2020, What a year this has been – one very wild ride! Almost overnight the whole world said goodbye to the “normal“ and we, as a planet, entered into the twilight zone.
The hardships that 2020 brought upon us will not suddenly disappear when we change the calendar to 2021. We will still be recovering from the many sad losses of lives as well as the social, emotional and often severe financial repercussions brought on by the pandemic. In many states fires burned out of control for months and political differences split apart friends and family. Racial unrest reopened old wounds and often spilled over into violence while earthquakes erupted worldwide.
However, often there is a silver lining to be found and lessons to be learned even in a crisis. How quickly the skies became clearer when air pollution was reduced!
Though this period of time has affected all of us in different ways, there is already a renewed appreciation of all we know and all we have, a reminder not to take people or anything for granted, And just how fragile life can be.
We also saw the way that pain can unite us, and used our talents, strengths and creativity to find other ways of making our lives work for us. As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.
With the millions of deaths from this virus alone, many will be dealing with the loss of family members, suddenly having to focus on where their next meal is coming from, or a whole barrage of other changes, both small and monumental.
Not unlike the replacement child, The children of the pandemic will come out of this with a new history. They will need help to make sense of it and to not lose who they are. They will need to be encouraged to express what happened to them, and know that they are truly being heard, during this period while sorting out their feelings. They will need help to nurture resilience.
Maybe it took major catastrophes to wake us up and jolt us into understanding that there is an urgency – that the time is now – to take care of ourselves, each other, our earth, nature and the animals who roam the earth – to turn our hardships into wisdom. This time can be viewed as a great Reset! A time in which people evaluate their lives, reevaluate priorities, and make positive things happen.
About the image of the butterfly, Kristina adds some fascinating information.
The image of the butterfly in your palm is beautiful and so fitting: the butterfly is an ancient symbol of the soul. The Greek word for butterfly was psyche. Therefore, the butterfly is a symbol of the potential of transformation for all of us, showing us how to go from a creepy-crawly caterpillar-like existence through the chrysalis, the stage of metamorphosis, towards living our life inspired by psyche – by soul.
I suggest for all who are seeking a new beginning this year Murray’ Stein’s book Transformation: Emergence of the Self as well as his book Minding the Self (http://www.murraystein.com/books.shtml) which contains an inspiring passage (pp. 48-53) on the significance of the butterfly coming to meet us in special moments assuring us of the soul’s presence.
Kristina