A rite of passage is a ritual that marks transition from one phase of life to another. It goes from adolescence to adulthood, but also births, initiations, marriages, endings or death. Each culture has unique ways to mark these passages.
Although we know that we will pass through many of these phases in a lifetime, and that they are part of our evolution, we tend to feel at loss with change. I thought of this when watching birds returning from a migration period, a long journey away from winter temperatures.
Their presence is announcing spring’s arrival. Nature has set the path, so why resist?
We seem to know better what and how to change the world and people’s behaviors. And yet, we mostly neglect to acknowledge that we need to change as well.
Difficult life events bring us to feel a ‘winter turmoil’ that invites us to migrate, just like the birds. Without going after the opportunities that these tough events may trigger, we cannot grow and reach our better spring times.
We should simply watch nature working and trust its design. There is always a reason for everything.
And at least for us humans, inwards, is the place we have to migrate to, if we are to transform ourselves…and the world.
If you are interested to read about Birds migration, read here:
“At northern latitudes, such as northern Europe, most of the breeding bird species are migratory and leave for some period of the year. In most areas of the world, climate and/or food availability varies over a year. This means that annual movements, in order to increase survival, can be advantageous everywhere.
For a bird to fly hundreds or thousands of miles between its breeding and non-breeding ranges is a dangerous journey, and not all birds survive.They migrate anyways, every spring and fall. It all comes down to survival. It is for two reasons – food and breeding – that birds migrate.
Migration is key to the large and fascinating diversity of birds in the world. It is nature’s ecosystem working at its best. If no birds migrated, food supplies in breeding areas would be exhausted, and many chicks would starve. There would also be fierce competition for nesting sites, and predators would be attracted to the high concentrations of breeding birds and easy meals of nestlings.
The variation in migratory behaviour is extremely large; some birds move only short distances, while others can migrate vast distances to wintering areas in the southern hemisphere. Some species move on broad fronts while others follow very narrow routes. Irruptive movements occur in several northern species in response to food shortage.
Every birder is familiar with migration as a great time to see new and unusual bird species passing through areas where they might not be found during the breeding or wintering seasons, but how much do you really know about migration? These bird migration facts might surprise you!
The word migration comes from the Latin migratus that means “to change” and refers to how birds change their geographic locations seasonally.
Migration peaks in spring and fall, but in reality, there are birds migrating 365 days a year. The actual dates of when birds migrate depends on many factors, including bird species, migration distance, travel speed, route, climate and more.”
What wise words! I think it’s changing ourselves that is the most difficult thing to do, but at the same time it’s the only thing that can change the world 🙂
And it was painful, difficult things, diseases and suffering, that helped me to change and grow.
Excellent photo and perfect question. Probably the only way to change the world is indeed to change ourselves. And perhaps we should never stop asking ourselves…?
I love your inspirational quote from Tolstoy! The bird migration in Europe must be close to what we experience in the U. S. My backyard is filled with birds from the south, slowly passing through on their way to the northern states. Love it! ❤
Beautiful picture and much wisdom. I loved the quote (huge Tolstoy fan) but my favorite part of this post were your words ‘And at least for us humans, inwards, is the place we have to migrate to, if we are to transform ourselves…and the world’
One option for this summer (I’m bad at decisions, I always have more than one option), is to go to the States. If I go that way, I always stop off in Amsterdam…to cut travel time (and to visit Amsterdam!). So…summer it may be.
Not really. If you shoot them, and you’re caught by law and order, you’ll surely meet a female prosecutor and jury composed of women too. Then the will give you life in prison. There you will have women working in the penitentiary system as well, including the female psychologist assigned to help with your mental rehabilitation.
You will have access to the Internet too and then you will read the blog if this female you hate so much!
Got it?
I really like this post! The photos are perfect for your wise words, highlighting them on multiple levels… birds in flight migrating, but the photos have a reflective quality as well, that highlights the move inward to introspection… very nice! 🙂
Lovely post! Too bad change isn’t as easy for us humans as it is for the animal kingdom. We’ve lost that inner voice (or instinct) for changing or moving on when things need to change. We get the Canadian Snow Geese that migrate to Northern California. They are so amazing to see in the wintertime!
Sights & Insights 
What a lovely photo and a very profound quotation. It’s a truth we don’t want to acknowledge but once we do, we see everything differently. X
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What wise words! I think it’s changing ourselves that is the most difficult thing to do, but at the same time it’s the only thing that can change the world 🙂
And it was painful, difficult things, diseases and suffering, that helped me to change and grow.
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Such a tremendous analogy with nature this is Lucile, and so much truth in here of how we view difficult life events.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
~Carl~
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Excellent photo and perfect question. Probably the only way to change the world is indeed to change ourselves. And perhaps we should never stop asking ourselves…?
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I love your inspirational quote from Tolstoy! The bird migration in Europe must be close to what we experience in the U. S. My backyard is filled with birds from the south, slowly passing through on their way to the northern states. Love it! ❤
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Change is hard but it seems like we are driven to it like the birds that must migrate.
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Beautiful picture and much wisdom. I loved the quote (huge Tolstoy fan) but my favorite part of this post were your words ‘And at least for us humans, inwards, is the place we have to migrate to, if we are to transform ourselves…and the world’
.
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Nail on the head…this time with words. But the first photo is very cool, too. I think I’m about reading for a right of passage…maybe a migration?
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Make sure you get back for summer. 🙂
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One option for this summer (I’m bad at decisions, I always have more than one option), is to go to the States. If I go that way, I always stop off in Amsterdam…to cut travel time (and to visit Amsterdam!). So…summer it may be.
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I thought you lived in the US.
It sounds like a good idea.
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Isn’t Amsterdam always a good idea?
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I think so…but can’t always say that to not sound arrogant.
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You live in Amsterdam. You GET to sound arrogant by default.
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How kind of you! Besides hating me, now you say I’m arrogant. I need a shrink. Lol
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No. No. I did not say you ARE arrogant. I said you can SOUND it and get away with it, meaning no one will think you are. Or something like that!!
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I know! But it was a great opportunity to annoy you a bit! 😉
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Women! Can’t live with ’em, can’t shoot ’em.
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You forgot to say can’t live without them!
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Well…if you shoot them, it’s by default without them, right?
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Not really. If you shoot them, and you’re caught by law and order, you’ll surely meet a female prosecutor and jury composed of women too. Then the will give you life in prison. There you will have women working in the penitentiary system as well, including the female psychologist assigned to help with your mental rehabilitation.
You will have access to the Internet too and then you will read the blog if this female you hate so much!
Got it?
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Hmmmm. You seem to have given this quite a bit of thought. Soooo…can’t live without them, eh? Got it!
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Not really! Just too obvious….lol
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I really like this post! The photos are perfect for your wise words, highlighting them on multiple levels… birds in flight migrating, but the photos have a reflective quality as well, that highlights the move inward to introspection… very nice! 🙂
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I’m very grateful and pleased with your fine perception and observations. Thank you!
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You’re welcome!
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Lovely post! Too bad change isn’t as easy for us humans as it is for the animal kingdom. We’ve lost that inner voice (or instinct) for changing or moving on when things need to change. We get the Canadian Snow Geese that migrate to Northern California. They are so amazing to see in the wintertime!
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Indeed. Wise words, Terri.
Thank you.
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It is an awesome capture. The quotes and the article are nice too.
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