Living in Shamanic Consciousness Part Four: Transition and Cycles of Change

Published in Sibyl Magazine, April 2018

Throughout our lives we go through many transitions.  Some transitions, like starting a new job or moving into a new romantic relationship, are filled with excitement and anticipation.  Conversely, when that job or relationship ends, we often move into more uncomfortable feelings like grief or even dread.  When we are on the Spiral Path, we have a roadmap to guide us through any transition.

​The Spiral Path takes us through the Five Cycles of Change.  These Cycles are Water, Earth, Fire, Spirit and Air.  And while they are described in a linear way, they often occur in an overlapping or even simultaneous manner.
 
When we are feeling stuck, we are in an Earth cycle.  The old ways of doing things aren’t working, but we don’t know how to make a change.  Maybe we are in a job that has become tedious or boring.  We long for something new, but depend on the routine and financial stability the job provides.
 
The solution to being stuck in Earth is to move into Fire.  This can happen proactively, by putting out our feelers and searching for a new job or career path.  Or, we can keep putting in our time until something external forces a change.  Maybe we have a health crisis that sidelines us.  Or maybe we simply quit exerting any effort and our productivity declines to the point where our boss or clients start to notice and the job ends.
 
Either way, as we move into Fire our adrenaline rises.  The world we thought we could depend on is no longer the same.  We may feel abject terror at the thought of letting go of a job we’ve come to depend on, and move back and forth between Fire and Earth.  Simultaneously we may experience a sense of freedom and possibility that didn’t exist before.  If we choose to harness the energies of Fire to make the changes we need to make, in the midst of the chaos new potentialities arise.  As we continue to make the most of these emerging opportunities, we take actions that move us toward our goals.
 
Once we’ve done all we can do, it is time to move into surrender.  This is the cycle of Spirit.  It is a time of letting go, but it is far from passive.  Surrender is an act that requires trust and patience.  It also requires that we know when it is time to temporarily step back into Fire to take more action, before moving once again into surrender.   Our old way of being is over.  We do not know what the future holds.  We envision and work toward the future we desire with a prayer: this or something better.
 
Eventually, we are offered a new job.  We start a new business.  We decide it is time to retire.  We are in Air, we have been reborn and it is time to celebrate.  And then…
 
We move into Water.  We begin to dream a new dream.  And the cycle begins again.