Go with the flow: your true nature

Though we all long for a better life, we may find ourselves shying away from making even the most positive changes. We may desire the end result, but we dread the disorientation and loss that precedes most spiritual and emotional growth. It's "a space where we no longer are who we used to be, yet haven't become who we are becoming," says Estelle Frankel, author of Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness.

Such "in-between times" are most often ignored by modern society, she adds. But if we can find a way to place our struggles in a larger context--as many ancient cultures did--we can gain insight into "sacred processes that occur at all levels of creation."

Frankel cites the three stages of creation, as defined by Rabbi Isaac Luria, that apply to personal rites of passage: tzimtzum (withdrawal from ordinary life), shevira (shattering of old connections) and tikkun (healing and restoration). "Knowing we are on a journey that has distinct stages--and knowing where we are on the journey--can help us find our balance when the very ground on which we have stood is shifting," she states.

"Jewish mystics of old were acutely aware that in those moments when things feel most broken and hopeless, tikkun becomes possible," Frankel notes. "This essential optimism is at the very core of the Jewish mystical tradition, which sees every person as a participant in the healing of this broken world."

All transitions--in the earth, in ourselves--produce great energy. If we are able to stay focused and remain flexible, these forces can allow us to withstand and overcome nearly any obstacle. From the depths of crisis comes the possibility of transformation--for as long as the journey continues.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group