Healing is a journey. Just when you think you have mastered it, a new level begins. You can liken it to peeling the layers of an onion or in this case the turn of wheel. I’ve been asking my students and clients of late, where are you on the wheel? And this week, I’ve been forced to ask myself the same question.
When we break the healing or medicine wheel down, we pass through four sections or stages healing and transformation:
The four stages of healing/transformation
- Stage 1 – Revelation
- Stage 2 – Rebellion
- Stage 3 – Responsibility
- Stage 4 – Resolution
Put another way, first we come across new information that causes us to stop and question our reality. This is the emergence of a new truth that is different from what we have been accustomed to. This new information often leads to our pushing back against it… “No! Say it isn’t so!” We go through episodes of blaming and rebelling against the new truth until eventually we step into acceptance and take responsibility for our own part in the process. This is where we ask ourselves how can we adapt to the new situation. Acceptance leads to understanding and understanding to that last level of healing, which is wisdom. Here we extract the blessing and resolve the karma of the last cycle.
You might also see these stages referred to ages, as in child, adolescent, adult and elder on a medicine wheel. They could also be seen as directions on a compass (east being child, south adolescent etc), or the seasons (where winter might represent the elder). It doesn’t matter how you perceive them, they still follow the same pattern.
In Grail terms, each stage has merit, but only the 3rd stage: responsibility, can be considered Self-Full.
Principle 6 of The Grail Path: I AM Self-Full is a statement of intent to take full responsibility for your own healing journey. To self-parent as it were. It can only come into being when you move past the need to rebel and blame (either self or others) for your current situation, which is the substance of stage 2 and the lesson of Grail Principle 3: I AM Human. The proverbial cup returns to full when you take action from that place of ownership and sovereignty and wisdom comes (stage 4) as the cup fills and you understand how it came to empty in the first place.
I metioned earlier that this week I have had to ask myself the question, “where are you on the wheel?” This is because I noticed my Self-Full attempts over the last few days were in fact slipping into self-sabotage and that comes with whole host of complicated justifications and excuses that are all firmly in the adolescent, rebellious 2nd stage. The noticing was revelation of stage 1 (new information).
Believe it or not, sitting down to write the blog today is the result of me taking back the responsibility and owning my shit so I can move back into truth.
So, where are you on the wheel?
- Are you just realising something doesn’t sit right and entering stage 1?
- Have you moved into the justification, blaming and excuses for where you are and why you’re there, hanging out in stage 2?
- Have you begun to own your shit and take action to change it, over here in stage 3 where I just arrived?
- Have you cleaned up your act and extracted your blessing, never to repeat that lesson again. The great thing about stage 4 is you have your next stage 1 to look forward to.
You never get it all done. That’s why its a wheel. It keeps turning.
You are still here. So, you’re doing great.
If you would like to explore your stage of healing more you can do so you can book a session here or join my weekly live online “Reclaim Your Spirit” Grail Circle where we explore all manner of Grail topics and personal growth/healing.
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Love, Jo x
