My encounter with a snake.
Last Saturday, during a wander in the woods, I came across a drift of rocks strewn along the bank of a small creek. The rocks, boulders really, were covered in plush, green moss and made an excellent perch for woolgathering.
While I basked in the sun, so welcomed after the previous cold, blustery day, I heard a staccato noise coming from the pile of leaves in front of the boulder upon which I sat. I immediately looked down and saw the tail of a snake before it disappeared among the leaf litter. I swear my heart stopped for half a second before quickly moving into a rapid beat.
“Oh goodness gracious!” I exclaimed. (Where did that expression come from?) The urge to flee was great; however, I made myself stay put and intentionally slowed my breath until my heart no longer felt like it was beating outside my chest. For the reminder of my Sit Spot, or quiet nature reflection, I stayed vigilant, constantly scanning my environment for additional snake traffic. While it is true that I did not see another snake, it also is true that I was very careful about where I placed my feet until I made it back to base camp.
I am not surprised that I saw a snake, even though it is rare for me to see one. In animism or spiritual traditions in which all living things (humans, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, etc…) are believed to possess a soul and are interconnected, snakes signal a time of transmutation.?
Transmutation, or the process in which a substance changes from one thing to another, is an alchemical process that simulates the life-death-rebirth cycle. An acorn, which grows into an Oak tree, which eventually dies to create soil from which new seeds sprout is one example of this cycle. Snakes, who create a new skin almost every month, is another example. In both instances, something must die in order for something new to grow.?
This place of betwixt and between is a liminal space: where neither the old self nor the new self quite fits. I wonder if the snake experiences discomfort as it lets go of what came before in order to shift into what is to be? Or do only humans fear change?
I suspect if a snake does experience pain when shedding its skin, it is minimal compared to the self-imposed pain humans experience from the meaning we give to change. In an effort to reduce my suffering as I navigate my own journey of change, I keep this question at the forefront of my mind:?
Would you rather be stagnant?
No, I would not. I fear stagnation more than change. Stagnation, for me, is worse than the letting go of the old self, because stagnation would mean that I was no longer growing or learning.?
I recently ran across a line of poetry which so aptly describes my experience with change. In the words of Patti Smith, I find the alchemical process is one “that would carry one away into a realm that could not be measured nor even remembered.” (Woolgathering, p.3) When I reflect on some of the hardest moments of my life, I cannot fully recall the pain – only the story that I told myself about it. Which is why the story we tell ourselves becomes so very important.?
This past weekend, I began to rewrite my story about snakes. In my new story, I am building a tolerance for this animal which creates a new skin almost every month. I am curious about what is possible for creatures who regularly let go of what is no longer useful or needed. Specifically, I wonder:?What do I need to release, at this moment, so that I may grow and learn??
Wishing everyone a wonderful week!
领英推荐
Love, Kim
Kim Bushore-Maki is a soul-driven entrepreneur who understands the undeniable urge to create a business and a life filled with meaning and purpose. Her vision of opening a center where people could heal and grow led her to open Shakti in the Mountains in Johnson City, Tennessee: a place where the creative, feminine energy is nurtured and valued.
Kim is a licensed professional counselor and a yoga teacher. She completed the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy program as well as the Shake Your Soul Yoga Dance program. Kim is very interested in somatic expressive therapy, archetypal psychology, gardening, herbalism, astrology, wisdom traditions, and regenerative economics.
Kim continues to build and to support inclusive, vibrant communities. She spends most of her time mentoring leaders, guiding healing programs, and providing mental health counseling.
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