New Beginnings

Written by John Denver

"The time resembles the exciting beginning of spring when the cosmic forces are in inspired harmony. There presently exist the ideal conditions for new awakenings, healthy growth and progressive plans. It is a totally cooperative environmental setting that leads to the flowering and prospering of what is now aroused." R.L. Wing *The I-Ching Workbook*

Spring is about new beginnings. I can't believe the thrill I feel each new year as the signs of new life appear all around me after winter's rest. As the natural world shows these signs of change, I find myself looking around me with wonder at all the changes I see within people and cultures on the planet. Some of the most evident changes are in Eastern Europe and what was once the Soviet Union and yet changes are touching people in communities on every continent in the world.

It is strange to me how resistant, curious and fearful people are of change and yet the environment shows us how natural it is. Somehow we humans get caught up in the insecurity of the unknown. We forget that change is actually essential to continuing life. My faith is that change is a natural product of growth and evolution. To the degree that we don't open ourselves to the possibilities of the future, we are inextricably bound to those things that hold us back in the world of yesterday.

Sometimes the process of change and new beginnings can't take place until the old is done away with in a rather dramatic fashion-so that there is a real death or completion in what has been past. I am reminded in nature of how a snake sheds its skin or a lobster its shell before it can grow further. It's a kind of death of the old to allow for the new. And think of a butterfly-a miracle of change. Out of its cocoon comes this creature of wondrous beauty. Who with the wildest imagination could imagine what would emerge?

photo credit: unknown

"If each of us acts from authenticity, we will find the courage to make the tough choices that are necessary."

In nature there is no fall of changing colors without the abundant life of summer. There is no spring without winter. So, taking our guidance from nature itself, we need to recognize the necessity of change. As humans, we need to be courageous and surrender to that reality. Sometimes it means that we have to complete some issues for ourselves in our lives-around who we are; our relationships, how we choose to live in our friendships, families, communities and businesses; how we choose to live in relationship to the planet itself. Without courage and recognition of the importance of surrendering to change, we are inevitably bound to the past-individually, socially, collectively. We need to see the value of change in all aspects of our lives. That means being willing to let go, to honor death in order to receive new life. This may mean death of old ideas that didn't work and ways of being that leaves us closed and tired instead of open and refreshed.

I watch the opportunities that greet us-and certainly so in this country of abundant opportunities, the United States. As we get closer to an election next fall, it seems that we must recognize the need for change and create a new agenda in this country.

That doesn't mean we throw out all that is old-but it does mean to me that we need to be willing to look anew at the principles and values that we hold dear. For those we find of value, let us recommit. Let us reaffirm our principles, recreate our values and revalue our directions. To do this will allow us to determine in a larger sense than ever before, our place in the world. If we are really going to serve in a leadership role for ourselves or any others on this planet at risk, we must make some tough choices that may not necessarily deliver in the short term but will carry us with integrity and a promise of continuing life into the 21st century. If we make these tough choices, we can demonstrate a world that works for everyone.

In the process of honoring death and change, we must get to the core values that nourish healthy lives. To begin, that requires us to go inside ourselves to hear our most authentic voice. If each of us acts from authenticity, we will find the courage to make the tough choices that are necessary.

So, in this springtime, let's go outside and look deeply into the petals and stems of new life all around us. Let's bring authenticity into our lives. Let's connect with that vitality and honor new beginnings.