I saw a striking image recently, of an Alaskan hunter skinning a freshly killed deer.  Once the slice of his sharpened blade pierced the coat, it peeled away from the flesh in smooth motion as his knife slid across the expanse of the body, the hide cleanly and easily separating from the tender skin it had protected.

It reminded me of the process of our own transformation, as we cut through the surface of our identities and delve into our subconscious to peel away the layers of conditioned facades.  The initial penetration can seem severe, but once we’ve dared the opening to begin the process, the separation from our falseness becomes a more effortless journey.  Our willingness to let go invites the parting.

The privilege of assisting people with transformation, allows me a glimpse of the universal changes we are undergoing collectively, and I’m beginning to see the progress we are making.  Our efforts to discipline our minds and release confining patterns of thought, are resulting in positive changes of behavior and interaction.  Just as a hide is separated from the skin it once joined, our toxic and unsustainable methods are giving way to latent abilities resurfacing from the source of our potential within.

We are remembering.  We are detaching from the entrapment of our past and learning to create anew from the power of the present.  We are mastering techniques to stay the course in the midst of internal or external opposition, while remaining in the consciousness of love.  Our small and daily efforts are chipping away the attack-defend-attack principle long engaged on this planet, and we are making a difference.  In cultivating our inner strength and resiliency, we are beginning to realize the outer successes we are striving for.

Now that we are in a Mercury retrograde phase astrologically (until the latter part of July), we will have opportunities to revisit or complete what has not yet fully transformed or healed.   These experiences can show up in any number of ways, but are likely be revealed through mishaps in communication and timing, old patterns returning, secrets revealed, former relationships coming forth, and seemingly random “accidents” or sudden changes.

Perfect example:  I phoned someone I’ve been dating recently, and somehow the sounds of him enjoying a night out with some very flirtatious sounding companions, had “accidentally” recorded over his voicemail message.  It was no coincidence I had been working on a book about my father at the time, and this perfectly orchestrated synchronicity brought forth an immediate trigger reaction of jealousy and suspicion, followed by the sending of a somewhat caustic email, all of which took place in about three minutes.

Even as I was typing, I could sense my higher self desperately scrambling to find a megaphone for the subtle, but perceivable, voice inside me that was quietly urging, “Nancy, it’s not what you think, don’t do this”.  But the old patterns were too grandiose in their rising to let this enticing morsel slip by without responding in kind.

Within minutes, however, I did listen to that voice.  I was able to quickly recover and then take responsibility with my friend, who was also able to emerge far enough beyond his own punitive reactions of the past, to accept my explanation with understanding.  What could have taken us backwards into the painful perpetuation of old patterns, became progress because of our growth.

It doesn’t serve us to linger in the judgment of our failings as these deceptively harmless situations arise.  It’s far more important to recognize the changes we can make, and not give up.  As I’ve heard Marianne Williamson say many times during her weekly lectures in Los Angeles, “it’s time to focus on the resurrection, not the crucifixion” and “get off the cross, we need the wood”.

It’s time to let the skins of the old associations of ourselves, life, and others, be pared off.  Granted, we are more vulnerable in the exposure, but rather than give in to the discomfort of the unfamiliar, we can focus on the power we have within us to create anew.  The beauty of our authenticity and the brilliance of our possibility in that state of willingness, can illuminate the darkened pathways and lead us directly to our personal fulfillment as well as our collective dreams.

On this cutting edge of transformation, we have the choice to bravely part from our embedded suffering.   By using the opportunities of each and every day to renounce our fears and courageously create from love, we are realizing our personal transformation and contributing to a historic, collective change in consciousness that can potentially resolve the discrepancies of lack and disharmony on this planet.  Our purpose is nothing less and the possibilities are everything more.