Heartsong Studio

“Once I discovered a cocoon in the bark of a tree, just as the butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing to come out,” confessed a friend. “I waited a while, but it was too long appearing and I was impatient. I bent over and breathed on it to warm it.

“I warmed it as quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The case opened, the butterfly started slowly crawling out and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled; the wretched butterfly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them.

“Bending over it, I tried to help it with my breath. In vain. It needed to be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual process in the sun. Now it was too late. My breath had forced the butterfly to appear, all crumpled, before its time. It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hand.

“That little body is, I do believe, the greatest weight I have on my conscience. For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm.”

How many aborted creations are you responsible for ? I know I have squashed countless unborn works of art in my impatience.

So what’s the rush, anyway ?

If you’re anything like me, you’re busy. Once you’re on the trail of a new idea, you just blast ahead and make it happen. Or else, if an idea doesn’t start showing promise from the start, maybe you say it’s not your thing, and give it up. Maybe you tell yourself that you’re bored with anything new that takes this much work to learn.

When things don’t turn out asap, maybe you feel a bit of panic, or at least a nervous discomfort. You feel obligated to make things happen the way you think they should. So you try to avoid this feeling altogether by giving yourself reasons.

The mind’s stories are just blowing smoke to cover over the feelings underneath. The reasons we give for our impatience don’t matter; but getting closer to what’s under the feeling does.

These feelings of discomfort are your salvation.

They are a sign marking the doorway to freedom. In order to obey the eternal rhythms of your own nature, you need to go inside the feeling of impatience or discomfort and own it, not find reasons for it.

Be willing to open more into this feeling. Really experience the unresolved emotions hidden there. This doesn’t take as long as you might think. On the other side of this surrender, you will find the cover you were holding onto for safety, was actually keeping you from being free.

Once you are willing to hold in your heart the full experience of impatience, discomfort, incompetence, or not knowing, you will sense that under all that, you are on firm ground, held safely, and part of the natural rhythm of the flow.

It takes time to learn the rhythm of this creative life process. It’s like learning to love. It’s an inside job and it can’t be rushed.

Next time a work isn’t springing into being as you think it should, remember the butterfly and be the sun. Patiently take part to help the unfolding of beauty given into your care.