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Around Us
One of the key components in shamanism is learning to see patterns in the world around us and draw parallels between those moments and our own spiritual and personal growth.
All Around Us
The Beauty of Our DirtOctober 27, 2007
"Dirty Sun" - photographed in Salem, Oregon (March 7, 2007)
Here in my hometown of Salem, Oregon, the city council made the decision to remove a series of large concrete planters that had graced the downtown area for as long as anyone could remember. In a part of the country where we strike a balance between practicality and natural beauty... well, let's just say that spending public money to remove something beautiful was not met with universal enthusiasm.
Nonetheless, the planters were removed. The picture above is a reflection of the dirts, stains, and faded tiles that remained in the space between the removal of the planters and something else being put in its place. I don't know about you, but I think an unexpected beauty can be found in the inbetween.
Our own lives are a lot like that. We make decisions to change ourselves that aren't often widely accepted by those who share our world with us. There's a space between releasing the old and manifesting the new where we're left exposed and unprepared, where our own dirt and stains are exposed for the world to see.
There's a beauty in that inbetween space, even if it's the part of us that people aren't expecting to see. In the process of embracing change, there's both courage and honesty. There's a trutfulness of spirit. Anyone can follow the crowd or allow others to dictate who they will be, but it's a rare beauty that says, "This is who I am becoming - and what I look like right now. I may not be what you expect, but I am beautiful."
The thing about the beauty of our dirt is that it's temporary. We shouldn't continue to remain in that space and say, "Here is my rawness." That moment exists because it's a transition between who we have been and who we are becoming. It's a garden plot ready to be tilled and accept the seeds we will plant. While there is beauty in that moment, it is and should be only a moment, a stretch of time where we are maing the changes to become our true self. If we stay in that space, we'll become the dirt rather than the beauty we were reaching for when we exposed our rawness. Celebrate the dirt, but remember to plant the seeds. Life is a journey and your own harvest will be well worth the work.