Emergence. I really love this word, at the moment.
To emerge from something or from somewhere we have been, in order to become something new, is desirable to most of us. One might consider the act of becoming, an art form.
Yet, there is the uncertainty of it all. That is often the most difficult part. Most of us love the idea of emerging into something new, into a better version of ourselves.
Yet, how many of us enjoy the growth pains that are par for the course?
How many are willing to shed familiar habits, behaviors and beliefs when the new path forward is still unknown. Change and letting go can be painful. And emergence is often messy.
Despite the challenges, I suppose that I find comfort in the consistency of change. Change is in our very nature. We are born, we develop and grow, and then we die. The life cycle is constant, even if the details of our lives are unknown.
In fact, we move through 12 stages of growth, according to developmental psychology, throughout our life span. Ranging from our first stage of prenatal development before birth to our late adulthood (80 years +), and then to our final stage of death and dying.
As a college student in my first few years of studying psychology at the University of Texas, I took my first class on developmental psychology and became enthralled with the capacity of human beings to move through all the milestones of the human life cycle, despite the challenges. Of course, no one is excluded from the environmental and systemic challenges along the way - the impact of trauma, illness and injury- yet the majority of human beings transcend these obstacles and continue to move towards growth.
Looking back, this was when I fell in love with the idea of resiliency. It amazed me to learn how so many children would be exposed to the challenges of life, even in the prenatal and early childhood stages, yet they would somehow find a way to keep growing, learning, and moving towards their fullest potential.
Despite the chaos and imperfection of life, humans have a certain knack for the "art of becoming".
And, as I continue forward in my own development and in my role as a trauma therapist, I continue to marvel at the capacity of humans, to emerge into new states of being, and, ultimately, into new levels of consciousness.
As many of us step into the role of leadership, parenting and carework, holding space for connectivity in the midst of physical distancing, I encourage you to remember that your innate wisdom is growth and healing. That your capacity to sit still with your own heartbreak and longing, is more powerful than you may know. And it is what will equip you to continue your support of others.
Day by day, moment by moment, we are all given the opportunity to emerge, to embrace the art of our own becoming.
The Art of Becoming
Can you feel that? Can you feel the art of your soul unfolding?
Mine aches sometimes with the grief of what I am letting go
But it swells with the truth that I am sensing in my bones
I think it might be the art of my becoming.
My body hears the call of transformation before my mind even catches on
She crashes into my awareness at times, like the pulsing, intense ache of contractions
I remember this feeling,
when I birthed my babies.
Why would it feel any different in my soul/mind/body
To birth a new creation, a consciousness, a new way of being?
My mind continues to fumble with this awareness, not sure where to hold on
Slipping on an ego that is afraid to surrender to what is not yet known.
Can you feel the art of your soul unfolding?
I think this is the place we belong
The place in which we are meant to gather
So, dear friend, join me here in this wild and precious space
Between what we know to be true and what it is still yet to be
Because I feel it in my bones
We have a new path to walk together
I think it might be the art of our becoming.
So, let me ask you again, can you feel that?
- Laura Shook Guzman
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