The Oxford Dictionary describes metamorphosis as the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages; a change of the form or nature of a thing into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means. Merriam Webster defines it as a change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means. What does it mean to you? Where have you meta morphed in your life? Can you put your finger on it? Can you pinpoint where it happened and exactly how it happened? It can be a mutation, a transformation, a rebirth. When we think of metamorphosis, we instantly think of a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly. Or a frog, moving through its stages from egg, tadpole, to eventually a frog. While this term scientifically only pertains to insects and amphibians, and is not used towards humans as we are fully formed in our mother’s womb, I beg to differ that we can’t experience metamorphosis in our life.
We all want transformation. To be transformed is to change the outward appearance, to change in character or condition. One thing I love about fashion is you can be a different character every day. You get to play with colors and textures, fabrics and weights, an array of accessories and a selection of heights. You can be dolled up and glamourous one day, go edgy with leather and metal the next, be carefree in a flowy dress that feels oh so easy to wear on tropical days. To wear those pieces that make you feel like a million bucks, the ones that make you feel excited for a night out on the town or with your loved one, and the ones for those special occasions that hold joyful memories and remind you of how treasured you are.
It feels amazing slipping into the silky dress which hugs your figure just right; you feel brilliant and on top of the world, that you can tackle anything, and you hear the delightful sound of your love saying how stunning you are. But after a night of fun, we step out of our gorgeous outfit, to just be in our skin again, flaws out in the open, exposed. And if we let it, we can feel deflated, unworthy, a fraud, craving that pleasurable feeling again. Sometimes, we hide behind our clothes, cover up what we don’t want people to see. Or, we can be so depressed that we don’t care what we look like. Sometimes that boost of a new outfit helps us snap out of it a bit, helps us feel human again, helps us feel productive and loved again. But if we don’t deal with what’s inside, those feelings will always come back to haunt us.
Still other times, we may be moving into another stage of life. A wearied mom who’s progressing in her career and needs a professional style. You could be moving into your 40s and needing a new style that reflects where you are in your life, as how you dressed in your 20s and 30s just no longer works.
Metamorphosis is a funny thing. We’re witness to it in our own lives and others’; however, we are not fully aware of how it all comes to be. From being set free from drugs, getting out of a toxic relationship, or a trafficked child that’s reconciled to their family. How cancer gets healed without a single treatment; how metal put in a body to mend a previous ailment, just seems to “vanish”; a person who needs a heart transplant wakes up one day with a brand new, perfect, young heart that was not transplanted medically. It just appeared. Or how after all medical interventions have been exhausted, a person dies and comes back to life. How do we explain this?
The one word that always stands out about metamorphosis is – supernatural. It happens supernaturally. It’s not us pounding into the pavement, to beat it out, to restrict ourselves into submission. While we take an active participation in it, it is not us who does it – it’s a greater One. Our body is an amazing thing. It was designed to be able to heal itself. With the right ingredients, the right path and Guide at the helm, we can come back from anything.
It’s like neuroscience. For years, it was thought that the brain could never be changed. Once the brain was damaged, it was permanent and could never be healed again. But now we have come to realize that the brain can heal itself. We think, a decision is made, our brain sends the signal to our body, and the body does exactly what that thought is. We change our thoughts, we build new pathways, we build new trees, and our body follows along. Our lives then change. We have the power just by our thoughts to change outcomes and our life for the good or for the bad. What we put into our mind determines what comes out in our words and actions. We must fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. We must reprogram our mind. Examine what you’re putting into your mind. What are you watching, listening to, reading? When we align our thoughts and the things we’re putting into them with these traits, we will see peace, prosperity, growth and change in our life.
It all begins with the heart. It’s an inside job. We must be renewed. To renew is to restore to freshness or vigor, to make new spiritually. Through trauma, pain, despair, blows to our life and psyche, and wrong choices, we go down a path that we soon find out is destroying us. We get corrupted by lust and deception, and walk around with our backpack full of shame, guilt, rage and a plethora of other weights. We need renewed thoughts and attitudes to move forward. We need a new nature, a new direction, a new way of life. Like old, ripped up, worn out clothing, we need to throw away those old mindsets, old way of living. We need to turn back to the right path.
We create the environment that we live in. When we don’t like the environment of our life, it’s so easy to put the blame somewhere else. We must choose to turn, to go the right way, even if we don’t understand, and it doesn’t feel good. We must be cleansed from within, and fill our hearts and spirits with new thoughts and desires. Only when we are renewed, reeducated, and our mind redirected are we truly transformed. We need to choose The Way.
We all long for metamorphosis in one or more areas of our lives. We’re all filling the void, the emptiness with something. We have a vice, and we all want freedom. We may want to be free from drugs, alcohol, addiction to pornography, rage, weight gain, toxic relationships, or from being a victim of abuse, and all the ripples that these struggles bring with them. We want whole, healthy, perfect bodies, a robust portfolio, to be desired, loved and accepted. From the fashion industry, to the beauty industry, to health and wellness, to entertainment, technology and finance industries, and all the others in between, we’re all searching for that immortal body; we’re all looking to stop the clock, to stay in our prime, to stay on the mountain peaks. A transformation can come. It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye. We can have a new life – a rebirth, new DNA and be set free.
Are you happy with where the road’s leading you? Are you going to continue to go down that well-worn path of destruction, though it may look shimmery and delightful right now? Or are you going to be courageous, turn, and go down the path less travelled, that’s rugged and not well worn. Throw off the old way of living, and follow the new way – the Way of peace, of hope, of life. It’s not by doing what everybody else is doing; it’s being transformed into a new person by changing the way you think. Every day people are walking around with a veil over their face, with rose colored glasses on, not able to see clearly, and their eyesight and understanding shrouded. Just like our blind spots. When the veil is taken away, there is salvation and freedom from bondage; we have rebirth. Our radiance and true identity can shine through then.
You are a changing, thriving being. Just look at carbon. Deep within the core of the earth, carbon undergoes tremendous amounts of intense heat and pressure. At just the right time, the deep-seated volcano violently explodes spewing out the newly formed crystals from the depths. The rock is cut and polished, to expose the most brilliant and prized gem. A perfect reflection of rebirth and supernatural metamorphosis that we can experience.
Where in your life do you need transformation? What needs to shift in your life? Do you need a rebirth? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to pick the right path or the wrong? Are you going to choose light or dark? Choose to forgive someone else or yourself? Choose to love yourself? The choice is yours. As Robert Frost penned in his famous poem:
“I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference”
