The Cicada’s Wisdom: Trusting Your True Timing in a World That Rushes You

I was having dinner outdoors sometime in Dec last year - surrounded by trees and the sound of nature.

Out of nowhere, a cicada landed on me. It didn’t fly off immediately. It simply stayed for a while, still and unbothered. No panic, no confusion. Just presence.

And in that moment, I felt like I’d been handed a quiet message: not everything that matters is visible. Not every transformation needs an audience.

Cicadas aren’t showy. They spend most of their lives underground, unseen, growing. In Singapore, most cicadas remain hidden beneath the soil for anywhere between two to five years. Just imagine that - years of silence, stillness, and slow change. Not a single moment of that is wasted. Their emergence isn’t dramatic for them; it’s simply the next natural step.

And I thought about my own journey.

There were years when everything on the surface of my life looked still - ordinary, even stagnant to others. But beneath that, deep inner work was being done. Grief was unravelling. Old patterns were being questioned. Truths were being remembered. Wounds were being witnessed in private.

It was a quiet season. A hidden one. But it was necessary. And like the cicada, I wasn’t ready to emerge until I truly was. There was no rushing that process. No amount of external pushing could have made it happen faster.

The Temptation to Rush

In our healing journeys, especially after emotional pain or spiritual disconnection, there’s often a deep hunger to get to the other side. To finally feel free. To be done.

And so, sometimes, we confuse urgency with readiness.

We say, “I’m ready now,” but beneath that may be anxiety. A nervous system trying to escape discomfort. It can feel like intuition - but it’s often fear in disguise. If there’s urgency behind your healing process, take a pause. Breathe. Listen more deeply.

Because the truth is, your spirit never rushes. Your real self doesn’t operate on panic or pressure. It moves with quiet clarity and grounded timing.

Healing Has No Shortcut

We live in a world full of fast-track promises - quick fixes, crash courses, spiritual “hacks.” But true healing is never instant. You can’t outpace grief. You can’t bypass the sacred messiness of becoming.

Real transformation happens in layers. And many of those layers unfold in silence.

Like the cicada in the soil, you might feel like nothing is happening. But in truth, everything is. Roots are deepening. Old patterns are unravelling. Your spirit is making space for the life that fits who you’re becoming.

If there's pressure to “be done already,” let that be your cue—not to go faster, but to slow down. To check in with what’s really happening beneath the surface of that push.

The Rhythm of Your Becoming

The cicada doesn’t compare itself to others. It doesn’t panic underground thinking, “I should be flying by now.” It just grows quietly, naturally. When the time is right, it rises. Not rushed. Not forced.

What if your healing is like that? What if you’re not meant to chase transformation - but to meet it, fully, when it arrives?

What if the slowness isn’t a problem - but part of the wisdom?

You Are Not Behind

If you’ve been feeling like you should be further along…
If you’re wondering why certain wounds still feel raw…
If you’re tired of being in the in-between…

Let this be your reminder:

You are not late. You are not stuck. You are not failing.

You’re in your own timing. And even if it’s quiet or invisible, something is unfolding.
You are in process. Rooting. Repairing. Reclaiming.

And when it’s time, you will emerge. Not rushed. Not broken. But ready.

So if the pressure to hurry shows up again, ask yourself: Is this truth? Or is this fear dressed up as action?

Then return to your breath. Your body. Your centre. Because your soul doesn’t race. It moves with rhythm, with trust, and with grounded wisdom.

Just like the cicada. And you’re right on time.

© 2025 Shamala Tan