Uncover your old patterns to reveal the new

Because I have lived in a northern temperate rainforest my entire adult life, I am used to the air being heavy with damp and cold, especially in the winter months. These days, however, I am noticing something different clouding the atmosphere – a sense of despair. Throughout much of the public discourse there seeps a subtle, yet pervasive, anxiety about our future. There are even whispers of the “apocalypse”. I, too, am feeling the intensity of the current energies, yet I am interpreting the sensation in a slightly different way.

To me, this “ending” we are sensing is not the end of our existence, but the end of our old way of being.

We are dissolving the old paradigm. It’s big stuff. Massive, actually. It’s expected that we would feel the gravity of it. The question is are we willing to weather the storm as a necessary part of our evolution.

One of the ways I see this playing out in our individual lives is through the demise of our old patterns. Typically, we react to situations based on habits of thought and corresponding behaviours that we developed through previous experiences. Much of the time, we are unconsciously aware of these patterns. We don them like a protective cloak and then believe them to be unalterable. However, these patterns are not us. They are separate from who we really are. We have choice as to whether we want to inhabit them or not.

What’s changing now is we are becoming more conscious of our patterns. Some of them may still serve us well, but many of them have become oppressive like a wet wool blanket, smothering our ability to evolve. Those are the ones we need to cast off.

Recognizing old patterns

Lately, I have become aware of a gap between my habitual reaction and my actual response, particularly in challenging situations. Instead of behaving impulsively, I pause. In those time-expanded moments, the pattern I would normally act out presents itself to me, like a cape floating in the ethers. It appears decorated with star-dotted constellations that visually represent the connections of my behaviour to past events and future potentials, some of which are desirable and some are not. I recognize I have choice as to whether I want to “put on” that old pattern or not.

To provide context, here are some examples of what I mean when I refer to “old patterns”:

• Waiting for something outside of myself to happen before taking action
• Making decisions based on other people’s needs and not my own
• Playing the victim by using lack and limitation as an excuse
• Attempting to control situations to manipulate the outcome
• Violating my own boundaries
• Holding back from speaking my truth out of fear
• Using drama to gain energy
• Playing small to stay safe

Everyone has their own patterns, the list is potentially endless. The above are some of the more limiting ones I am accustomed to wearing. However, these old rags are becoming less appropriate to the occasion. Sometimes I make the choice to slip into the old pattern even when I am aware it’s not in my best interest, and that’s okay. There is wisdom gained in every experience. Alternatively, when the pattern feels too restricting, I can choose to weave a new one that feels more expansive and true.

Fabricating new patterns

As we emerge into this new paradigm, it makes perfect sense that we will be required to release our old limiting patterns so that we may evolve. Of course, this is easier said than done and is not an overnight exercise. As with most other practices, it requires vigilance and patience.

The steps are simple, but not always easy:

To change our patterns is frightening and requires tremendous trust. Without our familiar security blankets, we can feel exposed and vulnerable. We must trust in life that we will be supported through these changes. We must trust in ourselves that we will be able to handle the consequences of these changes, even if it might mean we will have to meet our worst fears. Thankfully, the reality is never as bleak as we fret it to be. We often learn we are more courageous and capable than we give ourselves credit.

The apocalypse is here

This change of paradigm is bringing enormous disruption to our lives. Almost everything as we once knew it is transforming and it is happening over a relatively condensed period of time. When things do shift, they have a finality that can seem abrupt. Perhaps these sudden endings are what people are sensing as the pending disaster, however, I don’t believe it to be the “doomsday” that so many are fearing.

Rather, I am optimistic it is the beginning of an existence so extraordinary, it’s beyond our grasp to even imagine.

I learned recently that the origin of the word “apocalypse” means “to uncover” or “to reveal”. Given that, this is the time of the apocalypse. It is the era when we will release those patterns that have been clouding the truth of our existence so that a new reality can be revealed. We can take comfort in the fact that we signed on to be alive during this most chaotic time and even though it’s not been terribly graceful, so far we are withstanding the storm.

To let go of our old patterns is to let go of that which has been concealing our true selves, along with our sovereignty, our freedom, and our joy. Choose your new patterns deliberately. You will want to be well-dressed for your spectacular entrance to the bright, light new paradigm party.