8 Tips to Navigating the Fertile Void
Have you ever been caught in a life transition? A time when instead of moving forward to the next chapter in your life, you were stuck, confused, lost, or wandering?
Suzanne Braun Levine, author of Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, calls this “in between” time the Fertile Void. She describes it as, “the long, slow, deep breath – the gathering in of strength – that precedes a daring leap into the unknown.”
This is a time of stepping outside our busy, hectic life to rest in the stillness and quiet of our “being”. A time to become aware of everything calling for our attention, and such, a time to re-examine aspects of our life and let go those that no longer feel right. Ultimately, this is an opportunity to reconnect with the very essence of who we are and how we want to be.
When we take the time to integrate the wisdom and lessons of our past, this down time offers us an opportunity to take inventory of our life and discover what really matters. It’s a chance to nurture ourselves and explore new possibilities, and a chance to come to terms with what we really want in life. In fact, it is in the Fertile Void that the real work of transformation takes place.
Helpful tips for navigating the Fertile Void:
- Give yourself time and space to be still.
- Live in the mystery of the present.
- Let go as best you can, your need to know the answer.
- Ask yourself new questions.
- Make extreme self-care a priority.
- Notice what energizes and excites you.
- Trust and listen to your heart.
- Be curious.
In reality, life is continuously changing. Take the time to look within during periods of change and use what you discover to move forward. Instead of running from one base to the next as fast as you can, take the time to look around and integrate the new. By using the Fertile Void as a period of adjustment and growth, we often find that this leads to our greatest personal and spiritual growth.
If we can only allow it.