I have spent the last month "spring cleaning". Came across this piece in my inbox. (not sure, but I think it has been there for many years... I am very interested to ascertain who the author is. Perhaps someone here at pente.org could solve this puzzle for me...
Thanks, Jaqueline
Fear of Transformation
Sometimes I feel that my life is a series of trapeze swings. I'm either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments in my life, I'm hurtling across space in between trapeze bars.
Most of the time, I spend my life hanging on for dear life to my trapeze-bar-of-the-moment. It carries me along a certain steady rate of swing and I have the feeling that I'm in control of my life. I know most of the right questions and even some of the right answers.
But once in a while, as I'm merrily (or not so merrily) swinging along, I look ahead of me into the distance, and what do I see? I see another trapeze bar swinging toward me. It's empty, and I know, in that place that knows, that this new trapeze bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness going to get me. In my heart-of-hearts I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on the present, well known bar to move to the new one.
Each time it happens to me, I hope (no, I pray) that I won't have to grab the new one. But in my knowing place I know that I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and for some moment in time hurtle across space before I can grab onto the new bar. Each time I am filled with terror. It doesn't matter that in all my previous hurtles across the void of unknowing, I have always made it. Each time I am afraid I will miss, that I will be crushed on the unseen rocks in the bottomless chasm between the bars. But I do it anyway.
Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call the faith experience. No guarantees, no net, no insurance policy, but you do it anyway because somehow, to keep hanging onto that old bar is no longer on the list of alternatives. And so for an eternity that can last a microsecond or a thousand lifetimes, I soar across the dark void of "the past is gone, the future is not yet here." It's called transition.
I have come to believe that it is the only place that real change occurs. I mean real change, not the pseudo-change that only lasts until the next time my old buttons get punched.
I have noticed that, in our culture, this transition zone is looked upon as a "no-thing", a no-place between places. Sure the old trapeze-bar was real, and that new one coming towards me, I hope that's real too. But the void in between? That's just a scary, confusing, disorienting "nowhere" that must be gotten through as fast as unconsciously as possible. What a waste!
I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing, and the bars are illusions we dream up to avoid, where the real change, the real growth occurs for us.
Re: Words of Wisdom
Posted:
Apr 11, 2009, 11:17 PM
Hmmmm well I ordered the book so I'll let ya know All the other references I found by googling the 1st sentence point to Parry as well.......someone even put it to music in the early 90's apparently......
"Fear of Transformation" is the song that Fran whatshisface made from Parry's book....its only the last line of that page that they're referring to as anonymous......"We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore."......it'll be an interesting read methinks, a bit touchy-feely but who doesn't like to touch and feel themselves from time to time, eh?
OR we could delve a page deeper to find that The Essene Book of Days is a compilation of the Author's work from (obviously) when he was breathing. Parry passed away in 1996 and peeps from his foundation publish a journal every year in his memory (earthstewards.org)..........trust me, I change clothes in phonebooths.
Well...I suppose that throws a wrench on my plan c. I had intended to e-mail Mr. Parry...thought I would go directly to the horse's mouth...
Melanie, I'm not sure a correction to that website is necessary. It does not actually say that Dan Parry is the author of that essay. It reads "from the book of". Although it may be a little misleading, it never says that Parry is the actual author of "Fear of Transformation". On the earthlinks website they have included the word "anonymous" at the end of the essay.
Many writers quote others in their books. That is not all that unusual. I believe that to be the case in this situation. Typically there will be a cite page and they will cite the source.
If you have one of Parry's books in your possession, perhaps I could impose upon you to peruse the index to see if the essay is listed.
I am curious as to the reply you will receive from Parry's foundation bad6. I have another essay that I am puzzled about who the author might be. A friend enclosed a copy of it in a letter that he wrote to me several years ago. It was hand written and at the bottom of the page were the words "author unknown".
I googled it and there seems to be a bit of a discrepancy. There are those who believe that Emerson is the author. I am inclined to not believe that as I have not come across it in any of his writings.
The essay is as follows:
Success
To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Message was edited by: jaqueline_ at Apr 15, 2009 7:46 PM
I am very interested to ascertain who the author is. Perhaps someone here at pente.org could solve this puzzle for me...
