Uncertainty: An interruption or a doorway

By Ann Moir-Bussy

Growing older is a journey full of new possibilities but it can also be of fear, loss and challenge. Do you sometimes wonder how to keep up with the rapidity of change in the outer world, or sometimes reminisce as in that hit song of the 60’s: “Those were the days my friend we thought would never end – we’d live the life we choose, we’d fight and never lose…”?

The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tsu once said that the only thing we can be certain of is CHANGE. How do we view change? Changes that bring about another transition in our life?  Changes in relationships, in career, in health or friendships. Something is ending and uncertainty raises its head because the old situation has shifted and the new one is not yet clear.

We have seen it so often in nature, the season changes, seeds are planted, grow and die. Change is everywhere – we know it so well, but do we adapt to it, or do we try to bring things back to where everything was certain? What can help us to se it as a doorway, opening to new growth and transformation, a deeper knowing on this journey of becoming.

Quetzalcóatl

The incredible tale of the Feathered Serpent of Aztec mythology is a wonderful representation of the double symbolism of transitions. The snake with the feathered head – being feathered represents its divine nature or ability to reach the skies, while being a serpent represents its human nature or ability to creep on the ground/underground among other creatures. It is a powerful image, symbolic of integrating opposing forces.

Serpent plus feathers – Descent and renewal

It’s not about splitting the ‘serpent’ and the ‘feathers’, or about being one or the other. As we grow older, or in later life, both our identity and our eldership shifts. So many women feel pressured to “be one thing” – still competent, still energetic, still certain. Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent, offers us a different way, reminding us we can hold both earthly realism and, at the same time, tap into our higher inner wisdom and power. It is a powerful symbol of connection.

More importantly it teaches us to trust the “in-between” as sacred work on our journey of becoming. It is not failure. What seems to be interrupting our life is rather the opening of a new doorway. It is a re-patterning of life, asking us for new boundaries, new meanings, questioning of our values and we can ask,

“What am I being asked to re-create in my life, my work, my leadership?

As Rumi, the poet noted, “Your life is not meant to be a repetition – it is meant to be a creation”.

Integration, not just endurance.

Stepping into the unknown takes courage, and it can only happen when we listen to our own intuition and take time to go within. It is there, we can see and accept the opposites – integrate the light and the dark, the masculine and the feminine, certainty and uncertainty. Sometimes, as we grow older, it is easy to forget that we have a lived experience, and this is not meant to be discarded. Your lived experience becomes your whole-body authority, not just mental expertise. It becomes an embodied knowing.

We can be strong and vulnerable, confident and uncertain, connected to tradition and still seeking something new and grounded while dreaming of something greater. Quetzalcóatl represents that tension. It is not about destroying one – it is about combining and connecting them. This is our task.

Reflection

According to legend, at the end of his life, Quetzalcoatl, (like the Phoenix) travelled to the coast and immolated himself, only to rise again as the Morning Star. What a beautiful image represented for us of personal transformation – a daily, dynamic living journey of becoming who we really are. In that becoming, we will often be confronted with uncertainty as changes appear.

You might feel grief for what is changing and excitement about what might be emerging; you might want independence and support; love the way you are and still be open to growing. Integration doesn’t mean resolving every tension – it can mean making room for both truths and choosing the next step that honours them.

Ask yourself: What are the two truths I am holding, and what small action respects both?

Ann Moir-Bussy

Ann is a highly experienced counsellor and psychotherapist of over 30 years, a transformative life coach and empowerment leader. She is the creator of The Living Wholeness Framework™ enabling professional women in their journey of transformation and initiation to becoming elders who lead from the soul.

To access all of Ann’s amazing videos, teachings and to book a coaching or psychotherapy session, please visit: www.annmoirbussy.com.au