I drove through a hail storm today.

It began gently, offering a delightful musical accompaniment to my journey. Intensifying, the hail noisily demanded my attention, as did the wind. And then it was over. Just like that.

How different from the storm which has overtaken the world.

A pandemic whirling through every country with continuous winds of massive change, uncertainty, and overwhelm. Littering the way with too many demands, unclear directions, and everyone unsettled. These are the times in which we live and we’re not through to the other side.

We’re in the “Messy Middle” of a long transformative process.

This term, coined by Scott Belskys, acknowledges the influential middle phase of any project, product development or transformation of a company. Whether intended or forced upon a company, big change brings uncertainty, ups and downs, mistakes, struggles, and frustration. Volatility is to be expected and may be worked with. Far from being helpless, there are wise ways to proceed.

It helps to recognize that no journey is linear. And every middle is messy.

At the beginning of a challenge, planned or unplanned, you may rally. Expend your energy to creatively adapt and to help others do the same. You settle into the new plans in place and manage the frequent need for adjusting your response.

And on it goes. And the storm continues.

You engage. You withdraw. You adapt and look to the future. At some point, you lose sight of that future you looked to and have nothing yet to replace it with. Eventually, energy expended and mindset recalibrated countless times, you realize you’re tired. And unclear about the next tweak, action, or directional focus.

When you run out of steam, it’s a good thing to rest.

Even though life will still blow the winds around you, demanding your attention and your presence. That’s to be expected. Choosing to rest doesn’t mean you’ll give up your responsibility. You know how to do your work, feed the children, and complete the basic tasks of living. And it’ll get done.

The choice becomes where you place your focus: on the storm around you or on the calm within.

It’s too easy to be pulled in the direction of the loudest wind. It takes intent to pull back and engage the quietude within. Here in the stillness of your own being, it’s not so much about doing anything. Not seeking answers or even trying to listen. Just dropping into the quiet spaciousness that awaits your return. Resting there.

Imagine that. In the midst of the storm, you do nothing.

It sounds simple, but it takes practice. Especially after years of the mind and the body clamoring for the to-doing. Yet, the Way into living in flow with the universal energy and the wisdom of your own Soul requires you to slow. And still. And open.

It’s a life practice, not just a smart meditation. (Although it also is a smart meditation.)

Dropping within and seeking nothing, you open the way for deep nourishment. Naturally, you access a wellspring of wisdom that soothes, sturdies, and (eventually) reveals the mystical invitations to live differently than you had before.

There’s an ebb and a flow to the process. And it’s not to be rushed.

There are many ways in. For me, walking the Feminine mystical path has revealed the deep nourishment of sitting within exquisite stillness. Engaging the archetypal energy of the Sacred Feminine, with Her many faces, you awaken your capacity to flow in coordination with life’s movements.

Within this depth of sturdiness, connection, and replenishment, the way becomes clear.

Internally guided rather than externally pulled. Moving with the complexity of Life’s harmonious dance, your life becomes simpler. And the middle is less messy.