~ hard worker, loyal, tireless, family first ~
The Beaver personality is a welcomed sight. These good-natured and dependable creatures have infinite love and enthusiasm for family, and express it by way of the Earth element (providing a home, financial stability). Although a Beaver doesn't usually initiate a project, once started they'll work steadily for weeks, months, or years to see it through. The Beaver card appears when the task at hand requires your long-term, steady effort. It can also signify that it's time for some karma yoga (selfless service).
when in balance ~ happy, meaningful work
when out of balance ~ feels useless, worn out
to bring into balance ~ physical labor, selfless service
Hi friends! :) Welcome to week 27 of our yoga series - exploring this life through the symbolism of the animal kingdom. Each creature represents a different aspect of our human journey, helping us to better understand and connect to our inner and outer worlds. Every 5 weeks in our yoga classes, we cycle through each of the 5 elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) and their respective animals in this card deck. How can we bring each of the animals within us into balance?
Last week, the fox of the earth element demonstrated how to show up as the perfect partner -- romantic or otherwise. How might we balance our relationships so that we show up loving, loyal, wise, and charismatic? Balancing our fox energy begins to dissolve the insecurities that cause us to hide and isolate.
This week, we revisit the water element, which relates to our emotions, feelings, creativity, and inspiration. The beaver represents the perfect home. He is safe, reliable, hardworking, committed, and unconditionally loving. The beaver is selfless and seeks only to serve and protect and love... and will work ceaselessly to ensure that those he loves are cared for. How does balancing the beaver energy within you provide refuge for yourself and for others? What drives you to work so ceaselessly?
This week's message is a few days later than usual. Just like the beaver, I've been creating and settling into my own home this week :) I am now officially an ocean beach resident!
Although the beaver lives by water, this card read more like an earth element creature to me. That is, until I recognized that it is a certain deep emotional quality of the beaver... that fuels all of his earth-element-esque hard work and commitment to create safety and stability.
Without this emotional drive, the beaver wouldn't have the ability to work so tirelessly for so long. As we experience in our own lives, it is usually easy to try something once... or do something for a short while... but commitment and consistency and discipline aren't so easy... without a very strong driver. What fuels ultra-runners to log 100 miles? What fuels the failing business to revive? What fuels the mother to sacrifice her sleep and health and resources for the safety of her child?
The beaver energy doesn't allow anything to stop him -- because he is devoted, he believes in something bigger than himself, he does what he knows is his duty.
The card description refers to the beaver as demonstrating "karma yoga"... which is the yoga of action. According to this philosophy, you live your life in a certain way because you intuitively know what the next step is... and so you learn how to cultivate a very keen knowing of what the "best" or "correct" next action is. This can be as simple as the way you brush your teeth to your interactions with the grocer... to how you spend your weekends or the cause you devote your life to. Selfless service not only means service towards others... but service to ALL beings (that includes yourself).
The Bhagavad-Gita, a yogic text, dives into two of the yogic paths, Karma (action) and Bhakti (devotional) yoga. These two paths, and all the 4 paths, overlap and intertwine... and this is all a whole other topic haha... but anyways, the Gita describes these yogic paths as a way of simply: doing your dharma. AKA, whatever your deeply intuitively know you're supposed to be doing, you do it. Not by over-analyzing or over-intellectualizing , but by becoming more and more clear with and connected with your intuition... the inner wisdom that just knows. Dharma means purpose or "the way" and your purpose can be as small as what you do in this very second or as grand as your job, your habits, your schedule, your partner, your health, etc... And why do we "just do our dharma"? Because it is our duty. It is our life's calling. It is our purpose. And we are devoted to aligning with that purpose through our actions. We are devoted to god... the mystery of existence, to our own well-being, and to the well-being of others. We are devoted to spreading love by our own unique path... to bring us all home.
How do you walk yourself home? How do you walk others home? You can't snap your fingers and you're there... you can't teleport. There are no shortcuts. You must walk the long road. That's life, man. The beaver knows this. The beaver is committed to taking every single step... to gathering every single log. And he does this because he has SO much love for others and for himself and for life. All he wants, is to do all he can to increase the feelings of love and safety and stability and warmth in everyone he can. Everything the beaver does is in an attempt to create home. But if the beaver doesn't have his fuel... he might begin to believe that all of his efforts are in vain... he begins to waiver in his passion and commitment... after all... he works SO hard and without stopping! But when the beaver is balanced, he remembers the love and devotion and duty that push him forward. He falls into flow. He continues to flow, to work, to move, to take another step towards home, like a river effortlessly flowing toward the ocean. This is the most meaningful and important work. What else is there to do?
Sometimes our "work" isn't objectively difficult, but sometimes just being alive and experiencing human existence is so exhausting! The "work" of the beaver is simply a life's journey. This work can mean quite literally providing shelter and safety and nourishment for ourselves and those we love. Or this work can be more mental, emotional, or spiritual. Humans naturally crave constant increases of love and safety and comfort. It is what we are drawn to primally... but it seems really hard for so many to achieve, even those so fortunate to have access to many modern comforts and convinces. Why is it hard? Things get in our way... obstacles... problems. And it's our duty to overcome them. The most peaceful and loving and content people are most often the ones who have overcome the most challenging shit. Because they were selflessly devoted to finding home.
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Next week, the tarantula of the fire element enters with a vital mission. There is a great decision you must make -- something has been distracting you from your dharma (purpose) and this furry friend lurks and waits patiently for you to decide. Satisfaction will always be fleeting when we stray from our intuition and dreams.
til next time ✌︎
dream extreme!
♡ kat
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