Rebirth
Earlier this week I was talking about changes and transformations with my therapist. She asked if I felt like the various changes I have been going through felt more like a snake shedding a skin, a caterpillar going through metamorphosis or a phoenix rising from the ashes.
I loved this way of framing the various kinds of changes we go through at different phases of our lives. They are similar but also very different and I think we all go through each different kind probably over and over again in our lives. Sometimes we go into periods of cocooning so that we can let the new emerge slowly and at other times we need to burn everything to the ground in one dramatic fell swoop and let the new be born from the ashes. Both are transformations, both are alchemy, and both are needed at different times and in different circumstances.
I’ve talked to so many people lately who feel like they individually and on a larger scale as a society are in the process of burning things to the ground or needing to burn things to the ground and start completely fresh. So, for this week’s edition of the Oracle Deck Wall Hanging Project, I chose the word “rebirth”.
Rebirth
Rebirth. Renewal. Renaissance. A complete letting go of what was and starting anew. A transformation of a kind—but maybe different than the transformation of a snake shedding its skin or the caterpillar becoming the butterfly. The phoenix burns and rises again from the ashes. It dies and is reborn. But the past is not gone completely; it alchemizes into the new. The ashes exist still, and the new is born from them. It is not a rejection of the thing that has died but rather an honoring of its sacrifice for the new to be able to emerge.
It’s like the land that needs to be burned in order to blossom.
Sometimes we need to burn everything to ashes in order to make space for what needs to come next. When everything is falling apart, maybe that’s part of the process and you need to let it completely collapse.
A rebirth is painful. It is messy. It is exciting. It can be terrifying. It is a lightening of the load, a letting go of what no longer serves you.
When creating, sometimes we become burdened by all the first drafts and the effort to preserve an idea of “what it should be.” What we might need to do is toss it all aside and start completely fresh. Or maybe it means diving deep into our souls and setting aside all the masks we’ve put on to meet others’ expectations—getting to the core of our essence and asking that tender little sprout: What do you want? What do you want to create? Who do you want to be?
Trust what will arise from the ashes - it may be more beautiful and powerful than you could ever imagine.
Creative Prompts:
If you could shed one thing and start fresh, what would it be?
Have you had times in your life where you went through a period of rebirth, what did that look like? What came out of it?
How do you know when it’s time for a rebirth? What signs show up in your life?
What does it mean to you to begin again? How can you offer yourself more gentle new beginnings?
Set a timer for 5 minutes and either write or draw your answers to these questions. See where it takes you.
Thank you for being a member of Gathered Threads and for following along with my Oracle Deck Wall Hanging Project! If you like this project and/or my work, i’d really appreciate it if you shared this post or anything I have made or done with someone you think would like it!
xoxox
Justice