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The Four Seasons of Change

Just like the creative process of Mother Nature, there are 4 seasons of change we go through as living beings when our comfortable, known environment changes.  It does not mean that we go through them in a specific order or in a given time frame, or even that our personal seasons of change will follow the seasons that Mother Nature has so brilliantly formulated, however we will go through this natural process as a result of the natural stress response to any type of change.

Each stage has it's challenges as well as it's gifts.  We can approach each stage in one of two ways, either from a place of resistance, or a place of acceptance.  As you read through these four seasons, see if you can determine which "season" you find yourself in right now...

~  Fall ~

In the season of fall, things slow down, the transition of the old falling away to make room for the new.  In resistance, it can be a time of sadness for the loss of summer and what was, all the good times that have passed.  In acceptance, it can be a time of cleansing, cleaning up, making plans, goal setting and making improvements.  It is also the time for harvest and thanksgiving for the abundance around us.  There is peace in knowing that you can trust in the process of life and that you can plan ahead for summer to come again.

~ Winter  ~

When in the season of winter, it can look like things have died, when simply their energy is in a different state.  In resistance, this can be the most painful of times, for we cannot be anywhere else but here.  It can be a time of confusion and denial, a time of being in "mystery" where you just don't know what is going on.  This is usually the season when it is hard to understand the "Why" of everything ~ you are in the midst of change, and there is a sense of shock if the change has come suddenly and without warning...There is comfort in the saying..."This too shall pass..."  Approaching the season of winter from acceptance we allow ourselves to fully experience the change and the range of emotions that comes with it, in acceptance Winter can also be a time of regeneration and rest. 

~  Spring  ~

The season of spring from a place of resistance, can be a dormant state, lethargic, unmotivated to do much of anything.  Nothing seems to be happening...we don't plant any seeds, we create purely by default...
In acceptance, this can be a time of renewal and hope, planting the "creative seeds" of new growth, action, regeneration, a sign that healing has begun.  It can be a beautiful co-creative stage.

~  Summer  ~

Summer-time in resistance is a busy, busy time.  It can be filled with a sense of overwhelm, exhaustion, too much doing, not enough Being.  It is the experience of too much, too fast.  In acceptance, you are enjoying the moment, soaking it all in.  It is seeing the fruits of your labour, and although you sense the "non" permanence, you are able to live for the now, harvesting the growth, knowing that your life is always in a state of change, and you are focused fully on enjoying the moment while it is here.

 

For more insight into where you are in the Seasons of Change and how you can move through resistance, consider scheduling a 45 minute complimentary coaching session with Life Coach Lyndsay Blais.  Simply email Lyndsay at lynblais@telus.net with Complimentary Coaching Session in the Subject line. 

• Posted by Lyndsay Blais on 17/09/2007.
• Lyndsay Blais's site