~ passionate, competitive, tends toward isolation ~
The scorpion is a passionate and determined creature. Their career is very important to them, as are a few select friends. sometimes the scorpion's heat festers, and they focus on an unresolved event from the past, usually a situation where they were left feeling "burned." The scorpion card says it's time to come clean about your feelings so everyone can heal and you can get back to your usual (fiery but fun) self.
when in balance ~ wild and free, fierce
when out of balance ~ jealous, resentful, unresolved
to bring into balance ~ honesty, forgiveness
Hi :) Welcome to week 13 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, the fish celebrated our "go with the flow" tendencies, but warned us that a nomadic lifestyle may lead us to become lost in life's currents with no clear goal. The fish asks us to pause from all the constant acting and responding - to be soothed by stillness, so that we can recalibrate and return to movement with greater efficiency when it is time.
This week, we return to the fire element, which relates to our transformation and purification. The scorpion praises our passionate, determined, and focused natures. However, the scorpion becomes unbalanced when it ignores a past wound and carries on with his passion and focus as if it didn't really hurt. But it did hurt and now that pain is becoming overbearing and our focus is becoming consumed by this pain. To find balance, the scorpion within us must be honest about the pain - the transformation that occurs through that healing will allow us to return to ourselves and those around us with passion that is pure and true and unstained.
Our passion and focus are wonderful! However, the scorpion asks us to investigate if we are becoming narrow in our path. Is there a past painful event that you have unresolved feelings towards? Is that event creating this "narrow path" that you label as "passion and focus" but is really just a cover to push away situations and people that have or might hurt you?
We all have things that we are passionate about. And this doesn't need to be an objective clear-cut goal or hobby. You can be passionate about your career, yes. You can be passionate about your love for your family, friends, or partner - you could be passionate about finding and cultivating authenticity and deep connection in those relationships. You could be passionate about your health. About spending time staring at the stars or being submerged in bodies of water. You could be passionate about your search to find the things in life that bring you happiness and connection. It could be absolutely anything - what do you care about?
We care about things, we're passionate about things, because those things deepen our connection to life - they make us feel more love and harmony. So when we are really focusing on the things we care about, we are on our quest to deepening our remembrance and connection to love. Sometimes we're sprinting down the trail with tunnel vision, other times contentedly wandering about, taking our time. But we're always on this quest. And that is the energy of the scorpion - following our passions down this trail... and the deeper we go, the deeper into love we go.
Our biggest passions (this may be an overarching life goal or something that's just present for one chapter) cause us to really go into that "tunnel-vision" mode. We are devoted to these passions. And it's really beautiful - it is our purpose, our dharma. When we are truly devoted to our dharma, we begin to shed some of the other activities and relationships that aren't in alignment, which frees up more focus for us to direct to our path.
And let's recognize that our path doesn't just mean "I'M GONNA BE A FITNESS MODEL AND DOCTOR EVERYONE OUT OF MY WAY." Our path is much more inclusive that just a few solid things... our paths constantly morph and change as we travel down them. At one stage we are a student, at another an amazing sister, and another a waitress, and another a person moving across the country. But we recognize that each stage is so precious and important... to lead us to and prepare us for the next stage (and the purpose of all stages are ultimately to bring us into union with love). The quality of our path doesn't change, just the appearances of what we are placing our focus on changes.
Anyways, so we're refining our lives to shed excess and sharpen our focus to live in alignment. As we are doing this, and continuing down the trail, obstacles inevitably arise. In this instance, something arises that triggers us and brings up a past situation that hurt us. The scorpion is a fiery guy - he's in fire mode, he's in passion mode trying to continue down his path - so when this obstacle gets in his way, he may try to ignore it and continue sprinting ahead... but he won't get very far.
See, the obstacles are there for a reason - sometimes we must overcome them, other times they reroute our path - but they're there for a reason... we can't just ignore them. Listen to that boulder in your way... listen to his wisdom - what is he trying to tell you?
It is natural to shy away from, hide from, or ignore the things that cause us pain. The scorpion's fierce appearance can't compensate for the fact, that as hot as he is, he too, is susceptible to pain. This card asks us to acknowledge our hurt. We don't need to continue with the tough guy act. If we march on, that pain is going to take up more and more of our focus until it gets overbearing and we can't even work on our passions anymore because the pain has become so overwhelming it's hard to think about much else.
We go after the things that feel good because they open our hearts so we can receive love... but the things arise that make us feel hurt must also be given attention... they also open our hearts. Even though this kind of opening feels more like a twisting knife rather than a blooming flower.
Think of a hurt child. Yeah, if you ignore him, he'll eventually stop crying... but to heal correctly, he just needs love... a big hug and reassurance, and then he can go back to playing trauma-free.
In this situation, we must be our own mothers to our own hurting child. Acknowledge the pain, and recognize that the reason we are feeling hurt at all in the first place is because we lost something that we care about.
This takes radical honesty. This takes vulnerability. But if we can undergo this purification, it won't come back to bite us later. It will be resolved. And then we can return to our dharma even more refined.
Perhaps this honesty means having a conversation with the person that hurt you - if it was a person. But maybe there's nothing that needs to be done. Maybe the healing and honesty required for you to move forward, is just you meeting yourself... and not hiding the truth of how you feel any longer. Give yourself that big motherly hug and reassurance.
The truth sets us free! ;-) <3 :-)
Next week, the bat of the air element shows us the subtle beauty of darkness. He gently and gracefully guides us through the night, where we learn to let go of what has passed, so we can fly into the brilliance of the dawn - a new chapter awaits.
dream extreme!
♡ kat
excerpts from my journal:
"It's a terrifying thing to reveal your deepest wounds... those places where you are the most vulnerable. But how will I heal, if I keep them covered? They need air to fully smooth over. They need light. They need care. They need love. This has been a week of honesty. Allowing myself to feel the sharp pains of sadness, of loss, of all those things that make my heart feel broken. It is terrifying - but so freeing to stand courageously in your full nakedness and say 'here I am - all of me' 'here are the things I've been trying to hide' ... that courage sets you free. And if you can be brave... truly brave... not just as a facade (I'm so strong and tough)... true bravery is allowing yourself to be totally vulnerable. If you can be brave and let yourself feel the totality of your heartbreak, those pieces you try to cling onto so tightly, will clatter to the floor and you'll be standing there absolutely free - with a heart wide open."
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