~ at a crossroad, claiming life's purpose ~
The Tarantula represents a moment when a great decision must be made. It involves prioritizing your life's deeper purpose, or dharma. A habit or routine from the past is sidetracking you from your dream, yet a voice inside keeps begging you to refocus your attention. In order to find true happiness, you must choose dharma. Until you do, satisfaction will be fleeting. The tarantula hovers, patient and calm, like an old friend that knows your inner soul. It already knows you'll choose wisely.
when in balance ~ follows intuition
when out of balance ~ hesitates, over-intellectualizes
to bring into balance ~ daily journaling
Hi friends! :) Welcome to week 28 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 beaver of the water element represented our inner tireless worker, who is committed to creating safety, love, and a home for all beings. He is fueled to do this work by his sense of duty, and by his intuitive knowing of his dharma. This week we return to the fire element, which relates to our transformation and purification. The tarantula waits and watches... there is a great decision to be made. Will you choose the dharmic path? Or continue feeding into the conditioned behaviors and beliefs that keep you stagnant or moving in the wrong direction?
As we've discussed many times in this series -- there is no "right" or "wrong"... there is only a right and wrong for you. Everything is relative. Everything is situation dependent. But what is right in this moment for you?
Learning how to trust yourself to make these decisions... instead of defaulting to the opinions and choices of others and of the overculture... takes practice. This is a patient process of building a trusting relationship with yourself... with your higher wisdom that just knows.
Personally, the more I listen to that inner-guiding voice, actually the easier my life becomes... not that the things I must do are necessarily easy... but it becomes easier in the sense that my path is clear. Perhaps "simple" is actually a more appropriate word. And since my path is made known and clear to me, I accept that it is my duty to walk it -- it is my dharma. The path may not be easy, but it is simple.
The confusion and complexity and suffering set in when I am indecisive and unsure of what the "right" decision is... or if I am trying to intellectualize my way out of a certain situation or create clever excuses to "free me" from my dharmic path. "I don't want to do that" "Oh that'd be nice, but it's just not possible." "Blah blah blah. Fear, fear, fear." And this really isn't freedom at all... it's just tangling me further into the old beliefs and behaviors that have always been holding me back and distracting me from the inevitable path I must walk regardless. It's the indecision that causes me to suffer.
Dharma is another concept we've explored a lot in these posts. This is your life purpose. This is your own personal unique path that is calling you. The voice of the dharma whispers or shouts from the seat of your soul... although it can often get shut down or drown out by the noise and colors and opinions of our conditioning and our culture and our fears.
The tarantula, creepy and mysterious, is watching you. Creepy and mysterious, perhaps not unlike the choice before you. It can be really really scary to go against the grain... to make the uncommon or the uncomfortable decision. But until you do... until you finally say "YES OKAY I'LL DO IT. I'll do my duty. I'll follow the dharma. I'll commit to my personal unique path that is meant for me." the tarantula waits and watches. He is your friend, your ally, your guardian. He is your great supporter and protector. But often we are scared of him and hide because he's different and daunting. He knows the freedom, the true freedom and true satisfaction that come by saying yes.
That one choice, of saying YES to your dharma, is all you really need. Within that one choice, there will be many other decisions to make along the way... but these are all sub-decisions. With every new situation that arises, you can easily and simply find your unique correct answer by relating it back to your dharma; your original sovereign choice. By listening deeply and feeling deeply, and asking the wisdom inextricable from yourself and sacred life all around you: "what is the dharmic choice here? What is the choice that best serves my dharma?"
Your dharma is multi-faceted. It doesn't look like one thing or one situation. There is much to see and experience along a path... during a lifetime. It is continuously changing and shifting. But that inner-feeling of traveling in the right direction is the constant throughout it all. Even if the destinations or pitstops aren't always clear.
Trust. Trust. Trust.
...
Next week, the hummingbird of the air element is forever overflowing with energy and positivity. This is because she knows where to find the best nectar, and she returns to these places to nourish herself frequently. Where do you source your energy? Learn from the hummingbird to drink where there is nectar... not poison.
til next time ✌︎
dream extreme!
♡ kat
Love this, Kat! Thanks for sharing ❤️ - Nicole Baldwin