~ healing emotional wounds and expressing desires ~
The sea serpent represents the energy of expression. Whether it's emotions, creativity, sensuality, or desire - the sea serpent helps us move and direct our energy into a healthy current. When the essence of this card is in balance, we express ourselves creatively and sexually without fear or shame. We know what we desire most. Our hearts are at ease and our relationships are meaningful and enduring. We loosen the grip of self-judgment, and we let the cool waters of forgiveness in to heal our wounds. When the energy of the sea serpent is not yet activated, our emotions and creativity are left in the muddy waters. The current of expression stagnates in some areas of our lives and in other places it floods. It's important to remember, no matter what the waters of our emotional lives look like, the sea serpent loves us just the same. Like a mother, she wraps herself around us in a gesture of protection. She supports us as we learn to express our true natures.
~ the sea serpent and the second chakra ~
The subtle energy of the sea serpent occupies the area of the svadhisthana chakra. Located deep within the pelvic bowl, this chakra is known as our center of creativity and desire and is associated with the water element. Svadhisthana translates as "in her own abode" indicating this chakra is the home of the divine mother, kundalini herself.
Hi :) Welcome to week 10 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 butterfly of the air element asked us to recognize a transition that we are currently experiencing. Any kind of change, whether perceived to be positive or negative can be uncomfortable or ungrounding. During this transition, she urged us to allow ourselves to be held by the people, activities, and spaces that support us. You can not rush the butterfly out of her cocoon before she is ready.
This week, we return to the space element, which differs from the other four elements. Space is the container that holds the earth, water, fire, and air. It is the stage upon which the other elements dance. The space element cards point us toward a deep, primordial aspect of ourselves... an underlying current. Our teacher for this week is the sea serpent. She is a mother - she holds us, she protects us, and she encourages us to move towards our desires with love and passion. She provides the safety in which we can allow our hearts to open, so we can express freely and show up authentically, without restraint.
We experience so many things that cause our hearts to close. Our minds try to protect us by closing us from painful experiences. But at some point, we begin to realize that those walls that we once built to protect us, are now holding us back... they now imprison us. Instead of feeling safe... we just feel cut off and far away from life. Because everything is a threat to that careful house of cards we meticulously constructed... why did we believe that something so fragile could defend us?
The symbolism of the sea serpent teaches us that we don't need to try to protect ourselves... we are already protected. What is the worst case scenario if we were to lean into life more, to trust more, to express more? We could get hurt? Embarrassment? Failure? Instability? Death? Yes... it's possible. But those things are possible even if we live a life with a closed heart. At least in living with a heart wide open you are moving passionately toward your dreams... at least with an open heart each time you feel your heart breaking you can use it as an opportunity to allow more love to seep through the cracks. What is really hurting you? It is actually hurting you? Or is it hurting your ego? The heart just wants to love without bounds... the mind is the one who gets hurt... because pain cracks away at any misaligned parts of your ego (your constructed identities, beliefs, and roles).
The serpent asks us to relax into her... to allow ourselves to feel supported, nurtured, loved unconditionally. We feel our bodies relax and our hearts soften. And that softening opens the gates for us to experience life uninhibited... unobstructed. From this open, loving space, no longer weighed down by fear, doubt, or insecurity... we step into life expressing ourselves fully. We are a reflection of that openness, that love, that expansive nature of the heart. We are unafraid to chase our dreams, our desires, and to ask and act without restraint.
Now this doesn't mean we are obnoxious and demanding and without discernment. But living from this place slows down and softens our experience of life so that we can view this human life as a place that nurtures us and loves us... instead of a place that chains and threatens us.
She is always there - the mother. So even when we're not feeling our brightest or best selves, she is still there. Even if our world feels overwhelming and confusing, she is still there. If we remember to relax into her, especially in those dark times, she will remind you that you are safe, protected, and supported. From that support... we rise.
Next week, the mouse of the earth element points us back into balance when we get too preoccupied in the details and lose sight of our bigger vision.
dream extreme!
♡ kat
excerpts from my journal:
"Recently, I've felt a new layer rip away from my heart. A good kind of ripping haha... ripping me open. But that opening also left me feeling vulnerable, uncertain, and confused. But somehow... I've really been leaning into it - and I've been amazed by the energy I feel... the energy that comes from staying open instead of closing down. And so although this new opening has let pain in... it's let in much much more love. And that pain has a certain beauty, because it is pointing me to where I am still resisting... where I am still trying to protect and hold myself, instead of allowing myself to be held. It's teaching me to respond to pain with an embrace... instead of victimizing or pushing away. It's reminding me to sink into her arms - pointing me to the source of the love that is reflected in all things. And living from that place... is pure freedom."
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