Nature needs to take its course for butterflies and for us too .
Feeling unsure of the future is perfectly normal given present circumstances . The enormous changes we are going through collectively , mirror the cocoon phase in the lifecycle of a butterfly . Stay with me , I know the butterfly analogy is used a lot . But there ’ s a reason why ; nature ’ s processes hold so much wisdom for us to follow . The chrysalis ( or pupa ) for butterflies is the stage of waiting . A lot is going on inside , but not much on the outside . Between the caterpillar and the butterfly stages it ’ s a gooey mess ! Metaphorically speaking , it ’ s like that for a lot of us now too .
If you just try harder can you get to the next phase faster ? Maybe . Much of the time , no .
Nature needs to take its course for butterflies and for us too . Don ’ t try and end this stage too soon . The discomfort of not knowing exactly what ’ s happening , and what the end goal is , is an important part of the process . These are initiatory times . Our society encourages us to be ambitious . We ’ ve been trained since we were kids to envision our career trajectories , where we want to be in five years , and to work flat out to reach our goals . Being in a period — sometimes a prolonged one — of sensing the ground shifting under our feet , but not knowing what ’ s going on , can be nerve wracking . For many of us , it ’ s a new experience to be in the midst of big changes but not know if or how we ’ re supposed to direct those changes . We ’ re developing new skills by staying in the state of unknowing .
Are you stagnating or cocooning , and how can you tell ? When you ’ re in the middle of the larval goo it ‘ s often hard to know whether there ’ s more mess ahead or it ’ s time to muster the strength to break out and unfurl those gorgeous wings . Here are three ways to discern if you ’ re stagnating or cocooning while your butterfly forms :
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Listen to your Intuition .
In uncertain times it ’ s especially important to stay balanced . Use logic and reason , and also listen to your intuition . Create time for silence to hear what your wise inner self says about what you need right now . You may not always be able to have it when you want it ( this is where logic and reason come in ) but listen to your instinctive voice about being in this moment and in your next phase with as much equilibrium as possible . Ask , What do I need right now ?
Be honest about what motivates you .
If it ’ s primarily fear , perhaps you ’ re in a stagnation place and need some help getting out of it . But don ’ t underestimate how much timing can be out of our control . Stagnation can happen when you do nothing internal or externally . It ’ s not stagnation if you are taking deliberate action ( even within your
WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH
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