Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again – Jack Kornfield
The Polynesians say the world began when Taaora – their name for the Creator – woke to find himself growing inside a shell. He stretched and broke the shell and the Earth was created. Taaora kept growing, though, and after a time found himself inside another shell. Again he stretched and broke the shell, and this time the Moon was created. Again, Taaora kept growing, and again, he found himself contained by yet another shell. This time the breaking forth, created the stars. Mark Nepo “The book of Awakening”
Over the years, I have learned that each time I break the shell of my past beliefs and old patterns, I become lighter. In doing so, I have created a clearer and more abundant path. Shedding our skin is not easy, and requires us to stretch ourselves and face our pain and our past. At times this feels uncomfortable.
Our lives are always challenging us to look at ourselves over and over again. This is to help us love more deeply, see more clearly, and discover what has closed our hearts which blocks the flow of abundance. We all have a choice to break our shells and create a new world.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
Hey Karen! I hope you had a wonderful time away. This is a beautiful post. I love the message, and both images are amazing. Shedding our skin every so often is really transformative. Communicating with animals such as snake, lizard or spider often help me do just that. Thanks Karen.
Peace and Love
Mary
I did have a wonderful abundant time Mary. I feel so grateful. Yes I use snake energy too, to help me let go and move forward, it is the only way to live! Lovely to connect with you again. Peace and love also. 🙂
This is wonderful! I’m so glad I found your blog, it is so rich. I hate shedding the skin of the past and the hurts but you’re right, it helps us to grow.
I think we all dislike shedding our skin Nico, but in doing so, we change our world. Thankyou for being here!
Wonderful words. Thank you!
I hope you had a good holiday Karen. I was worried when I saw the news of fires and holiday homes lost.
Yes, I think of that skin as my reality map. It’s how I’ve made sense of the world, and at any given time I am struck by how different today’s map is from ten years ago, and the ten years before that, and on and on back to my teens. I’m not convinced that it’s just a process of maturation. I believe that it’s waking bit by bit.
Thanks for your post.
We did have some bushfires around our area MK but luckily they were very small, Western Australia has such beautiful bushland but it is very dry, I think Victoria had the worst ones. I agree with you that it is a waking consciousness and it continues throughout our whole life.
Reblogged this on Gentle Kindness .
Thankyou so much. 🙂
Great lesson here!
The act of shedding can require us to literally and figuratively push beyond our comfort zone. It’s downright uncomfortable but it’s a process we all need to endure as part of personal growth.
Enduring a bit of this right now and it often sends me running for my inner cave of solace, but I must face my process head on to come out of this as a bigger and better person.
Very insightful post. Happy New Year!
Thankyou. You have explained the process very well, and heading to our inner cave of solace is exactly how we move through this process. Happy New Year to you.
Thank you!
Love that Taaora legend of breaking the shell over and over again. Great analogy of our own growth. ‘Stretch and grow!’
Yes stretch and grow is the answer! Thanks Eliza.
Great post and I love the picture…if a picture could talk with would of told your story……love the picture of the moon…..I am hoping to lighten my load not only physically but mentally this up coming new year…..Happy New Year…kat
Well I hope you do lighten your load, and create a light filled journey ahead. Happy New Year to you too Kat. Thankyou.
Not only my personal load but cleaning out the house to move to Yuma for a year has created a lighter load on our house….feels great…..Namaste….kat
Great post Karen. I love the idea of shedding in order to grow. It’s can be painful and makes us vulnerable until we grow the next skin to protect ourselves.
I like to think of lobsters. We are pink mush under our skin too!
Love your lobster analogy Val, this is so true. The outer shell is the illusion.
Timely post Karen. Love the imagery of the legend, breaking the shell and growing anew. The year’s end is calling for some introspection and this is a good way to think about renewal.
It is renewal Helen, and we all need to begin 2016 with this thought. Thankyou.
I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching recently, brought on by the end-of-year cycle and a pressing desire to ‘change it up’ a bit. One of the things I’ve realized is that I’m pretty entrenched in some unproductive patterns (guess it happens to most everyone at some point, no?) At any rate, your post hit at just the right time, so thank you. And welcome home-so glad that you had a nice (and safe) break!
