Self is the core state of consciousness that leads us towards transformation in times of change. Being self-led is like being a courageous weaver, an artist that trusts in the process of creation and lives in a more constant state of peace and joy. Not because the artist is certain the tapestry will turn out perfectly, but because the artist that is self-trusting works within just the right amount of tension and structure to weave a beautiful tapestry on the loom of life. And because the artist chooses to trust in the process of creation, that self-led person chooses to create transformation from chaos. 

Creating an authentic life is like weaving a tapestry. The trick to living authentically is to follow the creative process like a weaver follows the threads on a loom. Moving back and forth on the loom, letting the points of the threads connect, while the patterns emerge into a new creation. 

Like weaving, an authentic life requires patience and a deep desire to create. The fundamental desire to create must outweigh any need for certain assurance that the creation will turn out as predicted or even wished. 

The process of creating an authentic life also requires immense trust.  Immense trust that the time and energy given to the process of creation will lead to growth and beauty, even as the inevitable flaws begin to appear. And that trust builds courage. The courage to let the threads connect, as an artist shows up daily trusting their work on the loom. 

I have never set a loom or woven a tapestry in my life. But I have sought to create authenticity as the artist of my own life. And I have spent over three decades listening to others’ life stories as they also trust the process of connecting threads, and as they watch the patterns emerge, in the weaving of their authentic lifes. 

To create the human brain must be free to focus on and follow the threads, to imagine the patterns, to dream of the tapestry being formed. A self-led artist is motivated by the creative process, not the product. It is difficult to access creativity when we lack safety, or when chaos looms over us and we feel out of control in a world gone mad. 

When parts of us become activated for survival the human internal system can understandably default to being motivated by what we call the “protective parts” of our internal system. When faced with perceived threats to our lives, or the lives of those we love dearly,  our internal system has one singular goal, and that is to survive. 

I am going to tell you something that you already know. To survive is not the same as to live. To live we must be free to create, to feel joy, to love and to be loved, which is to be present and connected even in and especially so in the midst of chaos. In the end, as animals in a wild world, “safety” is always allusive. There is potential danger around every corner. That is simply a fact of being alive. And in this wild world, there are consequences to choosing to live an authentic life. There is risk in loving with our whole hearts. There is risk inherent in the creative process. The artist always fears both failure and success, because both have unpredictable consequences. To be connected and fully alive is risky. And yet as we live our lives, trusting in the process, gaining courage and clarity and confidence, Self is always available. Just around the corner of every protective part or reactive impulse, and in the center of the purposeful heart, there is to be discovered within every human a wisdom and security and peace that passes all understanding. As the artist of the tapestry of our own life, we can choose to weave transformation out of chaos.