Transitioning With Grace

Autumn always awakens my awareness of transitions. Not only does the entire scenery change color, but each individual leaf on every tree is in a constant shift of shades of greens, golds, yellows, oranges, and reds. With every shifting shade and combination of them, the pattern of the palette continuously alters too.

Then, of course, there is the falling of the leaves – the gradual transition from tree to ground, from full foliage to bareness in various new measures day by day. The rise and set of the sun, and the length of the night and light incrementally inch through their own thresholds as well.

Like the changing season, life is full of transitions. From the moment the soul enters the womb, an endless sequence of them begins. The body develops in a rapid succession of changes, then carries the soul from womb to world.

In the world, the embodied soul then undergoes transition through various ages and stages, growing from infant to toddler to child to adolescent to adult, until gradually winding down to leave the body behind and proceed to the next one or world.

In between, you and I – the embodied souls – may face a multitude of additional transitions in relationships, careers, residences, levels of consciousness, and more. Such transitions – even the best of them – are not easy. They naturally incorporate intervals of instability in the liminal spaces between here and there. Transitions entail shedding, releasing, letting go of the old that was, and then birthing and rebirthing the next and new phase that will be. They empty us out and fill us up, again and again. Transitions are not easy; they may even make us feel queasy!

So, how can we move through the endless array of life’s transitions gracefully? As with all things, there are probably as many ways as there is individuality among people. What I share are simply some of the ones I have found especially helpful.

Be willing to transition at every stage of your life. If your heart is open and you have an open mind, the blessing will flow ~ T. D. Jakes

Firstly, fixing focus on that which is eternal offers a grounding anchor amid the ever-changing temporary tides of life. The soul is eternal. God, Source, Spirit is eternal. The relationship between them is eternal. Holding eternal identity and relationship in the center of the lens stabilizes and broadens the view of the purpose of all things. That perspective supports steady, patient, peaceful movement through the minute moment to moment experiences.

Next, looking to the abundant examples of transitions in nature can provide insight and guidance how to organically flow through them. The tree in autumn does not cling desperately to its leaves. It quietly releases them, then draws its energy inward to sleep during winter. While resting, the tree regenerates energy to recreate and produce when the time and circumstances are right and ready to support new growth. The tree does not resist the cycle of the seasons or perpetually push its energy outward through them all. Rather, it harmonizes with their intrinsic rhythm.

We humans, who are also part of nature, will similarly fare well to harmonize with the cycles of life, releasing, resting, replenishing, and recreating when indications of the time and atmosphere are favorable.

It is important that we allow ourselves the grace to assimilate before, during, after, and between transitions. Subtle energies and physical energies move at different rates. It takes time, patience, gentleness, and self-care for the body, mind, and emotions to process, catch up, and synchronize together.

A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it ~ Nikki Giovanni

Nurture, nurture, nurture. It is immensely valuable to give ourselves that space and grace. And while we are moving through that space, movement itself can help us experience the transition with grace.

Every time you walk, in fact, you are transitioning as you transfer weight from one foot to the other. As a practice, I invite you to slow it down to a pace at which you can pay close, comfortable attention to every moment of the movement as you lay one foot down and lift the other. No hurries. No worries. Just breathe and feel how natural it becomes to release the step behind you as you settle into the one before you. Keep it slow, smooth, easy, and meditative. You may just realize how naturally you already know how to transition gracefully and do it all the time!