As we all emerge from hibernation after what feels like an especially long winter, how are we positioning ourselves in this new landscape? It feels like a significant time of emergence, recalibration, reintegration and for some rehabilitation and healing.
There has been a wide spectrum of experiences and responses to the events of the past two years, for some it has been painful and traumatic,for others it has been a time to reset and reassess. Whatever the experience has been there is no doubt it has been a period of deep personal and collective transformation from which we are all in the process of dusting ourselves off and making our initial steps into a new normalcy.
Covid arriving in our lives plunged us into an existential state unlike any other we had experienced before; we have all been navigating these unknown waters and it feels as though we are collectively arriving back on solid ground once again.
But what is the land on which we are arriving? Is it familiar? Is it totally foreign? Do we feel we still have wobbly sea legs? Are we running onto the shore boundless and free? There will be a myriad of responses to this yet one thing we all share is that it is a new landscape.
I remember a homeopath once speaking to me about our emotional posture, the way in which we approach the world and our relationships.Just like our physical posture, which in many ways reflects our emotional posture, this is well worn over our lifetimes and can be hard to shift. Our emotional posture is formed from our early experiences and significant life events and is an unconscious way we meet life and in turn it meets us.
The Chinese word for ‘crisis’ contains two characters, one signifying ‘danger’ and one signifying ‘opportunity’. I feel we could learn a lot from the etymology of this Chinese word. There is the enlightened recognition that within danger also lies an opportunity. This approach to a crisis seems especially significant to me at this time, as an opportunity to shift our emotional posture both collectively and personally. With tenacity, awareness,motivation and the right support the existential crisis of Covid can be a powerful opportunity to grow and evolve.
As I watch the flowers bloom this season, I feel myself sniffing the air much like a bear leaving its cave having missed the alarm clock for a couple of summers! It feels different, it feels anew and yet also familiar. For many this time of reunion and summer frivolity is a much-needed tonic and for others it may seem daunting to leave the cave. Whatever our responses are they are all valid and they are all opportunities to change posture. If you would like any support over this period of transition whatever that looks and feels like, I would be very happy to be a guide to you.
Wishing everyone a nourishing and sun filled summer ahead.
