The expectant tree
Yes, I know this tree is not pregnant! It has what’s known as a burl, developed as a protective response to tree disease. But as this image continued to surface within my awareness, what came to mind was the notion of pregnancy and the question, “Are we living in a time of labour pains before the birth of a new cultural way of being and belonging in the world?”
I have given birth three times. Even though it was a long time ago, (our children are in their 30’s and 40’s) I still remember the transition from labour pains to pushing the baby through what seemed like a narrow birth canal and into the world. The transition was essentially a time of losing the plot! It all seemed too much. With one birth I thought to myself, “There is no way that baby’s head is going to fit through there! No point going on with this birth.” And as I look around our world today, I think, “We humans have lost the plot. How can we go on like this? Is there any possibility for change?” I want to pull the blankets over my head and stay snug and warm in my comfy bed. I want to shut out the world. Where is hope to be found?
The transformative push/pull dynamic
Similar to the transitions involved in the human birthing process, a transformative push/pull dynamic (Duane Elgin, Promise Ahead) is currently operating in our world. According to Elgin, we are being pushed out of one way of being and belonging. But at the same time, we are being pulled toward a new one. If there were only the push dynamic, we would be pushed out of one way of being and belonging into an endless sea of meaninglessness. On the other hand, if there were only the pull dynamic, we probably wouldn't be motivated to take the necessary leap. It is the pushing away from and pulling toward that creates a compelling force of tension and attraction, preparing a culture to transition from one way of being and belonging to another.
The question is, “Will we choose to fight against, or consciously midwife the transition from one way of cultural being and belonging, to another?”
For more on this topic see the essay entitled “The what, why, and how of shifting the cultural mindset.” (Resources page/ www.treeoflifespirituality.com)
