Lost in transition

I”m in the middle of a move so my life has been a bit frazzled lately. Transitions are rough times, but they also have a very magical quality to them. I”d like to submit, quite seriously, that moving is an altered state of consciousness.

This does put U-Haul in a rather awkward position, but consider all that is involved with moving. All the regular boundaries must be dissolved – physical, mental and otherwise – and for a while there we are suspended in between. Neither here nor there. We leave behind not only our ecological niche, the place where we draw our water, but also our habits, routines and conditioning. We leave our community and enter unprotected spaces. Our diets suffer because we can’t control our food intake as well.

Then there’s the shock of re-entry. I don’t know what’s more dangerous, actually: moving someplace where you know no one or someplace where everyone knows who you used to be.

This is also a time when bandits could jump down from the bushes and take off with the silver, not only in regards to possessions but also psychologically. If you”ve ever had to wait on the phone for over an hour to disconnect your phoneline then you may know what I”m talking about here. It’s easy to get overheated, out-of-balance, and totally stressed out.

I”ve been taking pains to notice my dreams during these strange days. In this liminal space, all kinds of interesting dreaming bric-a-brac has made it through to my waking consciousness. Powerful dreams, initiatory dreams, and also way too many dreams about high school.

So – uh – that’s what’s going on with me this month. I just secured a room in a small country town in the middle of the swamps, and am excited to be moving in this week. Check out my personal blog Dreamcrisp if you”re interested in following these sorts of hijinks – the culture shock of transition.