Resilience

Cycles of destruction and renewal are eternal. Happening in unimaginably large scale and imperceptibly small, all life shares in this process; humans are not excluded. `

Along my journey there have been times when I have fallen so deeply as to believe that if I ever hit bottom I would certainly be pulverised into dust on impact. This “I” is not the sum of everything that t makes me, me. That which I am is also eternal.

Like the sun in our sky. my soul essence is always there, even if it is obscured from view. Should the sun go supernova, it still would not be gone.

This image shows the remains of a neutron star; matter transforms.

The Archetype named for transformation of matter, transmutation, is the Alchemist. The attributes assigned to this archetype provide the meaning and means to use the power to re-form what matters from what remains from the dust of dreams.

Transformation is inevitable, as nothing is static. Resilience is the ability to rise from the dust of our defeats. We can do it all on our own, or with the wisdom to be found in the patterns of the universe.

Along with the Alchemist, we have the models of mastering transformation in the Goddess archetype of Persephone, the mystical personifications of the fire bird and phoenix and thousands of metaphors to chose from in the processes of nature itself.

In my garden, I have plants that survive extremities of neglect and adversity. They can loose all their leaves and their roots can look shriveled or rotted. I have often given up on them and moved on. I have replanted other plants in the soil I thought was empty to not notice the resurgence of growth until I see flowers. Some plants come back stronger than they ever were before the defeat.

Not all plants survive treacherous treatment or adverse conditions. Typically it is because they are not in environments their genetic programming “understands”.

Like people some plants need a little bit of help in the form of support, protection or nurturing or simply a sanctuary where they are welcome to grow in any way they can manage without being poked and prodded.

The Alchemical Magician Archetype in me is called to create this space and provide the signposts, the diagrams required to navigate the transformations, and model the means to survive the crucible and come out whole again and again.

I am the resilient chameleon guide who by making the choice to change myself and adapt, understand the process both by what to expect and how to accept the challenges and missteps along the way, I have fallen far and come back again and again. I will continue to cycle through this process for all of my earthly life and my soul shall travel onwards after that.

.