~ afraid of everything, overwhelmed, frozen ~
The Rabbit loves to remind his friends that someday the Eagle will swoop down and eat him. He talks and talks and talks about it, so loudly in fact... that one day the Eagle hears and thanks him for the great idea. Rabbit energy is alive when we are scared (most often about the future) and we become our own worst enemy. We spin up a dust cloud of fear and then complain to others that we are lost. Notice your thoughts and words, oh Rabbit...they shape your destiny.
when in balance ~ sensitive, problem solver, good listener
when out of balance ~ over-explains, talks fast
to bring into balance ~ a day of silence
Happy Monday! :) Welcome to week 16 of our yoga series based on 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.
Last week, we completed our third cycle with the dragon of the space element. The dragon taught us to recognize and utilize the powerful force that burns inside of us. She encouraged us to walk bravely down the path towards the treasures that call to us, and she reminded us that those treasures are often guarded by the monsters we fear the most... but we are stronger - have faith.
This week, we return to the earth element, which represents our relationships with fears and habits. Our teacher for this week is the rabbit. She asks us to reflect on the patterns of our thoughts and words... is our stress, worry, and overwhelm dictating the course of our lives? For our word - whether spoken aloud or in thought - reflects our beliefs, which create the lens we see the world through. Do you live in a threatening world?
An idea is an insidious thing. Ideas turn into beliefs, which turn into action, which change our circumstances. So when an idea is charged with fear... our beliefs become beliefs of fear, our actions are in reaction to fear, and we find ourselves living in a fear-based reality.
Now, this isn't a black and white concept. We don't either live completely in fear or completely in love. But as we grow and evolve, we are shifting from a fear-based relationship with life, to a relationship of love. So, with the message of the rabbit, we may begin to identify some of the facets of our lives that are still plagued with fear... and investigate this belief and our thoughts, words, and actions that arise from that belief... and begin to unravel that habit and make the conscious shift toward love.
It's important to not demonize or label as "wrong" the ways we may have used to, or still do, have a fear-based relationship with certain things. That fear was there for a reason. Fear isn't bad... fear keeps us safe from hot stoves and dark alleys. But sometimes fear is irrational... or sometimes fear begins to slither into other areas of our lives or into the spaces in our day where fear is not welcome. Fear is healthy when it keeps us safe; however, if there is an area of your life where the fear feels perhaps overwhelming or you find yourself in constant worry or anxiety (about the future)... you may take this as a sign that in this particular relationship, fear has become unhealthy. Sometimes the things that once protected us now hold us back.
The first step is that recognition of how the fear is actually causing more harm than good. This is a recognition that you are not actually in danger, and there isn't actually any action that you're supposed to take right now... if you take a logical look at this fear - it's overblown. It transformed from a helpful safety signal into a monster. And since we can't seem to escape this creature, we think about it ALL the time... we talk about it with our friends... we begin to shape our day around this monster. Instead of the fear protecting us as it should, we are now trying to protect ourselves from the fear. How backwards is that, huh? But that's the predicament we often find ourselves in.
Maybe we can't slay the monster all at once. Perhaps it's taking a calm seat with that guy and saying, "hey... I know you're meant to keep me safe, thank you. But things have gotten a little out of hand, haven't they? Let's go home." And little by little you give that fear-demon soooo much love and understanding and he just melts and little by little, or all at once, he transforms back into your protector.
Maybe this fear-guy guards your health. Or your job. Or your parter. Or your friend, family member, or another human being. Maybe he guards your home. Or your dreams, something from your past, or something in your future - he could be guarding anything. Is he guarding it as a monster who terrifies you? Or is he guarding it as your loyal protector?
To create a lens of love to see through, we can't fight fear with more fear. As MLK Jr. preached, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
Next week, the starfish of the water element asks us to reflect on our appearance - both physically and in all the ways that we try to "appear" a certain way to others.. or even ourselves. Are we forgetting our deeper dreams and callings because we've become so lost in the superficial?
dream extreme!
♡ kat
excerpts from my journal:
"When fear arises, I am able to recognize it more clearly in my body. I become tense, rushed, uneasy... and it doesn't feel good. When this happens, I try to remember to notice, pause, and start a conversation with myself and all the parts of myself... what am I scared of? Sometimes it's simply a signal to acknowledge because something just triggered me. Sometimes there's an action that I'm meant to take. And sometimes it's an outdated and misguided fear-monster that needs some love."
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