My natural state is to push, to power through, to stubbornly stand my ground. (Hello, I’m a Taurus bull.) As a society, we’ve tended to reward this earth-bound quality recommending that you “dig in your heels”, “put your foot down”, and “hold firm”. The ideas of endurance and gritting through are idealized.
Still, I’ve made great strides towards welcoming the flowing properties of water into my world. And what a relief.
Aren’t we all mystified by water? We stand in awe at its great gushing strength as it barrels down in falls strong enough to light our homes. We are lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of its waves ebbing and flowing. We gaze into it and gain inspiration from the world reflected so marvellously when water sits calm and still.
Water can take on many forms. It is wise enough to flow around obstacles in its path, accepting the natural pace of change, even when change is slow. And yet, over time, water gains strength and changes the shape of those obstacles eventually wearing them down. I’m seeing the strength in softness and reminding myself to go with the flow.
Isn’t it the things that are most rigid, the bone china, the glass vase, that shatter into pieces when they meet resistance?
Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.
Lao Tzu
Water is the element associated with winter. Join me for meditations like the above reflections and yoga practices to welcome winter. Starts November 23. Click for more info.