FSBL

Life Changes happen in a moment

Change can be both gradual (incremental) and sudden (emergent).  For example, evolutionary theorist realized that animals went from having forelegs to having wings in one massive, sudden jump.  Then, the process of natural selection kicked in to slowly evolve the best possible wings to meet certain needs.

Ervin Lazlo's evolutionaly process:

Phase one:  the stable life

If you're in stage one, everything seems to be going along just fine.  This stage is characterized by an overall stability that suggests an "enviornment in equilibrium".  You'll know stage one is coming to an end for you when you begin to sense that your life "no longer fits".  You might experience a lack of passion or interest in things and relationships that were once as vital to you as breathing.  The longer this feeling persists, the more you feel unresponsive and disconnected from others.

Phase two: the dissolving identity

Both the fossil record and the historical record indicate that a long phase of stability will eventually give way to stage two, the dissolution of the old reality.  During stage two, change can become a real but usually scary part of life.  We are hesitant to lose what's known, with no promise for the future.

Phase three: the in between

The loss of all that is familiar characterizes stage three. This is without a doubt, an incredibly difficult stage to be in.  As a system theorist, Lazlo would tell you to take heart.  The chaotic processes that landed you here are part of a larger cycle.  "Big discontinuous-looking leaps are normal in living systems that have moved far from equilibrium".  People in stage three often feel dead to the world and withdraw both physically and emotionally.  You may need to sleep a lot more than usual, and everything will take more time to do than it did before.  When catepillars are in stage three, they withdraw into a tight cocoon and literally allow their old bodies to dissolve into a kind of DNA soup.  This soup provides the nutrition necessary to completely and radically transform into butterflies.  Without the cocoon and the dissolution of the caterpillar's body, the new butterly could not form.

Phase four: birth of the new

After a long period of death and hibernation, stage four is the time for energy to start moving again.  But, like muscles that haven't been used for a long time, this shifting energy can feel awkward, stiff and unresponsive to your desires.  You want to do something, take action, change your life, but you're not sure what to do.  The old ways don't work anymore, and you grope for an image, word or vision of the new.  The key is to do something, anything.  This stage is characterized by many attempts whose sole purpose is to bring you to your next attempt, and then your next, as you slowly fumble your way into a new form of being.

Phase five: living the new

Finally, a time of joy and tremendous creative expression!  You sense that you are aligned with your life's purpose and feel surging waves of vitality and delight.  Your daily experience is a happy energetic feeling and results in an optimistic worldview and desire to serve.  The amount and scope of change diminishines somewhat, and you feel in sync with everything and everyone around you.