stevenchristopher

I’ve lately come to appreciate what an apt metaphor “whirlwind” can be when describing life. “What a whirlwind week I’ve had!” I’m really identifying with that sentiment these days…

Anyone familiar with the whole Animal Spirit/Native American paradigm? For a while, I experienced a strong resonance with that whole wisdom tradition. It’s an earth-based sort of perspective in which animal spirits are thought to share kinship and provide guidance to us, spiritually. I’d been having lots of wild, in-your-face experiences with red-tailed hawks and crows, believe it or not, both of which turn out to be steeped with symbolism and meaning in Native American folklore and wisdom traditions. The hawk is about clear-sightedness; the need to be vigilant and aware of thinking and surroundings. The crow is the “magic” spirit that connects this world with “the void”. The crow is about all things related to ethics, and symbolizes the “shadow” side of our personalities and the Universe.

When I came to Burlington, one thing that really struck me was how many CROWS there are in this city! They wake me up almost every morning, rowdily cawing on the street below my bedroom window. The crow, they say, calls us to do “shadow work”, to confront darkness and overcome it. To work skillfully in darkness, is what one website says:

http://animalspirits.com/index1.html

That’s what I find myself having to do these days, all in a whirlwind of activity and challenge. The butterfly (another powerful animal spirit) carries “the power of the whirlwind”. The spiral is a huge part of symbolic imagery, and the whirlwind/tornado is one of the most powerful, unpredictable forces in nature. Think of how it can rip a house up from its foundations, splinter it into a million pieces, yet leave the home right next to it completely unmarked. Amazing. The energy of the whirlwind, of spirals, calls us higher and deeper…

So, these are some of the concepts and signs I’m trying to be mindful of these days. I’m reminded of my powerlessness over so much in this life: over my various addictions, over other people and their addictions, over just about everything other than how I approach and deal with everything I’m powerless over! Life, for me, has to include a near-constant attitude of surrender into something greater than me. I have tattooed on my wrists the words, “Higher Powered”. I once had a bracelet–my ex-fiance got it for me a long time ago–had “Higher Powered” engraved on a silver viagra attached to a leather strap. It fell off in the ocean, but I liked it so much I had it tattooed on my wrists when I ended up back in jail after a relapse and probation violation. I got them to remind myself in moments like these of late that Steven is no good at running the show.

So, I choose to turn it over, pray for guidance, get out of my own way.