Day 91: Awakening from Hibernation
Embracing New Beginnings: How can you awaken excitement after a period of introspection?
After the inward journey of Growth comes the turning point we now enter: Renewal. In the Lucivara cycle, each Tenet builds upon the last. Growth asks us to stretch, to face discomfort, and to expand beyond what we thought was possible. Renewal follows as the season of soft release. It invites us to shed what is no longer needed, to step into what is next, and to begin again with clarity.
Psychological models of transformation often reveal that meaningful change is rarely linear. According to developmental theorists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, true growth often emerges not from a direct extension of prior patterns, but through a process of subject-object shift. This is a reorganization of meaning in which what once defined us becomes something we can now observe and release¹. This kind of change is tangential. It moves outward from what came before, not in a straight line but in a spiral. Renewal, then, is not simply continuation. It is redirection. A turning of the soul toward a new angle of the light.
This month is not about acceleration. It is about reemergence, gentle and deliberate, rooted in what you now know about yourself. Renewal is the breath after the plunge, the sunlight after the thaw. It is not a return to who you were. It is the unveiling of who you are becoming.
What Is Renewal? Setting the Context
Renewal is often misunderstood as a restart or a return to a clean slate. But true renewal doesn’t erase what came before. It composts it. It turns past experiences, struggles, lessons, and insights into fertile ground for something new to take root.
Think of the tree that sheds its leaves, not to discard them, but to survive the winter and grow again in the spring. The old is not waste. It is preparation.
In our own lives, renewal begins when we recognize that we have changed. The season of introspection has taught us something. It may not have been loud or dramatic. It may have come quietly, through solitude, reflection, or even burnout. But the message remains:
You are not where you were. And you are ready to move forward.
Research Insight: The Spiral Path of Human Change
Renewal is not just a poetic idea. Research in adult development and psychological growth supports the idea that transformation often occurs in cycles, not straight lines. Kegan and Lahey’s concept of immunity to change shows how our inner beliefs, often invisible to us, keep us locked into patterns until we become conscious of them and begin to shift perspectives.
Similarly, in systems theory and trauma recovery models such as those advanced by Judith Herman, change is often described in phases. First safety and reflection, then reclamation, and finally, reintegration. These models reinforce that renewal is not the beginning of the path. It is the re-entry. This is the phase when internal realignment begins to express itself in outward motion.
In short, renewal is the moment when the internal transformation begins to reach the surface.
Bringing Renewal Into Your Own Life
You may be feeling stuck, scattered, or uncertain. That is natural. Many people expect renewal to feel like a lightning bolt or a grand unveiling. But in practice, it feels more like permission.
Renewal begins when you say:
“I no longer need to carry this version of myself.”
So take a moment to ask:
What is something I’ve outgrown?
What truth about myself have I quietly accepted in the past season?
What is ready to emerge, even in a small way?
Change is not always about quitting jobs, moving cities, or launching bold new projects. Sometimes it is deciding to speak more gently to yourself. Sometimes it is realizing that your silence was a form of protection, and your voice is ready to return.
Tools for Personal Renewal
Reflection Questions
What have you learned about yourself in the last 90 days that you hadn’t fully seen before?
Where in your life do you feel a quiet pull toward change, even if you can’t name it yet?
Assignment
Choose one small act that symbolizes reawakening. Here are a few ideas:
Rearrange your workspace to reflect the energy you want to bring in
Clean out one drawer, one folder, or one outdated story
Begin a “Renewal Log” - a small notebook where you write one sentence a day starting with: Today I choose to let go of…
Tool to Anchor the Practice
Create a personal symbol of renewal. This could be a physical object, such as a stone, a leaf, or a photo, that you place somewhere visible as a reminder that change is unfolding, even if slowly. Let it anchor you when you forget.
Closing Thoughts
Spring doesn’t arrive all at once. It tiptoes in. A branch that dares to bloom. A breeze that smells like memory. We, too, emerge gradually from our hibernations, the quiet winters of the soul where growth was invisible but real.
Let excitement return not as adrenaline, but as aliveness. As the simple joy of motion after stillness. As the breath that says:
I’m here. I’m ready. Let’s begin again.
If today’s post resonated with you, please share it with someone who may be in their own season of renewal. Invite them into the Lucivara journey. And don’t forget to visit Lucivara.com each day for new insights, guidance, and practices designed to help you decode the deeper patterns of your life.
¹ Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization. Harvard Business Press.
