Are you ready to be reborn? To carry out a spiritual inventory of your human existence? Out with the old and in with the new? Or perhaps, you haven’t even thought about it. Yes, life tends to get in the way like that, doesn’t it?
But I cannot help but feel elated whenever at the doorstep of yet another spring. And urged, by some deep cosmic force within me, to dig deep into the bucket-source of my intentions and brainstorm ways to close the gap between them and my actions, so that I could be transformed again into yet another version of myself that I had envisaged and longed to be.
Yes, spring inspires us like that, pulling our internal clocks and compasses along on its mission to transform the Earth. She activates us to begin the journey, but sticking it out is entirely our responsibility.
And as an (amateur) expert of starting over, somewhere and something new – a “trend” that to the eye equipped by the lens of cold (and misinformed) intellect and disconnected from the soul might seem like meandering through life – I thought I'd share my favourite methods for helping transformation happen.
"Not all those who wander are lost"—J.R.R. Tolkien
Walk. No route, no destination. Just let your feet and your heart guide you. Let yourself wander and let your mind wander. I often feel like letting go of actively trying to reach a conclusion or find an answer allows providence to rush in. And things are revealed to me that I wasn’t able to see before. It’s a lot like star gazing: you can’t see a star clearly when you stare directly at it, you have to look away.
“Give me a spark of Nature's fire, that's the learning I desire.” – Robert Burns
Spend time in nature. The spirit of nature is contagious, and if you sit still enough for long enough in its embrace, it will heal your soul and calm your mind, allowing you to really hear your inner voice! I find observing every little thing that makes up nature very educational. We are the dominant species on this planet but we can learn so much about closing the gap between who we are and who we want to be from even the tiniest most fragile living things.
“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
Travel. Interacting with an unknown environment and discovering new cultures introduces us to new concepts. In addition, of all methods of escapism, travelling is by far the most constructive and healthy one! I find that leaving my everyday life behind has the long-term effect of altering my everyday behaviour. And that's indispensable to transformation because as Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Travelling allows that process to unfold naturally and with ease.
“A personal journal is an ideal environment in which to “become”. – Brad Wilcox
Keep a journal. Laying out your thoughts and feelings on a blank, (non-judgmental) piece of paper, allowing emotions to flow from your heart and gut through your bones, muscles and tendons, to your fingers and onto the paper is therapeutic and enlightening. And through time, the words you've written will be a memory of just how much you've metamorphosed, and prepare you for your next transformation by providing proof, and instilling you with confidence that, yes, no matter how big the gap between where and who you are and where and who you'd like to be, you can close it. You've done it before, and you will do it again, for many springs ahead – literal and metaphoric.