"Change is so universal, it's a universal law. We know that it is nature's way and that it is the way of being human." These words open a heartfelt exploration into one of life's most challenging constants—the inevitability of transformation.
The wisdom woven throughout this episode transcends simple platitudes about "embracing change." Instead, Dr. BethAnne acknowledges the genuine grief that accompanies transitions while offering perspectives that help us remain open to life's continuing gifts.
This episode explores practical and spiritual approaches to navigating life's inevitable transitions.
• Change is accelerating in our modern world due to information overload and global transformation
• Sudden endings (like theater productions) require intentional closure through journaling and reflection
• Personal vulnerability creates powerful connections and opportunities for growth
• When facing unexpected health challenges with loved ones, balance grief with presence
• "Mono no aware" - the Japanese concept of sensitivity to life's transience
• Embracing change requires faith in life's process and our capacity for resilience
• The most difficult changes often lead to our greatest personal evolution
• Life itself becomes our partner in transformation, providing unexpected support
Whether you're facing major life transitions or simply feeling the weight of our rapidly changing world, this episode offers both comfort and courage for the journey. Listen now to discover how authenticity, grit, and light can transform your relationship with change and help you find unexpected beauty in life's evolving path.
Join us next week for an all-new episode of Your Heart Magic and more psychology, spirituality, storytelling, and heart wisdom.
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Your Heart Magic is a space where heart wisdom, spirituality, and psychology meet. Enjoy episodes centered on mental health, spirituality, personal growth, healing, and well-being. Featured as one of the best Heart Energy and Akashic Records Podcasts in 2024 by PlayerFM and Globally Ranked in the top 5% in Listen Notes.
Dr. BethAnne Kapansky Wright is a Licensed Psychologist, Spiritual Educator, and Akashic Records Reader. She is the author of Small Pearls Big Wisdom, the Award-Winning Lamentations of the Sea, its sequels, and several books of poetry. A psychologist with a mystic mind, she weaves perspectives from both worlds to offer holistic wisdom.
FIND DR. BETHANNE ONLINE:
BOOKS- www.bethannekw.com/books
FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com/drbethannekw
INSTAGRAM - www.instagram.com/dr.bethannekw
WEBSITE - www.bethannekw.com
CONTACT FORM - www.bethannekw.com/contact
Episode Transcript
Aloha and welcome to your Heart Magic, an
illuminating space wherepsychology, spirituality and
heart wisdom meet.
Here's your host, dr BethannKapansky-Wright.
Author, psychologist andspiritual educator.
Dr. BethAnne Kapansky Wri (00:33):
Aloha everybody, welcome to your
Heart Magic.
This is Dr BethannKapansky-Wright, and today we
are talking about one of mypersonal favorite topics that is
probably woven into almostevery podcast episode.
I do because I think this is sofundamental to being human and
(00:53):
our human experience, and thatis embracing change and finding
perspective on change in ourlives.
And, as I said, I probably doat least a podcast episode a
month on this topic and just tryand give it a slightly
different, creative title andalso have a different
perspective on it.
(01:13):
But change is so universal,it's a universal law.
We know that it is nature's wayand that it is the way of being
human.
From the moment we enter theworld until the moment we leave,
things are forever changing andI've often thought right now
that, with the world shifting asquickly as it is, many people
(01:36):
feel like life is speeding up orthings are happening at such a
rapid pace right now, and Ithink some of that is a
reflection of the vast amount ofinformation and what we're able
to access through the internet,which is quite a bit, and I
think that there is a lot oftransformation happening on the
(01:57):
planet at this time.
We certainly know that we areall here on the same journey and
we are experiencing thattransformation in our own ways,
but it does feel like a lot isgoing on that feels like
uncharted territory or feelsunprecedented.
So I think there's many reasonsthat many of us have a sense
(02:19):
that things are happening atthis rapid fire rate.
