The Opportunies in Change

The topic of change is constantly in the headlines and in our conversation these days: the changing economy, changing earth conditions, all kinds of changing circumstances that appear to have influence in our lives. Change can be powerfully uplifting and energizing, helping us to restore our spirit and spurring us forward to manifest our dreams. Change can also at times be deeply unsettling, impacting our inner serenity, seemingly making us feel powerless, thrown off course, or swept along in a current of what we might think are random circumstances.

What is interesting is that the constancy of change is, in fact, a part of our daily life. Each day our world changes from sunrise to sunset, and as the Earth spins rapidly on its axis, changing from second to second as it also hurls along its path around the sun, we are constantly in motion -- never where we were yesterday, or where we will be tomorrow. In the present we are also changing, as our body itself casts off old cells, replacing them with new ones freshly minted to support our continued existence. Change, occurring from second to second, has been a constant, consistent part of our reality from birth.

Yet this type of change never rocks us to the core, perhaps it is constant and reliable to us. We never fear when we wake up each morning that there will be enough oxygen to breathe, or enough gravity to hold us to the Earth, or even enough sky above, or enough ground below. We simply take these things for granted, and although we need them to exist in this time and place, their presence and abundance in our life is assumed.

It’s really the other kind of change – the surprising, unanticipated and very challenging kind – that is most meaningful and transformational. This type of change is actually a gift of great opportunity, if we choose to harvest from our upheaval the chance to change the way we navigate through our storm. This can awaken in us a spiritual thirst for a more profound connection, for the healing, wisdom and loving guidance of Spirit, Source Energy, God, a Higher Power, or whatever name you might elect for the Divine. It is most often the type of change that feels cataclysmic, even shattering, that sets our feet more firmly upon a path of seeking, a journey of the heart and soul for which there is no true destination, but leads each day to a deeper sense of peace, meaning and insight. We can use the change around us to change ourselves.

I can’t really put my finger on the exact day when I began to realize I had begun my own quest in earnest. Battered by the death of a spouse, a life-threatening illness and a series of wrenching events that each left me feeling more emotionally exhausted and deeply depleted than the day before, I somehow began to recognize and release some of my most limiting beliefs. From there I began to grow my own sense of the limitless nature of the Divine, the Universe and all its inhabitants. I began to understand the profound and simply unexplainable power of love. I began to make new choices. I began to heal.

For each of us such a “tipping point” occurs, somewhere in time. What causes us to emerge from the deep trance of fear to seek the light of happiness is as different and unique as there are people on the planet today. But it most often happens in the wake of change – a bus ride we don’t want that takes us on the most important journey of our life. And there are innumerable tools and techniques to assist us in navigating change along the way: music, books, CDs, lectures, a beautiful painting, an uplifting photograph, walks in nature, whatever feels personally nurturing to you or leads you to personal changes that render the forces around you far less meaningful.

Along with the magnificent works of our Satiama artists, musicians, teachers and authors, there are many personal techniques for managing change that can also support you to find serenity and peace, rather than feeling randomly tossed about by external events or by limiting thoughts, attitudes or choices. One of my personal favorites is what I call The Viking Funeral.

If I am deeply bothered by something, or feel the need to release a habit, an idea, a thought pattern, an illness, perhaps even a toxic relationship, I sometimes hold a Viking Funeral.

Here’s how to do it:

1. First, set your intention to be willing to release whatever you are trying to move past or through into a more peaceful place. Without this intention, a Viking Funeral will simply be an empty exercise.

2. Next, mentally build a beautiful and empty Viking ship. Build your ship in as much detail as you like. You can imagine the masts, the rough hewn wood, the slight rocking of the vessel, even the snap of the sails in the wind. The cargo hold and decks must be empty and ready to be filled up. Your ship is unmanned. It sits docked on a lake, river, stream or ocean, ready to begin its journey toward positive change.

3. Next, fill your ship with any habits, old beliefs, limiting thoughts, the memories of bad relationships, guilt, resentment, anger, hatred – you can fill your cargo hold until your boat is full, or simply load it with one or two things.

4. Next, push it away from the shore until the current catches it. Watch it move away from you, into the distance, in silence and peace.

5. Give deep thanks and gratitude to your Viking ship for carrying away those things that don’t serve you anymore, and say goodbye to them.

6. As your Viking ship reaches the horizon, imagine that you watch as it bursts into flames, until the ship and all the ashes disappear into the water.

7. Enjoy the return of the water to its beautiful, serene calmness. Your Viking funeral is over. Positive change is occurring.

It is our goal, our desire and our gift at Satiama to assemble and offer beautiful tools and techniques to nurture and encourage you on your personal journey, and to provide community along the way. How has change been a powerful catalyst for you? Would you like to offer a technique you use to assist or support you in navigating or effecting change in your life? Please share it with us below as we build The Satiama Community and support each other through change into a life without limit.
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