Breaking the Gravitational Pull of Your Old Patterns
“The mark of our time is its revulsion against imposed patterns.”
The process of breaking an old pattern typically goes like this…
You reach your wits’ end and your current way of being isn’t working for the life you want, so you decide to make a real change. You have built enough awareness to discover a pattern of self-sabotage you’ve been repeating throughout your life. You have a major breakthrough, relinquish your old behaviors and begin to acquire new mindful ways of being instead. You lose yourself (maybe a few friends too) in the process and aren’t sure where exactly you’re headed or if you’re doing the right things. You feel lost and confused but you believe enough to keep moving forward by following your heart.
You begin to see the light and gradually acquire a new mindset and tools (maybe a few new friends too) to help you move toward the light at a faster pace. It feels exhilarating and nerve-racking at the same time. You practice using your new tools, create new habits and feel yourself moving toward your new life faster and more at ease. Your dedication and consistency pays off and you feel amazing about who you have become — your old way of behaving feels like a distant memory.
Then a person or event triggers you, reminds you of past wounds, and causes you to revert to your old way of thinking and behaving. You judge yourself harshly for slipping but are aware enough to be compassionate toward yourself. You recenter again and continue with your new way of being until it feels natural — a new pattern is now ingrained and set in motion.
Traveling in the orbit of old patterns
Going through life the way we are without awareness is like revolving around a star in the galaxy. We are traveling along its orbit, bound by gravity, without much control or even awareness as to where we’re going or what the entire journey looks like. Even when we are spinning ourselves every day of our lives, we’re still unsure of which star we’re revolving around and why we’re affected by its gravitational pull. We’re just orbiting along, thinking we’re consciously choosing where we’re going because we can’t see the whole picture. The orbit we’re in is that of the star, holding us in place, directing our path. We can think of that star as our programming, upbringing, education, etc. It has shaped our way of being, our pattern of thinking and behaving. And in a sense, our destiny.
One day, we become aware we’re simply going through the motions in an orbit we didn’t consciously choose to be in. We glance over and see a different orbit of beings revolving around another star. Those beings seem brighter and happier, because their star gives them more energy and resources. We begin to question the orbit we’re in and wonder if this is our only destiny. We want to be a part of a different orbit but we can’t get there, being bound by a strong gravitational pull.
When a big unexpected event occurs, you can think of that as a disruption in the gravitational force that causes us to go temporarily off course and misalign with our orbit. That event could be a trauma or a major change in life, with or without our control. It’s an event that shakes up your current way of being and gives you an opportunity to break free from the orbit you no longer want to be in. It would have to be a strong enough impact to knock you out of orbit altogether.
Wandering through the dark universe is scary
If you’re determined and courageous enough to get out of your current orbit to seek a new one, you’re in a position (or, rather, out of position) to begin a new journey. But before you’re part of a new and different orbit, you’ll most likely feel lost and have to wander for a while in the vastness of the unknown.
Imagine being bumped off your cosmic rail forcefully — the rail you’ve learned to depend on to get you from one point of your life to the next, leaving you without directions or a map to find your way. That can be a terrifying period of time when you have to let go of your old patterns and find a new one to adapt to. Imagine yourself just floating around in the cosmos looking for another orbit to pull you in. In the process, you might hit a few comets or bump into other small planets in search of their own worthy course.
This is a time to be patient, to be curious, and to show yourself plenty of compassion. Look for like-minded support along the way to keep you company on your journey. Your path may seem to lead nowhere at first, but like the cosmos always comes through for its planets, you will soon find an orbit familiar and magnetic enough for you to set homebound. Meanwhile, take care of your needs, and try not to get knocked around too much in the galaxy.
Finding orbital resonance through new habits
The period of feeling lost and confused is not without purpose. It’s the gift of space for you to begin something new.
Your old orbit no longer resonates with you. There is no going back, even if you want to. That pattern of thinking and behaving no longer feels right. You know you need to move on to a new orbit, one that will carry you to a different world than you were in before. But you have no idea how to get into alignment with the orbit you want to be in. It moves at a different speed, communicates in a different language, and commands a different energy, or you won’t survive in it.
You might know that being knocked out of orbit and pulled into a different one in space is an extremely rare occurrence. Similarly for us, discarding old unhealthy patterns and adopting a healthier new pattern isn’t easy, and requires commitment. But it is entirely possible and takes place every day, because we humans are capable of shifting our energy quickly.
We do this in several ways, including changing the way we think, the way we speak and how we do things. It is our repetitive behavior that changes our vibration over time, and allows us to resonate with the healthy new pattern we want to align with. And by aligning with a new pattern, we align with a new destiny that previously did not exist for us.
Overcoming our old way of being and behaving differently might feel uncomfortable at first, might feel too hard. But through mindful shifts and consistent practice, we gradually change our vibration and resonate more and more with our new orbit. Then one day, we are pulled into its gravitational force and merge with its flowing current, then we no longer feel lost or confused. Everything feels natural and as it should be.
