tool. to stop for a moment and think - is this a part of me that is dying and i am afraid of losing, so that i must embrace the loss and a birth and open myself up to the possibility that love and protection are being offered?



i dunno. maybe it's a buncha hooey. i'll be back, after i think about it more.







June 12, 2008

Life Transitions

The Death And Rebirth Of Self Sometimes a part of us must die before another part can come to life. Even though this is a natural and necessary part of our growth, it is often painful or, if we don’t realize what’s happening, confusing and disorienting. In fact, confusion and disorientation are often the messengers that tell us a shift is taking place within us. These shifts happen throughout the lives of all humans, as we move from infancy to childhood to adolescence and beyond. With each transition from one phase to another, we find ourselves saying good-bye to an old friend, the identity that we formed in order to move through that particular time.
Sometimes we form these identities in relationships or jobs, and when we shift those areas of our life become unsettled. Usually, if we take the time to look into the changing surface of things, we will find that a shift is taking place within us. For example, we may go through one whole chapter of our lives creating a protective shell around ourselves because we need it in order to heal from some early trauma. One day, though, we may find ourselves feeling confined and restless, wanting to move outside the shelter we needed for so long; the new part of ourselves cannot be born within the confines of the shell our old self needed to survive.
We may feel a strange mixture of exhilaration and sadness as we say good-bye to a part of ourselves that is dying and make way for a whole new identity to emerge in its place. We may find inspiration in working with the image of an animal who molts or sheds in order to make way for new skin, fur, or feathers to emerge. For example, keeping a duck feather, or some other symbol of transformation, can remind us that death and rebirth are simply nature’s way of evolving. We can surrender to this process, letting go of our past self with great love and gratitude, and welcoming the new with an open mind and heart, ready for our next phase of life.