Emerging into the Light

We all have times of crisis in our lives. I like to remind myself as well as others that the symbol for “crisis” also means “opportunity” in Chinese.

It’s so easy to fall into believing life is over. Our fear pops up of the unknown and generates a vicious spiraling downward. Our Monkey Minds take over and spew forth negativity. Sometimes the flames of crisis are fanned by put downs and blame from others as well. A little part of you begins to believe you won’t be okay.  The pain of crisis feels like it reaches down to your core and pulls you up by the roots!

Seeing any life crisis through brings you to facing your demons down and knowing yourself and what you are capable of more fully. We develop confidence that we can do what we need to do. I call this process emerging into the light.

When we grapple with crises successfully, we find our guiding principles and the intentions we must honor in order to be true to ourselves. Life crises provide the impetus for growth. We often wouldn’t choose what happens to get this growth, like a divorce or separation, the death of a dear one, the loss of a job. However, when what we go through leads to growth, a  redemption can occur that transforms our pain into something strong.

So how does this happen? There is no set recipe, sorry to say. It occurs one step at a time by faithfully being true to ourselves, reaching out for support, connecting with whatever feeds us spiritually, and just plain fighting to stay alive in the moment. The pain will subside over time. One book I recommend is When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. She teaches people how to be with the pain and befriend it rather than avoiding it. Strangely, going through the pain is the fastest way to heal and feel better. “What we resist persists!” is true.

Be patient and have compassion for yourself. Healing takes time.