A human life goes through many different phases as we grow. Each of my phases has made a home on Jungle Island as I have passed through them. They remain as inner resources, still contributing to my perspectives, attitudes and sense of self. Allow me to introduce them:

Kleip

Kleip is my inner child. He wears an outfit that his mother made for him. He spends much of his time out gathering herbs and edible plants for his family.

Gina

Gina is also an inner child, but older than Kleip. This phase had to undergo the pressure of the natural-self meeting societal demands. She is flexible and has youthful optimism. This gave her the ability to survive the bumps and bruises of being a square peg pounded into a round hole. But surviving and thriving are different things; it has been a long road back to regaining her power, but she’s getting stronger every day.

Columbia

Columbia is my young adult phase. She is bold and drives forward into every challenge. She is like the figure at the bow of a ship. She is the first to face the crashing waves, and guides the ship to calmer seas.

Mother Nature

Mother Nature is my adult phase. She sits apart from the island adventures. You can find her in her garden where she steadily turns the wheel of time. She provides a grounded sense of security and steadiness. This is where the phase, Gina, went to regain her footing after we found her and brought her back to camp.

The Planet Earth

Here, the phases are no longer people. The Planet Earth represents a time of integration. The Earth is made of complex systems and it exists within complex systems. There are countless forces at play, yet it moves with unity and grace. It is balanced and calm.

A Flower

After a sustained period of harmony with the rest of the universe, the phase of A Flower emerges. The seed has arrived at its most beautiful moment of fulfillment. It has the power to make the world beautiful. This is the phase I am enjoying now.

A Star

Blooming is brief, but it is not the end of the story. The final phase is the beginning of many new adventures as seeds.

All the Phases at Once

A person moves through different phases, but they are never really left behind. They become the basis for the phases that come after. The events of the past may be forever lost to time, but the meaning and the feelings are still present within the phases. Later phases can use their strengths help the earlier phases heal, and the earlier phases can remind us of who we are.