I once channelled the Archangel Gabriel on the subject of transformation (see http://www.angelsandlight.net/archangel-gabriel-transformation.html). Gabriel said that transformation does not happen at the snap of the fingers or a twinkling of an eye; true transformation requires conscious understanding of choices made and lessons learnt, as they occur.
In the nine years since that message, mass consciousness has evolved to such an extent that the word transformation is widely used among both the spiritual and the non-spiritual; and often, used so loosely that every change or shift in perception is regarded as transformation.
In a way, it is. Change is part of the process of transformation, but transformation does not necessarily equate with change. The whole is not the sum of its parts.
The problem is, we spend so much time and energy thinking about, examining and cross-examining every intention and action of others as well as of ourselves that we often turn something trivial into heart-breaking, mind-blowing, soul-searching angst of titanic proportions.
The book, A Course In Miracles, teaches: “If you attack error in another, you will hurt yourself. You cannot know your brother when you attack him. Attack is always made upon a stranger. You are making him a stranger by misperceiving him, and so you cannot know him. It is because you have made him a stranger that you are afraid of him. There are no strangers in God’s creation … God knows His children with perfect certainty. He created them by knowing them. He recognises them perfectly. When they do not recognise each other, they do not recognise Him.”
To me, this passage also reflects one of the Laws of the Universe. The Law of Projection states: All that we perceive outside ourselves is a mirror of something within.
What this means is that every time we judge ourselves or someone else, we are, in fact, projecting outwards what is already present within us. So if you are suspicious of someone’s intent, or have no faith in another’s “flawed” character, you are quite probably suspect yourself because a part of you (which you haven’t yet acknowledged) recognises that very same flaw in you.
So yes, we are in the midst of change. And yes, that means we are in the process of transformation. But while the process of transformation requires the added elements of self-awareness and understanding, change can occur without us realising it. I know it’s confusing, but perhaps the Zen monk Haemin Sunim puts it best:
Things I liked when I was young but now couldn’t care less about:
Airplane rides, all-you-can-eat buffets, horror movies, staying up all night.
Things I enjoy now that I am older:
Mozart, brown rice, meditation, spending time alone, regular exercise.
We change without realising it. We are in the midst of change even now.