How to Navigate "The Upside Down"
Shifting perspective as a way to greater peace, curiosity, and joy in these challenging times
When I was in my early forties, I couldn’t seem to find my way forward. Personal loss and grief were just a prelude to my home life turning upside down. Everything I thought I knew about myself was under attack.
I found myself an adult “orphan,” having lost both parents—my father when I was just eleven—and now my family dynamics were unraveling. Siblings were at odds, long-held traditions were falling away. At the same time, my role as a mother was shifting. My daughter was entering the early stages of separation and rebellion, in ways more intense than I ever could have imagined.
I look back at this time as “The Upside Down.” But I emerged with a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in life.
This is spiritual initiation—where we question our values, our filters, our worldviews on life. And when our worldview no longer aligns with what we are experiencing, we start the painful process of deconstruction and rebuilding the foundations we took for granted.
This can happen when we experience an illness, grief, identify loss, or some form of crisis in our lives.
This isn’t just a once in a lifetime event. Life offers us many opportunities to refine, redirect, and renew our perspective.
But one thing I know for sure: when we resist this natural process of soul growth, we invite greater grief, frustration, and loss.
An apt metaphor for this growth process is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. She (the butterfly) has no idea—at least as far as we can imagine—what lies on the other side or even that this is a stage of life. Yet once the transformation begins, there is no turning back.
The path forward requires surrender to the unknown. In the chrysalis, the caterpillar completely dissolves into a liquid, almost like black goo. Her old body breaks down entirely. Specialized cells—interestingly called imaginal cells—begin building the new form: wings, antennae, legs. It’s a complete transformation. When the time is right, the butterfly emerges, reborn and ready to fly.
The chrysalis is a messy, confusing place. I know. I’ve been there, and I bet you’ve been there, too.
Consider this: Imagine that we are all in this big, goopy chrysalis right now. All of us. Not just humanity, but the blue jays and polar bears, the pine trees and pansies, the waters of the rivers and mountain ranges, the cumulus clouds and the rain, the planets and meteors. What we have come to know as this 3D reality—physical matter—is breaking down. Everything we took for granted is in question.
We are all in “The Upside Down.”
When I reframe world events in this way, I feel a greater sense of peace. Why? Well, if we are all in this messy, goopy place, there is nothing to do but surrender our control. And when we do, we relax into a state of reverence for the process, respect for the power of nature. The funny thing is, I feel greater burden and stress thinking that I am not doing enough to stem this climate catastrophe, or racial injustice, or to end the wars.
But when I realize that this is an inevitable, natural progression—brought about by extreme imbalance—as nature seeks harmony, restoration, and rebirth.
Earth’s extreme weather behavior—through storms and seismic shifts—is not a punishment—it is a soul signal and potential for growth at a scale perhaps never before seen in the history of humanity.
It is becoming rather clear that the Earth—and humanity—is now in a collective initiation, a metamorphosis. We are at the precipice of the Great Awakening.
During this difficult personal experience of initiation in the past, I repeatedly encountered a quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer, a spiritual teacher and prolific author, before I finally felt its true meaning:
When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.
These wise words helped me reframe challenging relationships. I began to see how my own perspective was blocking true, meaningful dialogue—how it was filled with past wounds, inherited beliefs from my parents, and fears about the future. I also realized that beyond words, my energy and reactions had an even greater impact in shaping each encounter.
In essence, I learned to become an observer—bringing conscious awareness to the way I navigated through my life. I still need to remind myself, especially when I’m emotionally triggered, but I’m now more able to return to a state of presence and meet each experience with greater awareness.
Even when I finally understood these words, it wasn’t easy to shift my perspective on a particular situation. I had to ask myself, “Whatever I feel about this, what is the opposite perspective?”
The answer didn’t align with my feelings, yet I allowed myself to suspend belief and tried it on. And when I allowed myself to think about it in this way, which felt completely alien to me, I suddenly had an epiphany. This perspective seemed to lift the heavy burden on my heart. I felt lighter, both physically and metaphorically.
Over these years I have thoroughly embraced this concept in my personal journey and yes, I do still encounter challenges with shifting my thoughts, but I am more able to bring consciousness into my thoughts and behavior.
And I am eternally grateful to Wayne Dyer for helping me see with new eyes. I see now how extraordinarily helpful these words are to approaching this “Upside Down” world we see ourselves in, with greater peace, curiosity, and joy!
Do you have any phrases or quotes that have helped you navigate life’s challenges? I would to hear below. And hoping that we all support each other on this mystical, magical journey of life.
Thank you for reading.
If this piece sparked something in you, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Do you have a story where you experienced light as awareness? As awakening? As love?
Feel free to share—and if you enjoyed this, consider subscribing or forwarding to a fellow light-seeker.
Check out my podcast “The Enchanted Earth Podcast,” where you’ll hear stories of profound connection to nature. Also, you may be interested in my newest book, The Enchanted Earth: Embracing the Power of Nature to Discover the Wild in You (Mango, 2024).
I do one-on-one spiritual mentoring and offer online courses in feng shui, earth energy healing, biophilic design, and spirituality.
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With reverence and Earth blessings,
Maureen
🌍 Host of The Enchanted Earth Podcast
🌿 Earth Energy Practitioner & Teacher