In the midst of change or transitions, there is a part of us that wants to run screaming in the opposite direction or plant our feet firmly and say, "No! You can't make me!" And yet while change can be terrifying, it can also be exciting and rewarding, and as my wise sage of a hairstylist told me, "When there is change, there are infinite possibilities. It is only when you take away the prospect for change that those possibilities cease" (or something along those lines...she probably said it much more eloquently than I can recall). It's so easy to get comfortable in our lives. But is comfort what it is really all about? Is comfort what we really need? Perhaps it is when we get too comfortable that the Goddess reminds us about all the other possibilities and exciting opportunities that are available if only we will get out of our comfort zone...If only we will ride the wave of fear that holds us back from all that is beyond.
Apparently the Goddess knows what it feels like to ride the terrifying waves of change, because I recently discovered Her in the form of the Hindu Goddess, Akhilandeshvari. (Here is the article where I discovered Her.) Her name quite literally means "never not broken goddess," and She is my new shero. She is not weak in her brokeness; rather, She renews Herself over and over again through brokeness, ridding Herself of the things that keep Her comfortable or stuck from moving on to other more rewarding and limitless possibilities. And that is what Akhilandeshvari offers us in the midst of our own fear of change....the possibility of the power of starting over, of embracing the change, and embracing the infinite possibilities that come along with change.
Akhilandeshvari does not promise an easy transition. Rather, it is the journey through that makes us stronger. She, herself, is seen riding on the back of a crocodile, symbolic of the fear often attached to change. The crocodile spins it's prey, wildly thrashing about, even disorienting it's prey. Likewise, on the path of change we may sometimes feel disoriented, even thrashed about as though we are spinning wildly out of control.
Even so, there is hope. We are not alone. Our Divine Mother is riding the crocodile with us, and we will make it through. And know this...when we make it through, we will not come out the same on the other side. We regenerate through change. Like a salamander who, when trapped, lets go of its tail and grows a new one, we will be different. And because of our renewed self, we will have a whole new life of endless possibilities ahead of us....until the next time we face change, and then we will do it all over again. Just like the Goddess, Akhilandeshvari, we are "never not broken," and as such the possibilities are limitless.
