The Great Disorientation
As we step further into the reflective season of Lent, the concept of "Controlled Burning" takes on a profound, spiritual dimension. This practice, a kind of intentional disobedience against the ordinary, mirrors the Lenten journey of self-examination, repentance, and preparation for the renewal of Easter and springtime promises.
Lent is an invitation to light fires of transformation in the wilderness of our souls. It's a season that defies the comfortable and the routine, urging us to confront and burn away the underbrush of “sin,” habits, and all that hinders our growth. This period of 40 days is our bonfire – an exceptional time set apart for intentional disobedience to our usual patterns, making room for change and Spirit to work within us.
Carl Jung spoke of "differentiation" as the deep work of becoming truly individual, distinct from the mass identity that society often imposes. Lent echoes this call, inviting us to stand against the darkness of our own complacency, the coldness of our hearts, and the solitude of our separation from that which makes us whole and healed. It asks us to embrace the discomfort of disobedience, not as rebellion, but as a sacred act of differentiation from the world.
This season, let us engage in Controlled Burning of our spiritual landscapes. Let's defy the thickening of garbage and noise in our daily lives, and instead, thin them out, creating space for grace and transformation. As we do, we may find ourselves disoriented – not lost, but open to new pathways of thought, feeling, and action. This holy disorientation is necessary for the work to take root in us and for the transformation of new growth to occur in later seasons.
In the spirit of Lent, let's owe it to ourselves and each other to be great disorienters, to transform death into life, mindlessness into mindfulness, solitude into sacred community, and secrets into shared stories. Let our Controlled Burns this season be acts of faith, signs of hope, and practices of love, drawing us closer to the heart of God and community.
Release yourself into The Great Disorientation. It’ll be okay.