Chaos and Creativity

Disorder.? Confusion.? Upheaval.? Many of us do not welcome chaos which can arise unexpectedly. But what is chaos, really?? In the field of physics, it was what existed before the order we recognize now and it is extremely sensitive to even the slightest change in conditions.

What on earth might this have to do with our health and well-being?? I like to consider the cycles that are a foundational component in understanding ancient medical systems.? To quote a well-known verse: "To everything there is a season."? The seasons can be seen as representative of familiar cycles.? For example, Summer is the season of expansion.? Plants get BIG, as big as they will get this season.? Fall represents the transition into rest.? The drawing in of resources.? Winter can be seen as deep rest but also a time when germination begins.? Then we have the chaos of Spring.? Growth begins, the weather seems unpredictable and can change wildly with combinations of wind, rain and sunshine. ?We recognize that after the seeming disorganization of Spring, this apparent chaos, that beauty and order prevail.?

Robert Bidler, a psychiatry and psychology professor at UCLA's Semel Institute, observes, “The truly creative changes and the big shifts occur right at the edge of chaos."? The question becomes, then, how can we use the disruption of chaos to shake us out of our old and worn ways of thinking and being in the world??

Perhaps we begin by recognizing disruption as a normal part of the cycles of our lives.? From there we can learn to welcome the opportunity to examine patterns that no longer serve.? Using your imagination to get yourself out of the rut of "business as usual" can yield a big harvest.