Once again (or as is often the case), I’ve heard from quite a few of you sharing that you’re experiencing passages of ‘standstill’, ‘stuckness’, and/or ‘in-betweens’.

All of this despite it being a season of busyness and even anxious frenzy as holidays unfold and a new calendar year looms.

Given that it’s Advent on the liturgical calendar — which means waiting (with a sense of positive expectancy) — it seems a fine time to share this updated Standstill post from the Sophia’s Children treasure vault.

As you’ll see, sometimes ‘standstill’ is both the right action and the right place. Enjoy.

“My Life Came to a Standstill…”

That’s what Leo Tolstoy wrote in his Confessions about the period in his life when his old priorities and accomplishments no longer held meaning for him, but a new sense of meaning and authenticity hadn’t yet become clear.

At the time, Tolstoy was between stories, as many of us have been or are now. In fact, the entire Western culture is at the cusp of the old dominant story and an emerging, not-yet-clear new story that’s being born.

Tolstoy was pretty depressed about being at standstill or between stories, he said.

Bridge in the Woods (1885-86), by Rafail Sergeevich-Levitsky (1847–1940). Image courtesy WikiCommons.
Bridge in the Woods (1885-86), by Rafail Sergeevich-Levitsky (1847–1940). Image courtesy WikiCommons.

That’s often the experience for those who are, as I was, conditioned to view perpetual action and unending (and seemingly forward-moving) momentum as good; and stillness, standstill, or in-between as being bad, indicating that there is something wrong, when neither is the case.

It’s simply a phase, a passage, a lilypad; part of a cycle — and a potentially rich and fertile one at that, though the not-knowing facet of it can seem unbearable at times.

“My life came to a standstill…,” Tolstoy wrote.

I’ve experienced that very potently, too, at various junctures and cycles.

In the full Sophia’s Children article (link just below), I share more about a couple of my own eco-tone, stand-still, and in-between passages.

But I’ve experienced that standstill or in-between eco-tone since the onces I mentioned in my original edition of that article, too, as I’ve lived into the unfolding spiral of life in the years since.

And I know that there are many more people — friends, clients, readers, and kindreds that I don’t yet know and haven’t yet met — in this time of great transformation who are experiencing this standstill or in-between or re-storying.

If that’s you, or if you’d just like a refreshed perspective about the potential riches to be found in the stand-still terrain, have a look at the full reflection. You’ll find it here:

Standing Still, Taking Stock (and the Message of the Queen of Disks)

There are a couple of related reflections if you’re seeking insights and ‘aha’s’ in the in-between:

• Behind the Scenes with Not-Yet

• Are You Experiencing a Life-Milestone Passage?

Big Love (and Breathe Deeply),

Jamie

Featured Image Credit: Roots 2. Photo by Piotr Wojtkowski via PD Pictures.

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Big Love,

Jamie