I think for many of us we feelthat life has gotten terribly
complicated and we're yearningfor something simpler and we
can't process the sheer amountof changes and the sheer amount
of information andtransformative possibilities,
(02:40):
fluctuating energy in the worldaround us.
So a lot happening right nowand for myself personally.
I chose this topic becausesomething I'm working on in
August on the podcast is alittle bit more vulnerability
and transparency and trying toreflect on life right now and
(03:00):
something going on that I mightfeel called to share and be a
little bit more vulnerable orjust authentic with what's
happening in my own life and howam I working with that.
What lessons am I extractingfrom that?
And then also sharing somepassages and perspectives that
I'm personally using to helpmyself move through some of
(03:22):
these things.
So one of the reasons I chosechange today is that tonight
actually is the closing night ofa musical that I choreographed
this summer.
It was Something Rotten and weare closing out our run tonight.
It's the final show and I wasthinking earlier today how
bittersweet final shows alwaysare for me, because they are a
(03:44):
completion and a closure and aletting go and as a
choreographer I always have thisinteresting experience that I
have a sense of completion withmy work.
But usually once we get intothe run and the show opens, I'm
not able to be there every nightand I don't always have that
arc of being at everyperformance and seeing the
(04:07):
growth and being a part of thatprocess, step back and turning
it over and knowing that fromhere on out I will be more of a
(04:28):
participant in the audience andjust appreciating the show
itself.
And so whenever we get toclosing night, there's always
these bittersweet feelings forme and I always have a sense of
sadness.
And it's really sudden change Ifyou've ever been involved in
the theater.
Oftentimes you close the showand then you strike the set the
same day, the same evening, andso it's like two hours earlier,
(04:50):
the play, the stage, all of itcould have been like a packed
playhouse and the setting wasthere.
So the moment the show's over,the set is immediately being
torn down and taken apart, andso I've always found that so
abrupt and strange.
Torn down and taken apart, andso I've always found that so
abrupt and strange and I feellike being in the theater.
It's taught me a lot aboutembracing the change of a sudden
(05:11):
ending or something where theredoesn't feel like there's a
drawn out process to it, butyou're just ripping the bandaid
off and then it's over.
And I've learned that with thatkind of change, when we have a
sense that something ended andwe might not have quite been
ready or we didn't fully receivewhat we needed for a sense of
psychological completion, I findit really helpful to do some
(05:34):
journaling work and to take alittle bit of time to write
about what did this experiencemean to me, what were perhaps
favorite moments, what might Ihave not liked, or where might I
want to grow next time.
I might write down mundanemoments, things that
characterize the experience as awhole, and that really helps me
(05:58):
find a sense of completion whensomething is over really
quickly and I haven't quitecaught up to the fact that it's
ended, and that's the thing thata lot of us experience we
haven't quite caught up withwhere events are or we haven't
quite caught up with ourselves,and so doing that work of taking
inventory, taking stock,reflecting, making meaning of it
(06:22):
helps me feel like I was ableto bring a sense of closure to
the process and that allows meto feel more psychologically
complete so I can continue tolet go and be present and keep
moving forward.
So it's always important thatif we are not able to get what
we feel we need after somethinghas shifted or ended, that we
(06:45):
can go back and fill in the gapsourself, and we do that through
journaling.
We might do that in therapy ordo that if we're talking to
somebody and we are able toprocess and talk more fully
about our experience ofsomething.
But having that experience ofclosure, even if it's just
through our imagination or ourwords or sharing our story with
(07:08):
somebody, helps a lot when ourbrain wants to get stuck on
something because it wasn't ableto fully process it.
So I think it's somethingthat's really good to do for
ourselves on a lot of levels.
And then the other thing thatwas on my mind today with change
that I thought that I wouldshare, is something that's a
little bit deeper and harder.
(07:29):
I think the musical issomething that happens every
summer and it's change andthere's always that bittersweet
sadness to it.
