Transformation

Snow reminds me of the possibilities for transformation. The beautiful white cover changes the landscape into something new.

Transformation requires change. Some changes are looked forward to, some seen as part of a process, others are dreaded and never made.

Our snow totals this winter have landed us in the fifth worst winter of the century. Unlike most winters, the snow has not had a chance to melt in between storms.

Turns out snow is heavy. It exerts pressure.

The fluffy white stuff packs a punch. It can be unforgiving.

The weight of the snow is causing roofs to cave in and collapse. According to one sad Hartford Courant article, this year’s snow has destroyed many old barns and historical structures. Things we count on may not always last.

Gutters need to be cleaned out or they overflow during rain storms. They also back up and freeze over into ice dams during bad winters. Many of us now have leaking roofs in our homes due to the back up of ice on the gutters. In fact, I can hear the ‘tink’-‘tink,’ “tink’ of water hitting buckets on the deck now.

The pressure exerted by the snow reminds me of changes we avoid. Denial can continue for a while but not forever.

Things we refuse to deal with have a way of coming back to haunt us. Deferred maintenance, routine tasks ignored (cleaning gutters, shoveling snow after every storm), have a way of coming back to bite us later (ice dams, iced over sidewalks and driveways).

For purposes of personal growth, we are meant to embrace change. Convention presents us with only stable images (fifty year marriages, retiring from same job after 40 years) that are hard to resist. We want to expect continuity when in truth it is a roller coaster ride that we are on. We must find a way to embrace change or The Tower will wipe the continuity clean as it is for our highest good.

While we may desire change, we might not fully embrace the cost or work required to change. Sometimes, I just don’t want to see a relationship end. The friend has not been around for years, the corpse is dead yet I am reluctant to bury it. Or while happy for us and proclaiming to be wanting our best, friends and family will still resist changes that we make.

Some relationships are like rubber bands. They allow some change in the short term, but require you to go back to the way things were to maintain peace over the long term. If you suffer through how things were rather than moving towards how things could be, pressure builds, resentment can mount and tears will appear at the foundation no matter how hard we try to maintain the peace.

In shamanic terms, the snake sheds its old skin as it moves towards its future. The snow reminds us of now pretty the future can be when we get there.