Shedding Old Identities: Morphogenesis in Grasshoppers and Us

In this episode of "The Living World with Ganga Devi Braun," Ganga explores the process of personal change and transformation, drawing parallels to the molting metamorphosis of insects. She discusses the two types of metamorphosis that insects undergo and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and embracing the more subtle, gradual changes in our own lives. Ganga shares her own experiences of growth and transformation and invites listeners to join her in a twelve-week course on Sex, God, & Money. Through poetry and reflection, she encourages listeners to embrace discomfort and navigate the process of shedding old identities to become their truest selves.

Key Takeaways:

• Personal change often comes with struggles such as anxiety, uncertainty, and overwhelming feelings, marking the beginning of a transformational process.

• Metamorphosis in humans is akin to the molting of insects, where the gradual outgrowing of one's old self allows growth and the emergence of a new self.

• Two types of metamorphosis are highlighted: "holometabolous" for complete transformations and "hemimetabolous" for gradual, subtle changes.

• Morphogenesis, a biological process, is used as an allegory for human psychological growth, driving the point that evolution in form and psyche is interconnected.

• Ganga Devi Braun emphasizes the importance of embracing change and encourages listeners to actively participate in their own lives' unfolding narratives.

Notable Quotes:

• "Morphogenesis is relevant to all species across biology, including, for us, humans."

• "This process of growth, this process of metamorphosis is no less valid than the big, massive changes."

• "We probably have many different types of these types of changes throughout our lives, and I don't think that we often make space for these more subtle ones."

• "The core of the being that's going through that change doesn't change. It's not what gets lost."

• "The core of the organism, the core of the being that's going through that change doesn't change."

• "I think that we're here to grow. I think that we're here to move through threshold. I think that we're here to change and to make change and to respond to change within ourselves, within the people that we love, within the world around us."