But it's also good becausesomething amazing happened and
it's okay to let it go and openup to whatever's next and to go
through that void space ofallowing creative projects to
(07:50):
re-alchemize until the nextthing comes along.
But this one's bigger lifechange and in essence, we found
out this past week that ourolder dog, frodo, has severe
diabetes, which is gettingtreated and managed now.
That's the good news.
Diabetes which is gettingtreated and managed now that's
the good news.
But part of what happened withthat is it impacted his eyesight
(08:11):
with some rapid onset cataractsand that robbed him of a lot of
his vision.
And it's been kind of wild thissummer where I remember saying
to a friend it's like Frodo gotold overnight.
He's like the OG.
He's been with me since 2013.
And Frodo came into, I say, ourlives, my husband's and I's but
(08:31):
I had just lost my dog Peppy.
A week later I met my husbandat a marathon in Oregon and a
week after that I was back inAlaska and decided to open my
heart again to a new rescue pup,which was a lot of letting go
and embracing change at the time.
That's a whole other story.
But Frodo came into the picturethen and so he intersected with
(08:54):
this huge time in my life ofgrief and loss and opening to
new love and was this littleball of fluff who was always up
for an adventure, and I didn'tknow it when I got him.
I wanted a portable dog.
I like small dogs because Ilike being able to bring them
into my office back when I had abrick and mortar private
(09:14):
practice.
But he also had these giraffelegs on this teeny, tiny body.
And what I discovered withinjust a couple of weeks of having
him is that he was a brilliantrunner and a brilliant hiker in
the mountains of Alaska, and itdidn't matter that he was just
10 pounds.
He was born for running and anadventure.
So it was this beautiful giftfrom life that he fit so
(09:36):
seamlessly into many of thethings that I did in my life and
has been with us for a reallylong time and through a lot of
life changes.
And even though we've knownhe's getting older, he has
seemed to defy us for a reallylong time and through a lot of
life changes and even thoughwe've known he's getting older,
he has seemed to defy age for along time and still hikes and
walks fine and really hasn't hadtoo many major issues.
(09:57):
That felt like, wow, frodo'sreally aging, until this summer
where we noticed a few thingscoming up.
But then the eyesight thinghappened within a matter of days
and I noticed his eyes cloudedup and it was like within a
week's time I was like it's likehe's gone blind.
What is going on?
Which is around the time we gothim into the vet and found all
(10:18):
this out.
So I am staying just reallyneutral, sharing this with
everybody, because dropping intomy ocean of emotion and crying
about it on the podcast does notmake a good podcast.
But I've had many moments thisweek of feeling personally
devastated and really sad by allof this and having a lot of
grief and a lot of feelingscoming up.
(10:40):
And then those are coupled withremembering like but I have to
stay present and it's okay togrieve what was and to grieve
the changes that this is meaningfor our life, but at the same
time that doesn't help anything.
And so I also feel such a callright now to try and just work
(11:00):
with embracing change and workwith accepting it and work with
staying really present andsaying, well, this is where life
is, this is what's happeningright now, and going too far
back into the past is not goingto do any good with staying
present and vital in the momentand being able to be present for
(11:22):
Frodo and present for thesechanges and embrace them and
figure out how do we reinventthings at this life stage and I
am immensely grateful that he isstill with us and that there's
a way to manage this, even as webalance out this loss of vision
and some of what it means andhaving to make some
accommodations for having a very, very sweet and semi-blind dog
(11:46):
in the household now who startedrunning into a lot of things
and, if we're not careful,smashes into the curb walking.
So it's been a learning curvefor the family this week and
changes very much on my heartand being able to just stay open
.
And maybe a couple months ago Italked about the concept of
mono-awari on the podcast.
(12:08):
My understanding is that's aJapanese word that means
sensitivity to the pathos ofthings, being really sensitive
to life's transience and tochange and having this very
poignant sense of realizing it'salways changing around us and
being able to embrace that as aphilosophy that there might
(12:30):
always be for me a few drops ofsadness when it comes to change,
because it means things aredifferent and something
beautiful that once was hasfaded.
