Edgewalkers

I love this time of the year when Equinox marks the transition from winter to spring in the northern hemisphere, and from summer to fall in the southern hemisphere. If I were to imagine that the seasons had archetypes like our five Archetypes of Change, then winter and summer would be the archetype of the Placeholder. Very little change happens. One day is like the next. There is stability and predictability. Here in Arkansas where I live, winter days are chilly and grey and every once in awhile you might get a little snow or ice. And summers in Arkansas are hot, and then hotter with no rain at all to speak of.

But the transition to Spring, and the transition to Fall – those seasons are the archetype of Edgewalkers. Every day is different. When we moved into our home in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2011, we planted a rain garden with native plants. Starting at the end of February, Lenten Roses begin to bloom, and from that time on for the next three months, every day there is something new, and every day something old is gone by. Right now the red buds are in bloom (did you know you can eat the flowers?) and along the streets of our city the dogwoods are beginning to open. It is a time of rapid change, transformation, and growth.

In our Edgewalker community, we believe that nature is a powerful teacher, and so it follows that spring has an energy of change and transformation that we can align with. Individually and collectively spring (and fall in the southern hemisphere) are wonderful times to draw upon our Edgewalker quality of envisioning the future we want to live into, and stepping into the Edgewalker skill of measured risk-taking to create what has never existed before. Like each individual flower and tree, we have a natural energy arising in us as individuals, and like the collective energy of the season, we know that we are responding to natural forces and energies that are greater than us and that we are a part of.  Similarly, fall also has a strong energy of change and transformation. Every day the leaves are a different color and plants and animals go through daily metamorphosis as they get ready to go inward.

As individuals, it is life-giving when we respond to our callings and our longings. As a community, it is powerful and meaningful when we support each other in being true to ourselves and our purpose on the planet. These times of rapid change call for us to respond individually and collectively. The news highlights all the negative changes such as severe weather events (I’m under a tornado watch as I write this), the decline of democracy, and the eradication of support systems for those who need them. That’s what sells. But our spiritual principles tell us that “What we pay attention to grows,” so I encourage each of you to look at what is working, tell the stories of success, commit to making a difference wherever you can, no matter how small. I’m always inspired by this quote from Mother Teresa:

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

Judi Neal
Executive Director
Edgewalkers International Network

April 2, 2025