Tyson Yunkaporta points this pattern out as one of the fundamental, universal patterns. If I recall correctly, Joseph Rael incorporates this pattern in his description of reality. In the context of Creative Community I recognize it as the ripple response from a stone (or a rain drop) dropping into water. As a gardener I recognize it as the growth pattern of a rhizome left alone for many years. As a would-be mycologist and faerie fancier I recognize it as the pattern of a faerie ring. Any infant would recognize this pattern, as would any navel gazer…
I have been opening my perception to new iterations of patterns I know over the past week or so, as well as to patterns I don’t know yet, or haven’t recognized. Patterns are helpful in navigating change, as the pattern can be an anchor, something that remains constant even as the circumstances change – from cast iron in concrete to spray paint on dry laid brick.
I’ve slept a lot in the past week – between 9 and 14 hours for four nights in a row – and stayed in bed a good hour after waking almost every day. I’ve not done much. It hasn’t always felt great, but it has been great. One morning I woke up at 5:00 am with so much on my mind I alternated between speaking into my digital voice recorder and nodding off again for over an hour before going back to sleep. Lots of foundational, ontological revelations.
Cicada’s lifecycle remains a constant metaphorical pattern I still use as a map during these times, knowing I’m in the liminal place between emerging from underground and actually taking flight. I’ve been pondering the question of what in my life and self and world constitute the ground I am leaving behind, and the exuvia I am leaving or about to be leaving behind. One of the phrases that came fully formed to me as I found myself awake with the recorder in my hand was this gravid affirmation:
Anything and everything I am clinging to pales in comparison to what I am becoming.
