My mom often would sign and say “we live in interesting times.”  Even now I can hear her voice and see her smile as she says it.  Well,I think we can all agree that this year has certainly been interesting…
As I reflect on 2020,  I am reminded how Jean Houston loved to use the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of OZ to illustrate the Hero’s Journey; frequently telling me to imagine where I was on my own hero’s journey…

Looking back on this year, that’s easy. Like many of you, I stood on the edge of a field of new possibilities, contemplating a year colored by my dreams, plans, and desires… my destination clearly visible, my own Emerald City right there in front of me.  And then, after boldly moving forward for a few months, I found myself, having unwittingly stepped into that field of poppies, trapped in the pandemic pause… that restless spell of entropy.

Entropy: Lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.

With such a global breakdown of old structures, old patterns, and ways of being, entropy could be the perfect word to describe these times we’ve all been experiencing.  A year where planning became all but impossible with directions unknown and a future unfathomable.

But then, another teacher recently pointed out to me that what we perceive as chaos can also be considered a complexity that has not yet been realized.

Now, I find myself reflecting on this last year a little differently.  Embracing the challenges and the sometimes very trying experiences as ones that have been reshaping me, helping me prepare for a new, deeper adventure.

Like that imaginal cell of the emerging butterfly still wallowing in the mush that was once a caterpillar, I am now aware of a greater call arising from deep within… a sense of quickening that foretells something magical is trying to happen.

So, now is a time to re-envision those dreams of the possible.  To listen deeply to new wisdoms beginning to emerge.  To be ready to organize into that awakening butterfly.  So yes, we really do live in interesting times­–times that invite us to step into a greater story.

Warmly,