But I think any drops ofsadness are really diluted and
also the gift of the present,and so many of the best things
in my life have come fromletting go of something, and
(12:53):
oftentimes it's big letting go.
Letting go of an ending, aclosure, letting go of an old
identity or how I saw myself, oran old way of thinking or an
old value system that was nolonger serving me.
Letting go happens in so manyforms and letting go is
embracing change.
They go hand in hand.
(13:13):
When we find the courage to letgo, we are opening our heart to
what is and opening our heart tochange and opening our heart to
embracing the gifts of thepresent.
And we choose to have faith inthat process and say, even
though I might not know what thegifts are, I know they're here.
I know the light is still here.
I know my heart magic, myspiritual connection, the
(13:37):
gateway of my heart is stillopen.
I know my heart can alchemizeanything and it can use it and
transform it in a way that helpsme continue to evolve as my
most authentic expression and toevolve in love.
I want the wisdom and I want therichness of the moment, and the
richness of the moment oftenisn't found if we get too stuck
(14:02):
in grief over what no longer is.
I say that very gently becausegrief and grieving is such an
essential and normal andnecessary part of life.
But I do think there's timesthat we are able to shake
ourselves off a little bit andsay I can't stay here, I can't
build a house of grief and sitin this little house and focus
(14:26):
on what was and feel sorry formyself that things are no longer
that way.
I need to be present so that Ican be a better me and be
present for what's happening inmy life and be present in my
heart and be present forspiritually.
What lessons I might learn fromthis.
So there's gifts to be foundthere and I think it's an act of
(14:46):
faith to embrace change, and Iwanted to share a passage today
about embracing change calledAuthenticity, grit and Light.
From Small Pearls, big Wisdom.
That speaks to this topic.
Changes that keep you moving andthe direction you feel you need
to go often require hardchoices and a bit of sacrifice.
(15:08):
It may not be comfortable, butit does make you stand behind
your choice and keep your feetsolidly on your path.
There is somethingtransformative about owning your
choice.
If change was easy, if itdidn't require letting go of
something, if it didn't requireacknowledging loss so you can
(15:28):
move forward, it wouldn't bemuch of a change.
You wouldn't find something newand better within yourself that
will help you courageously stayyour course.
This requires a lot of diggingdeep, finding untapped courage
within and learning that, evenif someone isn't holding our
hand and guiding us through thechange, life is holding our hand
(15:52):
.
Life is cheering us on andhelping line up our next steps,
and really, what better partnerto have than the ever-resilient,
creative, resourceful force oflife itself?
Each time we let go, each timewe bravely forge forward on a
new path, life supports us.
(16:14):
We find unexpected allies inrespite.
We are gifted withsynchronicities and signs that
help us keep going.
Blazing our trail becomes alittle less daunting, for we see
there is unexpected sanctuaryand support along the way.
We notice a more solid sense ofbelonging and strength within
(16:35):
ourselves.
We realize we are truly beingour change, owning our choices
and putting action to belief.
The path forward may not be theeasiest, but it is wrapped in
untouched beauty, wild adventureand unparalleled authenticity,
grit and light.
Authenticity, grit and lightthat is what it's all about.
(16:59):
Being true to ourselves,building those deep roots so we
feel anchored when life'schallenges come, and continuing
to grow upward and allow for agreater evolution and
self-expression so we keepreaching and growing in the
light.
Thank you so much for joiningme on the podcast today.
(17:21):
I will be back next week withan all-new your Heart Magic
episode on psychology,spirituality, creativity and
heart wisdom.
Have an amazing week and, asalways, be well, be loved, be
you and be magic.
Intro/Outro Music (17:43):
You've been listening to your Heart Magic
with dr bethan kapansky righttune in next week for a new
episode to support and empoweryour light.
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