Are You Running in Circles or Ascending a Spiral?

A reframe to break free of old patterns

Why does this toxic relationship feel so familiar?
How many times do I have take on this soul-crushing job?
Why am I always exhausted whenever I’m around these people?
What will it take for me to stop making excuses and pursue my dreams?
Why am I always struggling with money?

Running in vicious circles

Throughout our lives, we tend to go through circular patterns—repeating themes and karmic loops—seemingly stuck within familiar cycles. But inspect those patterns and you’ll uncover profound lessons designed to help you grow. Dig deeper and you’ll find the key to breaking the cycle and leveling up your life.

That toxic relationship? Perhaps a reminder of your worthiness and to stand up for yourself.

Those soul-crushing jobs? Maybe a signal of misalignment with your purpose and passion.

Energy always drained? You could be betraying your own needs over others’.

Not pursuing your dreams? It’s possible you haven’t acknowledged some deeply-rooted fears.

Struggling with scarcity? A chance to reevaluate your relationship with money and undo some societal programming.

Attracting Repetition

We humans often require repetition in order to learn. Through a process called Long Term Potentiation, synapses in our brain, gut, and heart are progressively strengthened from patterns of activity. Repetition also helps transition information from short term memories into long term memories.

Therefore the universe delivers: a theme might re-emerge in different flavors, appear from unexpected angles and at inconvenient times—until we finally wake up and choose differently. Joe Hudson alludes to this phenomena as he describes the Golden Algorithm:

“Whatever we are avoiding emotionally, we are inviting into our lives in the exact way that we are avoiding it.”

We often repeat these karmic cycles because…

Change is Fucking Hard

The deep internal work required for transformation is actually a multi-stage journey that can take years to unfold. It often plays out like this:

STAGE 1: AWARENESS

Realizing the consequences of your actions.

STAGE 2: PROCESSING

Making the logical connections around what transpired and how things work. Then fully feeling your emotions and letting them move through your nervous system and energy field.

STAGE 3: CHOOSING

Deciding that you want something different and taking action towards new behavior.

STAGE 4: INTEGRATION AND MASTERY

Being presented with multiple life situations that provoke and surface the deep lesson, allowing you to act on your decision and embody a new behavior pattern.

The Reframe

When a life lesson resurfaces, it can feel like you’re going backwards. It can be frustrating to fail at something you’d thought already conquered—an invalidation of all the progress you’ve made. But what if we’re just looking at it the wrong way?

What if we’re not looping in a 2-dimensional circle,

but rather ascending a 3-dimensional spiral?

As you climb the spiral, your path widens and broadens, gaining depth and volume. Your perspective changes. You can see not only your present circumstances, but also the echoes of your past experiences, the possibilities spawning from your future decisions.

Perhaps the spiral delivers lessons in limited increments, ensuring your body is resourced enough to handle each event. Maybe it’s your soul practicing titration—progressively surfacing emotions, pain, and trauma in moderate doses for you to clear, heal, and integrate.

Maybe it’s all part of the plan.
Maybe it’s not so awful after all.
Maybe you’re just a badass steadily rising to the top.
Keep ascending, beautiful soul, you’ve got this.

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What I’m Doing This Week

Gratitude

I’m grateful for dear friends on the other side of the globe, teaching me and helping me grow from the kindness in their heart.

Lesson Learned

Dreaming big sometimes means facing hard truths.
Building big often means making hard decisions.

Listening to

Gratitude by Above & Beyond

Watching

Andor

A masterclass in world building, character evolution, sharp dialog, and political badassery. The show feels as much a cultural immersion of the Star Wars universe as it is a space opera spy thriller. Highly recommend!

Reading

There is No Safe Amount of Processed Meat to Eat, According to New Research

Self-care

Meditation, hot baths, naps, pushups, swimming, walking, sunlight, nature