Spend some time looking for a deep pattern in your past that still emerges in some of your actions and awareness of yourself today. Especially notice if how you understand this pattern’s meaning or presence in your life has changed. I am using myself as an example.
I see a pattern that I call “the Walrus.” No, this is not a retro-moment for the
Beatles. A walrus is able to use its
head, back and tusks to break holes in the ice to haul out for resting,
socializing, breeding.
Years ago I read (somewhere) that walrus were not able to create
a big enough opening to pull themselves through their own hole in the ice. They
therefore provided a service to other creatures they were not able to access
for themselves.
I associated this walrus behavior with a number of what I
saw as “ice blocks” of my own—where I could help others but not benefit myself:
I can help others use creative visualization to access their intuitive wisdom using my Journey Oracle cards but do not have inner images in my mind's eye.
I can help others journey to the spirit world with my drums and rattles but do not seem to go myself,
I have encouraged others to meditate, who go on to find the deep
inner stillness and absorption that mostly eludes me.
Across the years it has been easy to wobble between
resignation and self-pity—an oh well,
just how it is attitude. And then
while doing research for something, I discover that my initial understanding of
the pattern is wrong (!)
Walrus do just
fine , hauling themselves out of ice holes using their tusks. And in fact, the scientific name of their genus, from the Greek, is Odobenus, which translates as "tooth walker.” This name comes from observing walrus pulling themselves out of holes in the ice using their tusks.
So it is time I retaught myself about being a walrus. I don’t know what this means, or how to do it
yet, but here is this insight, and an opening in the ice is possible.