The end of the year is a good time to self-reflect. We all know what we need to work on and shed. I am glad this came at the right time and trust that in letting go, there is no loss, only gain. Thankyou Lori, I did have a wonderful break and I hope you have had some time to rejuvenate too. 🙂
I feel as if the shedding of our past is not only beneficial, but brings about a great relief and opening to a healing process. I don’t hurt or feel pain much anymore when time comes to change; I consider it to be a welcome to a challenge that I know God would want me to conquer. It is wonderful to look back and see all the different “me’s”. Even when I used to be a finger-pointing and blaming individual, I see now that was just a step in the molding of a better self. That is why I simply can not hate, even the ones that hate me for my past because I can remember a time when I was once an ignorant judgmental person myself. So yes, keep stretching and growing and breaking down the walls of hate, fear, and ignorance.
Its good when we can look back and see how far we have grown. Our life is full of stepping stones and lessons. Thankyou for your comment and your thoughts.
Great post Karen. Love the shedding skin analogy. Your post reminded me of a May Sarton quote:
It is there in Mahler’s Der Abschied, which I play again every autumn…But in Mahler it is a cry of loss, a long lyrical cry just before letting go, at least until those last long phrases that suggest peace, renunciation…
Does anything in nature despair except man? An animal with a foot caught in a trap does not seem to despair. It is too busy trying to survive. It is all closed in, to a kind of still, intense waiting. Is this a key? Keep busy with survival. Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain, psychic pain. Sit it out. Let it all pass. Let it go.
~ May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude: The Journals of May Sarton (Open Road Media. 2014)
Beautiful. Perfect reflection on letting go. ‘Does anything in nature despair except man?’ No. The sooner we learn that, the easier life becomes. Thankyou David. 🙂
This year I plan to shed the skin of belongings that weigh me down. Lots to do, lots to let go of!
Sounds exciting Emilie. Go forth with motivation and conviction! I look forward to hearing how you go.
Love the story of Taaora, and thank you for the reminder of letting go of things that no longer serve.
Thankyou and I hope you are having a lovely holiday with your son.
Whilst I don’t believe we can ever fully shed the past Karen, unless memory fails us of course, then we can escape the conditioning effects of it with earnest work and awareness. I think this is what Kornfield meant in fact, and you too with your words on past beliefs and old patterns, if I am not mistaken. Best wishes for the New Year Karen.
I agree, I like to think of it as breaking the cycle Hariod. Our ancestral links are very strong and are sometimes difficult to unhook, but once you know how to let go of these links, I have seen this work miracles, time and time again. This is shedding the past and allows freedom for me and the generations after me. Happy New Year to you also. Thankyou.
Welcome home. Hope your ventures were filled with fun and provided an opportunity to create new memories.
This path you write about is a difficult, but incredibly rewarding path. It challenges one’s beliefs and sometimes one’s values, but always helps a person grow and expand beyond the self imposed limitations we create. As we head into a new year, I hope your readers follow this advice and discover a new awakening capable of creating a life full of passion and purpose.
I would also like to wish you and your family a healthy and happy New Year!
Thanks Jonathan, it was a wonderful break and a special time with family. I agree about the difficulty of this process, and I often have clients and friends tell me they cannot do this. I am always sad to hear this, as I know the freedom beyond the pain of letting go. I wish you and your family a very happy New Year also, and I look forward to learning more over at your blog.
Very beautiful description of how life goes on, we just need to follow and develop ourselves in same time. Welcome back and take good care of yourself Karen 🙂
Thankyou Irene, nice to connect again.
I agree 🙂
In the process of that now, and indeed … it does work.
It does work Elizabeth, well done to you. Your children will benefit greatly from these changes.
Insightful, as we get older sometimes we tend to resist change, but it is change that is necessary, to shed our skin and make us lighter. And only then can we really see and understand what is in our hearts…beautifully said Karen. Cheers to a great day for you.
Yes so true and not easy at all to let go. Thankyou Randall and may your heart be filled with abundance over the coming year.
Karen I am resonating with this post as I create new habits this year. Setting daily goals for my health and my dreams. Feeling like I have stretched and grown in only a few weeks. Surrounding myself with positive people like you helps too..
You are a positive person too Kath and I agree, the more I surround myself with positive energy the more I grow. Keep stretching! 🙂
I will just started a daily virtual diary for each day to keep me accountable.
Great! That will really help.
I am at a place where my shell is feeling a little small so the message is perfect inspiration!
I am so glad Elizabeth. Keep spreading your wings, we need your shining light.