The Ebbs and Flows in Healing

As we move through our lives, we often become aware of the cyclical nature of existence. Both in our individual lives and that of our communities and the planet as a whole. Much as the seasons we witness in the natural world, we too, have our cycles of growth, expansion, death, and rebirth. Within this concept, notice that each plant, animal, mountain, body of water, even the sky above, has its own cycle, within the greater cycles. These cycles exist on the most microscopic of levels, up to and beyond what we know of the macrocosm, much like a constantly expanding and contracting fractal.

Anyone who has been seeking for any significant period of time, whether seeking healing, meaning, or inner truth, will have realized that the path is not linear, not always “forward” and often contains moments of resistance. We tend to circle back around to similar themes and challenges, exploring and expanding our depths. As we accept this and release resistance to the phase we are in, and in fact, cultivate a sense of gratitude for this quality of existence; we can flow more smoothly within these natural cycles and attune to our present needs more adeptly.

As related to the process of healing from chronic dis-ease, (physical, mental, emotional) cultivating balance in how we treat ourselves can assist in keeping things safe, effective, and aligned. There is wisdom and blessings we garner from mindfully immersing ourselves in our present experience. Even the challenging times, in fact, especially the challenging times, gift us with a depth of self-knowledge and understanding, offer the possibility of healing and unwinding, and assist us to discover new sources of empowerment.

So what does this mean then, allowing for the Ebbs and Flows in your healing process? It starts with the understanding that there are quite distinctive phases such as: Letting Go, ReBalancing, Nourishing, Moving, etc. There are many words and useful metaphors to call upon when attempting to describe the phases we move through–the key is finding what resonates with you.

Letting Go can contain such things as detoxification, addressing pathogens, grief processes, forgiveness practices, etc. Letting Go can be active or passive, often a blend of both, a dance between conscious movement and choice, and surrender. In looking to the natural world, Letting Go is represented by the Autumn Season: the last of the harvest, when the trees drop their leaves.