The Spiritual Transition

January Blog by Syndie Eardly – The New Year often holds new challenges and perplexities, some more dramatic than others. But if we bring a keen awareness to events and difficulties both large and small, we can often see in them a spiritual transition as well and come to embrace the larger meaning hidden in these life movements.

Transitions can be painful. A mother is said to be “in transition” during the most painful and arduous moments of childbirth. A person is said to be “in transition” in those last moments before death as their spirit separates from human matter. We make a major transition when we retire from our life’s work or downsize our homes or move into assisted living.

Spiritual transitions can be integral to all of these life changes and can also be equally painful. In a spiritual transition, you may feel pushed beyond your understanding. You may experience a “dark night of the soul” as you are forced to let go of some cherished belief or idea in order to move to a higher understanding or awareness.

Often, life itself as well as your spiritual orientation seems to be deteriorating when you are in transition. Things are falling away from you that you always held onto for comfort. Like a cocoon that must fall away from a butterfly so that it can spread its wings and fly, this falling away is actually a good thing!

How can you ease difficult transitions? STOP RESISTING. Don’t try to hold onto what is drifting from you. Whatever is leaving is making room for something new to emerge. As difficult as a transition is, physical or spiritual, the key is to flow with it, to accept it, to get quiet and LISTEN to God’s voice in whatever is happening.