In my readings lately, I’ve been sitting with a lot of people who are in deep, soul-level transitions. Many of us are shifting from one life to another within ourselves, and it’s not always clear what is actually happening or what we’re stepping into. What often feels loudest is the discomfort of the change. The acceptance of our present situation is vital to the alchemical process of transformation, but what happens when we’re taught to believe that accepting something uncomfortable or painful is the one thing that will actually make the pain real? What happens when our conditioning teaches us that in order to relieve ourselves of heartache or fear, we should avoid it? Bypass it? Undermine its influence on our lives? Pretend to be elsewhere and unaffected all together?
In alchemy, a substance is known by its physical and spiritual properties. Lead, for example, has a distinct set of physical traits, spiritual significations, and access points to unlock creative possibility. But, if lead doesn’t allow itself to be lead, if it’s tricking itself into thinking it’s something different, it prevents itself from transforming into anything at all. Unless we allow ourselves the truth of our grief, fear, pain, or any of those other dense and crucial human experiences, the pathway to gold will be distorted and dysfunctional. We can’t build a bridge from one mountain top to another if we’re pretending we’ve already crossed the chasm. We can’t open to a deeper connection if we’re unable to meet the fears that are waiting at that gate.
Possibility emerges the moment we allow our heartache to be present. Heartache can be nebulous, shrouded, or sharp. It can show up as discomfort, fear of the unknown, relational wounding, chronic emotional pain, isolation, depression. When we resist heartache as an inimitable player in our current reality, we deny one of our vital properties. From here, it becomes nearly impossible to evoke change or fulfill an emotional cycle when we are unwilling to operate from the reality of our experience.
So many of us are standing in thresholds of transformation, wondering when the pain will subside or the key will emerge. May we meet ourselves with tenderness and softening, and may we remember that creative magic resides especially in discomfort, friction, heartache, and uncertainty. These experiences are not blockages, but doorways. This Rumi quote sums it up simply: “Learn the alchemy true human beings know. The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, the door will open.”
Keep building your capacity to hold all of the inimitable, subversive, and emotional parts of yourself with grace and catharsis. Keep sharing with your loved ones, your besties, your journal, your art, your good spirits. Keep in mind that genuine acceptance of ourselves can, and perhaps must, be messy sometimes. Read into the alchemy of the human spirit by meeting yourself where you’re actually at, knowing this is somehow the exact and perfect medicine required for your new timelines to emerge.
Allow catharsis and grace as you dance through each threshold; they will welcome you home.
Beth Metal is a practicing witch, spirit channel, and card reader who lives in Providence, RI with her calico cat, Arrow. She is available for private readings, parties + events, and spiritual consultations. Find her on instagram (@nearbeth_experience) or check out her website (www.nearbethexperience.com) to learn how to work with her or get in touch. You can also write to Beth at askawitchmag@gmail.com with your quirky questions, curious concerns, or sticky situations for a chance to receive complimentary spiritual guidance in our next edition of Ask a Witch.