We’ve all experienced situations that are so chaotic and messy that our heads seem to spin and we can’t tell left from right. Similarly, we’ve all experienced times of emptiness where we can’t seem to find what we need. I call these Chaos and Void, and these metaphors are vitally important in stories from around the world and throughout time. When I wrote my newest book Once Upon a Place: Forests, Caverns, and Other Places of Transformation in Myths, Fairy Tales and Film, I realized how the ideas of Chaos and Void can actually support us as we grow and change.
What are Chaos and Void?
These metaphors describe how we feel when we’re experiencing something that throws us for a loop. Such as, when your partner loses their job and on the same day your child gets sick, you lose your cell phone, and you get bad news about a friend. Your world is swirling with confusion and there is no way to make sense of things, much less make decisions. Life feels insurmountable, and you want to collapse and let someone else deal with it all.
Chaos, especially in stories and tales, is where everything is a jumble. Chaos implies loud noises, craziness, and feeling bewildered. Chaotic spaces are without borders, without rules, and full of discord and turmoil—lots of movement with no direction. In Chaos, there are no patterns and things feel disorganized. We feel lost, unguided, pathless. There are no rituals or ceremonies; life seems minute to minute, busy, and without a plan.
We see it in movies in crowded city scenes or jungle scenes—think Jurassic Park. In Steven Spielberg’s adventure, the characters face everything frightening, all at once. Jurassic Park is isolated, formless, lawless, frightening, thick with a jumble of trees and branches and vines, loud with animal sounds, and virtually pathless. The sky, land, and water teem with creatures and there are no roads to take to leave.
And then, there is Void. Nothingness. In many ways, it is like Chaos because there are no roads, no paths, no signposts pointing the way. There are no colors, no rules, no laws. There’s simply emptiness. Many of us feel this way when we feel lonely or isolated. It’s a feeling of abandonment and lifelessness, but it’s also the cornerstone of our dream world.
Surprisingly, both of these experiences can be opportunities for change. They are metaphors, after all. They reflect a certain experience, however we have the opportunity to change because Chaos and Void actually point to one fantastic thing: potential.
5 Ways to Pursue Potential & Opportunity
I’ve learned a lot about the stories we tell each other. Cultures from all over the world share images and tales meant to inspire and help us grow into fine adults, but only if we recognize the metaphors and understand their purpose.
For example, I identify five locations of the Hero’s Journey in my book: the Cavern, the Deep, the Vessel, the Forest, and the Labyrinth. These places really exist on earth, but in stories they are metaphors about going within ourselves, really looking at who we are and what we value, and facing the scary things so we can magnify the wonderful things.
Chaos and Void mirror what we’re thinking and feeling inside. When you find yourself in a challenging, chaotic situation or in an empty, lonely void, here are five ways to rearrange how you address your reality:
- Soften the edges. Step back and look at the situation with softer eyes. In other words, blur the scene a little bit. When you’re able to do this objectively and put your emotions to the side, you remove the sharp edges. You give yourself a chance to breathe deeply and ask, “What do I really want? How can I give myself direction? How can I create a path?”
- See the beauty in the Void. Emptiness is the potential for something new. When you find yourself alone or lonely, see the opportunity for both respite and creativity. In a dream-world, anything goes and you create as you move along. Create colorfully. Fill the void with joy. Construct a path of your liking.
- Hold yourself to a higher standard. In the German folktale about a girl dropping her spindle into a well, the girl helps the apple trees harvest their apples, helps the loaves of bread bake themselves, and then meets Grandmother Winter who rewards her for her work ethic. Be the beacon of kindness or the spirit of solution that helps others. Just as teaching a subject helps us learn about it, so does serving others help us get out of our own doldrums.
- Be willing to change. The Celtic goddess Cerridwen had to change shape in order to chase her prey. She chased the boy who had stolen her magic but he turned into a rabbit and ran. Cerridwen turned into a greyhound and gave chase, but at the river he turned into a fish. Cerridwen morphed into an otter and dove after him, but the boy turned into a bird and flew high. She changed into a hawk but, in the sky, he turned into a grain of corn and fell to the ground. Quick as a wink, Cerridwen changed into a hen and ate him up. It may be a macabre tale but it shows how important flexibility is and that change may come quickly.
- Open up to magic. World stories are mystical and charming, as well as brutal and challenging. But they teach us to find the magic in the little nooks and crannies, in the smallest of things, and to be grateful for them.
Seeing the potential in your situation is what brings joy and light to what is otherwise an obstacle. Soften the edges, see the beauty, hold yourself to a higher standard, and be willing to change. Above all, see the magic of the world and share it with others.
