Metamorphosis

Thirty is the lotus flower about to bloom, the cocoon about to burst, the sacred space between the in breath and the out breath.

It is the snake shedding its skin and the oyster revealing the pearl within.

It is an unfolding. A stripping away of layer upon layer of debris and delusions. An untangling of narcissistic knots, an unthreading of embroidered half-truths.

Thirty knows not everything, but something.

It knows that everything stems from a single cell. It rejects notions of disunity because it sees the link between molecules, species, communities. It places its hand gently over a heart centre and touches the warmth that lives there. It is the same warmth that lives everywhere.

Thirty trusts the natural order of life and death, day and night, yin and yang. The fear of being stagnant is completely unjustified. Stagnant does not exist. All moves in a perpetual circular motion. The beginning ends and the end begins.

The Earth turns, the body breathes itself, life happens.

Thirty is the breathtaking moment just before daybreak. The first crack creeping its way along the chrysalid.

It’s an irrepressible feeling of hope nestled deep in the belly. It runs up and down streets, feeling courageous and free. It rejoices in its own autonomy, its own choices, its own rose-tinted view of the world.

It feels anything but old.

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This week’s affirmation: I celebrate!

The Journey Begins

On November 21st, I wrote this letter.

Today, the journey begins...

*

Dear Institute of Traditional Medicine,

Some people know what they want to be when they grow up. Other people need to grow up in order to know what they want to be. I fall into the latter category, although when I think about my childhood, I realize that I embarked on this particular path very early on.

I see myself at eight years old, all knotty hair and skinned knees, seeking refuge in the safety of trees. I remember sitting on branches, face turned to the sky, feet dangling in the air, perfectly content in my makeshift perch. I felt as free as a bird and as strong as the tree itself. I knew - the way children always seem to know - that there was magic in the trees, the sun, the stars, the leaves. Magic and peace and healing.

Then, I grew up.

I moved away from the forest of my childhood and ventured to various cities, in various countries, endlessly searching for my place in the world and hoping to discover my purpose.

Often, in the midst of a busy city, I felt the need to return to nature. To find a tree and sit with it. To pick a flower and admire it. To jump in a river and go with its flow.

In 2005, after spending a stressful year in Japan, my health started to falter in a way it had never faltered before. I saw countless doctors who prescribed medications which, they assured me, would “make me feel better.”

But I did not merely want to feel better, I wanted to be better.

So, again, I immersed myself in nature. I walked, I breathed, I meditated, and I sought out alternative therapies such as massage, yoga, and acupuncture. Slowly but surely, I became well again.

Since then, Traditional Chinese Medicine has been a constant in my life. It has improved the health of my mind, body, and spirit. It has opened me up to the power of energy and the miracle of interconnectedness. It has encouraged me to explore various systems of healing, such as reiki and holistic nutrition, and to share my discoveries with others. It has propelled me forward, inward, and outward and has lead me to this particular moment, this particular letter.

I want to immerse myself in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I want to play a part, however small, in the healing of our world and of its people. I want to be an advocate for traditional medicine in North America. I want to be for others what some practitioners have been for me: teachers of balance, of inner-peace, of wellness.

I would be honoured to study at the Institute of Traditional Medicine. I have no doubt that it would be a positive and enriching experience for all involved. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

In wellness and wonder,

Vicki Rivard

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This week's affirmation: I go back to school with an open mind and an open heart and allow the lessons to nourish, inspire, and transform.