Hanging Out in the Crucible

Hanging Out in the Crucible

I was talking to a dear friend of mine recently and I told her that I’d had a ‘melt down’ over one of the many challenges I’m facing in my life at the moment. Without going into detail, let’s just say that I’ve been a little overwhelmed lately by a series of emotionally difficult and energetically draining experiences.

My friend said, ‘It’s interesting that you used the term “melt down.” What happens in a crucible?”

We then proceeded to discuss the creative and generative process of melting down metals so that they can be formed into something new and valuable. She assured me, as I have assured so many friends and clients over the years. She said that when this is all over and done with, I will look back on this time with complete understanding for what was going on during this difficult time.

I have said these words to others more times than I can count. I believe them. I have believed them in my own difficult times in the past. I was having a bit more trouble believing that about my current set of challenges, which is normal. When you are being liquefied in the crucible… it isn’t a pleasant experience. Your entire form changes. All that is known to you about yourself disappears. You are reduced to a liquefied form of yourself. That is essential… before you can be reconstituted into a new, more evolved form, you have to be dismantled.

It is a scary process, but one that, in many ways, we will each go through many times in our lifetimes. It is part of the process of being a human being. It is an essential part of our spiritual growth process.

So, I’ve decided to ask those around me, but most especially I’ve decided to ask myself, for patience and understanding as I melt down and allow myself to be molded into my next form. I don’t know how long it will take. I’m not sure what parts of me will move forward and what parts of me will be left behind… no longer fitting into the new me that is emerging. We will all just need to wait and see.

If you find yourself in the crucible today… be patient with yourself. Try to grasp it as a creative process. Even though it can feel like a process of destruction, that is only a part (albeit a painful, important part) of the journey.

The dawn always follows the night. Those of us in the crucible at this moment will find our new form… eventually. More likely, our new form will find us. We need to simply allow the process. Patience and compassion is what is required for ‘crucible time.’ I wish that for myself and for any of you who are also in this place.