“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” – Albert Einstein
There is always talk about getting rid of what we don’t like or letting go of what doesn’t work, I say these things all the time. But I think I had it a little bit wrong. I don’t think we ever really get rid of anything we’ve done or been, it just transforms into what we become. Anais Nin realized this long ago, when she said we can never throw out our past. No matter how much we might like to, it is there as teacher and guide. It points to the experiences that have shaped and formed us, and to the direction we are working towards. Ultimately the best we can do is sort through our past and transform that outmoded energy into a new way of thinking or being.
In fact it’s really important we don’t ignore who or what we’ve been. It’s the raw material that shows us what we’re made of, and leads us to the next step of who we are becoming. It can also and point to what no longer works for us or holds us back. Who we’ve been needs to be owned and honored, our job is to transform that energy and what it means in the larger framework of our life. Everything we’ve been is an important building block for who we will become.
Even the overwhelming experiences that leave us bogged down in negativity. When we deny or repress that negative energy, it has control over us. When we turn to face it and work to transform and integrate it, it becomes our greatest ally. Transforming those experiences into something that have a benefit or meaning for our life is a magic trick we perform. The transformation of energy is where all the healing takes place. We get nourishment from taking what had us down or stymied and changing it into what heals and inspires us. It’s our choice how we use the situations that arise in our life, good or bad.
So how do we transform it? By doing the interior work. You knew that was coming. There’s no way around it. The energy we put into our lives is the energy we get out. Jung often said, the unconscious will treat us the way we treat it. I think this could be said for almost anything, our attitude and actions define what will come back to us. We can’t expect to bring our worst and have the universe respond with its best. We get what we give. That’s not rocket science, that’s a law of physics.
It means we are responsible for how we deal with what comes into our lives. It’s up to us to create our own life, to take what we’ve been and transform it into the person we are becoming. It’s thrilling work and we are the only ones who can do it. Sometimes it will be difficult and scary, but it will also give us our greatest gifts. It welcomes the deeper mysteries into our lives. I think we could all use more of that.
What’s holding us back can always be transformed into what propels us forward.
The choice is ours.
kb
