Well, what a year it has been folks! Phew – it’s been quite a stormy year for many of us over the last 12 months or so. I hope you have managed to keep your head above the water and haven’t ended up a shipwreck for too long!
Sometimes it’s hard to keep trusting in the bigger picture and the wisdom of the universe when you’re in the midst of chaos. And it appears the chaos has been coming thick and fast lately! There are a few things to keep in mind about Chaos Theory that may help you hold on tight and ride out the storm, knowing that there is a brighter situation about to meet you on the horizon. Chaos Theory is not just an assumed way of the world – it is a mathematical sub-discipline that studies complex systems. Being complex systems ourselves (physically, emotionally, spiritually) and living within complex systems – Chaos Theory is actually a very relevant guideline for the human experience. What often helps me is to remember that apparently order will always emerge out of turbulent and chaotic situations. Phew!
Elements of Chaos Theory that may help when you’re in the midst of chaos (reference: www.fractalfoundation.org):
- The Butterfly Effect – small changes in the initial conditions lead to drastic changes in results. This can go both ways – it may be a change you have made or a change ‘forced upon’ you….either way – small changes can lead to drastic results. Reassuring if you’re the one trying to implement change – baby steps can be very effective.
- Unpredictability – We can never know all the conditions of a complex system in detail, therefore it is impossible to predict the behaviour or outcomes. Unfortunately most of us are uncomfortable with the unknown. Often it is our fear of the unknown that actually causes our distress in the situation. Things are out of our control and that can be scary. Often we will actually stick with what we know because it is predictable for us…even if we don’t like it! But how do we know that the unpredictable will not in fact be better for us? In reality, the unknown may not be so bad and might be just what we have been asking for….
- Chaos is not simply disorder – it also refers to the transitions between order and disorder. Are you aware of the difference between disorder and the transition between disorder and order in your life? Is it possible that what you are seeing as chaos is actually the in between time, on the way to working itself out? All changes require an adjustment period. Perhaps you’ve already left the chaos behind and you’re already operating at a higher vibration than what you were, but have failed to notice? Take a look – a real, honest look – and see what you notice.
- Mixing – Turbulence creates thorough mixing, which ensures that adjacent points in a complex system will eventually end up in very different positions. Chaos is at times such an important part of the process of ending up in a very different position to what you were in before. Evolution. On a soul level, on a life level, I hope you evolve. It appears our evolution is coming pretty thick and fast at the moment, which may create turbulence to get you there. But is it not a different position that you asked for? More this? Less that? The bigger the intention, the bigger the turbulence. Perhaps you are actually getting exactly what you hoped for, but it’s just not presenting itself in the way you imagined!
- Cycles – Complex systems often seem to run through some kind of cycle which are rarely exactly duplicated or repeated. Just as night becomes day and winter becomes summer – we live in a cyclic world. It won’t rain all the time, just as it won’t be dark all the time. Try not to be attached to being ‘happy’ all the time. It isn’t viable…and it wouldn’t be best for your evolution. Chaos is an important part of growth, and an important part of your natural cycle.
- Equilibrium – After the chaos comes equilibrium, or dynamic equilibrium. Equilibrium or order are sure to be a result after the chaos. A complex system is seen to eventually settle down to some kind of equilibrium, where it finally settles. ‘Settling down’ implies stillness, but in fact in today’s society often we are more likely in a state of ‘dynamic equilibrium’, where we settle down to some kind of equilibrium or order, but we continue going from situation to situation without ever fully settling down. This may not apply to all periods in our lives, but I’d say over the last year it’s felt like we’ve been thrown from situation to situation of chaos. And perhaps it’s just a mass cleaning of all the chaos we’ve been holding onto in the different areas of our lives….so it’s felt a little intense!
As we approach the end of the year I hope you can reflect on 2016 with a more positive spin. Yes there has been intensity! Yes there has been chaos! Yes there has been an immense amount of change that has felt like you may just explode at times! But if you see past the chaos and keep the above things in mind….what wonderful growth have you created? And is it at all in line with what you wanted for your year?
May 2017 be a little more gentle than this past year. Or if it’s not – may you have the resources and wisdom to enjoy the ride! Blessings on your journey.
‘ We will open the book. It’s pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Years Day’ – Edith Pierce