Renewal often begins with shedding, letting go of beliefs, identities, expectations, and patterns that no longer fit who we are becoming. Yet sometimes we postpone our own renewal to accommodate the people around us.

A traditional story from the Banks Islands in Melanesia tells that human beings were once immortal. As they aged, they could shed their old skin, as snakes and crabs do, and emerge young again.

One day, an old woman went to a stream to shed her skin. As it floated away, she noticed that it became caught on a stick. When she returned home renewed and youthful, her child did not recognize her. The child cried for the mother they knew—the mother who had been old.

Wanting to comfort the child, the woman returned to the stream, retrieved her old skin, and put it back on. From that time forward, according to the story, human beings could no longer shed their skin and renew their youth.

The story offers us a powerful reflection:

When we refuse to shed what is no longer alive within us in order to soothe the fears of others, we live only partially as ourselves.

Sometimes we are not the ones who fear change. We may be ready to take the risk, try something new, move, change jobs, or let go of an old version of ourselves. However, the people around us may struggle with our growth because our change also changes what feels familiar to them.

Their discomfort does not mean that our growth is wrong, and it does not have to become our instruction.

Before beginning the meditation, sit quietly and ask yourself:

• What old skin am I ready to shed?
• Whose voice is asking me to remain as I have always been?
• What is it costing me to continue wearing an old version of myself?
• What might become possible if I allowed myself to change?

This guided meditation will invite you to temporarily set aside your roles, expectations, and emotional burdens so you can reconnect with the person beneath them.

Namaste 🙏♥️
Liz