"Fire is an ancient symbol of transformation. It purifies by burning away what no longer serves. It melts what has become rigid and alters the very nature of the thing it touches."
~ Lisa Marchiano
When we are going through a very tough, turbulent time, perhaps one which is even traumatic, where it feels like nothing less than hell on earth and we just want it to be over, we can rarely see at the time that the experience is in fact also highly transformative.
It’s often only later and sometimes some years later when we look back and realise that it was actually deeply necessary. That we got dragged through the hot fires of transmutation and we now see that we are no longer that same person who entered that period. We are forever changed, and for the better.
It may have involved needing to let go of old, very harmful relationships, or a career, or experiencing the death of a loved one, an illness or accident, or some other big life event that literally turned our life upside down and our inner world inside out.
But now with the gifts of hindsight and reflection we can see just how essential it was. It had to happen so that we could become a more honest and empowered version of ourselves, one which has burned away old, worn-out attachments and habits that were literally strangling our life force.
We have likely reclaimed some of our essential self; our vital life-spark; our capacity to say no to others and to put ourselves first at long last; ended toxic relationships, or any other myriad of ways that we really needed to change.
"The fires of suffering become the light of consciousness." ~ Eckhart Tolle
Looking at our big experiences in this way is a much kinder and gentler attitude of recognising that, in hindsight, big changes actually took place within us, even though at the time it felt like hell. So in some way, and often in ways we struggle to fathom, we had to go through it; it was part of our karma and dharma path.
And we now see that the curse was in fact also the blessing. We are forever different and a better version of who we were before when we went into it. This in itself can bring immense relief and pride in ourselves for having endured and come through the other side, with improvements and more of our authentic-self returned home.
Here are some prompts to encourage reflection on such big times:
Which periods of your life felt like this?
What did it FEEL like?
What did you go through?
What had to be let go of and/or changed?
And are you now able to look back and see the positive outcomes for yourself and your life?
©Angela Dunning
Artwork: ‘Field Fire’ by Vladimir Tretchikoff
Reference:
Lisa Marchiano, 'The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire', p. 247.