With the New Moon in Scorpio this week, I thought this would be useful to share. Again. I found this over 30 years ago; author unknown, but it feels very appropriate for now.
Fear of Transformation
Sometimes I feel that my life is a series of trapeze swings. I’m either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments in my life, I’m hurtling across space in between trapeze bars.
Most of the time, I spend my life hanging on for dear life to my trapeze-bar-of-the-moment. It carries me along at a certain steady rate of swing & I have the feeling that I’m in control of my life. I know most of the right questions and even some of the right answers.
But occasionally, as I’m merrily (or not so merrily) swinging along, I look out ahead of me into the distance, and what do I see? I see another trapeze bar swinging toward me. It’s empty, and I know, in that place in me that knows, that this new trapeze bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart-of-hearts I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on this present, well-known bar to move to the new one.
Each time it happens to me, I hope (no, I pray) that I won’t have to grab the new one. But in my knowing place I know I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and for some moment in time I must hurtle across space before I can grab onto the new bar. Each time I am filled with terror. It doesn’t matter that in all my previous hurtles across the void of unknowing I have always made it.
Each time I am afraid that I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks in the bottomless chasm between the bars. But I do it anyway. Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call the faith experience. No guarantees, no net, no insurance policy, but you do it anyway because somehow, to keep hanging on to that old bar is no longer on the list of alternatives.
And so for an eternity that can last a microsecond or a thousand lifetimes, I soar across the dark void of “the past is gone, the future is not yet here.” It’s called transition. I have come to believe that is the only place the real change occurs. I mean real change, not the pseudo-change that only lasts until the next time my old buttons get punched.
Photo by Maya Alexa G. Romero
I have noticed that, in our culture, this transition zone is looked upon as a “nothing,” a no-place between places. Sure, the old trapeze bar was real, and the new one coming towards me, I hope that’s real too. But the void in between? That’s just a scary, confusing, and disorienting “nowhere” that must be gotten through as fast and as unconsciously as possible.
What a waste! I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing & the bars are illusions we dream up to avoid the void, where the real change, the real growth occurs for us.
Whether or not my hunch is true, it remains that the transition zones in our lives are incredibly rich places. They should be honored, even savored. Yes, with all the pain and fear and feelings of being out-of-control that can (but not necessarily) accompany transitions, they are still the most alive, most growth-filled, passionate, expansive moments in our lives.
And so, transformation of fear may have nothing to do with making fear go away, but rather with giving ourselves permission to “hang-out” in the transition between trapeze bars. Transforming our need to grab that new bar, any bar, is allowing ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens. It can be terrifying. It can also be enlightening, in the true sense of the word. Hurtling through the void, we just may learn how to fly.
All my spiritual work is rooted in one essential truth: transformation happens when we can hold both—our connection to the Earth and our connection to the Divine.
Raising your energetic vibration is powerful, but without grounding, it can feel overwhelming. Grounding is what helps you stay present, centered, and capable of meeting life as it is.
Opening to higher wisdom is what helps you rise above fear, align with purpose, and receive the guidance meant for you.
When these two forces work together, something extraordinary becomes possible:
you shift more gracefully, you make clearer choices, and you create space for new blessings, opportunities, and insights to enter your life.
This is the heart of my work—helping you strengthen your inner foundation while expanding your capacity to listen, receive, and evolve.
If you’re ready for deeper clarity, energetic alignment, and guidance for the next chapter of your life, I’d be honored to support you.
Until next time,
Barbara