12TH PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLE: Creatively uSE + respond to change.
Complacency is second only to gravity for effectiveness in holding things down. It may be our survival instinct to be so fixated on feeling anchored and secure. Rooted and safe.
As exciting as change can be, it interrupts stability. So we tend to resist and avoid things that knock us off our center... unfamiliar things that make us feel vulnerable, ill-prepared or out of control.
"The only people who like change, are wet babies!" they say.
Life gives -- and sometimes forces -- lots of change into our days. Which requires a response from us... we have something new to figure out... to possibly fail at, or look foolish trying.
But this 12th, and final, permaculture principle tells us to accept the inevitability of change, and creatively use it. Don't be such a control-freak. Be agile, like a cat. Be so fully present in every moment, that you exist your way into a needed solution or upgraded circumstance.
A lot of people underestimate themselves, and were it not for change -- even dreaded ones like divorce, job loss, bankruptcy, illness, etc. -- they may have never accessed certain strengths or abilities within themselves that had been their all along. Dormant. Until change came and shook them awake.
That concludes the 12-part series of the Permaculture Principles, but permaculture as a methodology -- as a way of viewing + doing things -- will always be a core part of my posts and purpose.
As exciting as change can be, it interrupts stability. So we tend to resist and avoid things that knock us off our center... unfamiliar things that make us feel vulnerable, ill-prepared or out of control.
"The only people who like change, are wet babies!" they say.
Life gives -- and sometimes forces -- lots of change into our days. Which requires a response from us... we have something new to figure out... to possibly fail at, or look foolish trying.
But this 12th, and final, permaculture principle tells us to accept the inevitability of change, and creatively use it. Don't be such a control-freak. Be agile, like a cat. Be so fully present in every moment, that you exist your way into a needed solution or upgraded circumstance.
A lot of people underestimate themselves, and were it not for change -- even dreaded ones like divorce, job loss, bankruptcy, illness, etc. -- they may have never accessed certain strengths or abilities within themselves that had been their all along. Dormant. Until change came and shook them awake.
That concludes the 12-part series of the Permaculture Principles, but permaculture as a methodology -- as a way of viewing + doing things -- will always be a core part of my posts and purpose.
My Wish. My Work.
When our inner world is strong in love, truth, joy and wholeness, our relationships + actions reflect those qualities, too. And beauty and harmony show up more and more in our outer reality. To support that vision, I write and publish the things I do to enrich our inner world and, ultimately, inspire more heartful living on Earth:
Trust Love's duty to make you whole + complete. Trust Love's ability to touch you where warm assurance arises. Let your shoulders drop, as they are kissed by Plenty + Peace. Now, from this solid place of trust, you are calm enough to detect YOUR best next steps to heal or have exactly what you need for your particular journey... in which, you must BE YOU. All the way. Find your truth. Give it your voice. Then give it your life. Be valiant on your own behalf. In all your dealings, be your real self, and allow others the space to be their real self, too. No judging. No meanness. To yourself or others. Trust love. Be you.
Song Credit: "Pas de Deux" by Bird Creek.
