"Shedding off one more layer of skin - Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within"

Bob Dylan

Confronting the shadowy aspects of our past can be at times a daunting task. We have a restlessness and anxiety that we need to change. Yet we resist it because we are comfortable with what we have created. It works. Or does it only seem to work? In the quest of redefining the Self we get caught in the maze of old conditioning complete with all those horrific old tapes from the past that keep replaying over and over. But as long as we are human, change is inevitable … it will come about one way or another.

Part of the process of shedding your skin is to begin to identify and accept what is underneath. As you begin to shed your “present” skin, you will find yourself resisting change. You will be unwilling to move out of your old, comfortable skin.  You will be fearful of trying on your new shape. However, there is really nothing you can do to change the process.  We all change. We all grow.  We all let go and move on. It simply takes time and it is a process. Look at what is emerging and find the good in it. – Cara Lumen

“Glutton for punishment” AND “Misery loves company” …

What can I let go of that is no longer relevant to my life today? I’m feeling even more lost than when I started. Swamped. Confused.

This is commonly known as introspection. It is individual and all on us. It is mindfulness about the true meaning of really letting go … and we don’t like to let go. Why? We are afraid to let go because there is no guarantee that there is something better. We may lose this that or the other thing and worse we may lose someone else. We have in reality become comfortable with less rather than more. Letting go is an important part of shedding your skin. Do you really need so much “stuff” outside of basic needs. If that “someone else” is not supporting your growth is that relationship likely to work out towards bringing you happiness?  NO and NO.

So you take the argument within - maybe you tear strips off your own ideas just as they emerge. Or you repeatedly flip from why something will work, to why it won’t, to why it’s good, to why it’s bad, without doing anything much but cancelling out all the alternatives.

“… it’s time to ditch the argumentative thinking. It’s time to get parallel. To think about one aspect at a time. And to forget about the notion of  ‘getting it right’ for a moment … If you explore well, a decision makes itself.” – Edward de Bono

Among Asian and Native American cultures, the snake is a wisdom symbol. The idea of wisdom comes from the snake's ability to shed its skin and renew itself.

Who do I think I am?

If we accept this premise, then we understand that the shedding of skin, the transforming of the Self is a gaining of wisdom. The more wisdom we gain the easier each shedding becomes and we become independent of self imposed fears. In the process of redefinition one must work with, “who do I think I am?” within the current life cycle. You are not the same person you were 10, 5 or even 1 year ago. Why is that? Your passions have changed. What drives you now?

What core qualities will you take with you into the next stage?  What is the essence of what you love to do?  The form will change.  The time you spend on it may change.  Let your passion drive you.

So now you say: “I understand this mentally but my emotions are holding me back.”

All things can be shed like layers of clothing. Emotions too.

The lighter the pack on your back, the easier will be your journey.  If you hang on to everything, you will soon have no room to move.

Start with the physical plane. Make your inner plan work rather than your outer. What do you really need to be happy right now?

The primary reason for shedding your skin is to allow yourself to expand. It is a relief to let go of what no longer represents who you are becoming.  Look around your home.  Look at your current friends.  Look at how you now spend your life. What are you willing to let go?  What do you need to let go in order to grow?

AND … give yourself time so you can start feeling comfortable in your new skin. When you are shedding your old identity, realize you will often lack your typical energy, feel out of sorts, and perhaps be angry and confused.  Only after you begin to wear your new skin, your new identity, will you have the clarity of vision to better understand the test and the growth that has occurred.

After all, you are, in essence, a new person and your old beliefs and way of being have fallen to the waste side.  The result, however, is that you are now a bigger person than your old self, cloaked in new consciousness and greater potential.  You will be stronger, more enlightened, and more capable than ever before.  Old challenges are old hat.  You easily overcome the circumstances that previously seemed insurmountable.  - Kelly Wells

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