"To be a crone, you need to let go of what should have been, could have been, might have been." - Jean Shinoda Bolen
There are things that we carry for far longer than we realise. They are not things that we can see or touch, but the lives we once imagined for ourselves.
The person we thought we would become.
The relationship or friendship we thought would last.
The opportunities we thought would arrive.
The things we thought we would have achieved by now.
We can spend years living alongside the ghosts of what should have been, what could have been and what might of been.
Perhaps this is one of the quiet lessons of growing older: wisdom isn't simply knowing more. Sometimes it is knowing what you no longer need to carry. Can you see how this carries on from yesterdays article?
One thing that I know for sure is there comes a point when we have to stop negotiating with the past. This isn't about not caring about those things or that they didn't matter. Of course they mattered (past tense). This is about living in this moment, exactly where our lives are happening right now. The Wheel doesn't turn backwards so why should we?
Many people refer to September as The Threshold as summer loosens it's hold and autumn approaches, The Wheel is turning. Today is a chance to pause at this threshold and get quiet and step away from the endless list of things we think we ought to be doing.
As we pause and quieten the noise of expectation and comparison, we start to ask ourselves: what is life asking of me now?
Connect with the wisdom within
Today we turn inward, not to find the person we thought we would become but to meet the person we are. That is where the wisdom within hides.
Connect with The Crone within you, the Wise One, the product of all that you have experienced. We often look outside of ourselves for the answers when really, the answers we need are often already within us.
Practical Magic - a gentle practice for today.
As we did yesterday, find a quiet moment.
Take a few slow breathes and think about what should have been, what could have been and what might have been. Notice what comes up, this isn't about solving anything or having the answers, simply acknowledge what comes up.
Now, get your journal or open your Notes App and ask yourself:
What do I know now that I didn't know then?
What does the life I have today need from me?
You may not get the answers straight away, sometimes you have to become quiet enough to hear them. But when you do hear them, use these answers to continue to let go and release. Let it fall away, creating space for something new.
Something else to think about before I sign off. As we release and let go of what no longer serves us and we start to think about what's next, remember that reliability and commitment are what is lacking from todays world. Set your intentions and then really lock in, be reliable and commit to achieving your goals. Keep working, keep pushing forward. This will make all the difference, trust me.
And The Wheel turns. And we turn with it.
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