Last Section of North, Winter, Inner Compass

 

Journey, 

36 x 36 

Collage on Canvas 

Our time on the Earth is a Journey. 

Resilience, and the Element of Earth

How to find the inner strength when you need it.

The things I remember hearing when I was younger.

    If you fall, get right back up.

    Bounce back like a rubber band.

    It’s Ok to fall apart, afterwards just pick up the good pieces and keep going.

 

Resilience-the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness.

The Earth as an Element- provides and substance life for all living beings.

Earth Prayer

Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice.
You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer.
All things belong to you -- the two-legged, the four-legged, the wings of the air, and all green things that live.
You have set the powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other.
You have made me cross the good road and road of difficulties, and where they cross, the place is holy.
Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things.
Hey! Lean to hear my feeble voice.
At the center of the sacred hoop
You have said that I should make the tree to bloom.
With tears running, O Great Spirit, my Grandfather,
With running eyes I must say
The tree has never bloomed
Here I stand, and the tree is withered.
Again, I recall the great vision you gave me.
It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives.
Nourish it then
That it may leaf
And bloom
And fill with singing birds!
Hear me, that the people may once again
Find the good road
And the shielding tree.
 - Black Elk 

The Native American symbol for earth is a circle with a cross. Representing many things, home being the main one of and a home for all the tribes of mankind, (red, white, yellow, and black)

The Earth Element has strong centering and grounding energies. If you are ever feeling flighty, get outside in bare feet and reconnect. The symbolism of the Earth Element connects with life’s cycles, physicality and material needs.

If working with the Earth Element on a spiritual level it can get very personal. Earth is part of you, down to your cellular level. You can use black or brown candles to represent the Earth Element on your altar along with salt, tree bark, rich soil, and fossils.

The Earth energy is about our spiritual development, while hunker down in the Wintertime of the North we have this opportunity to create a firm foundation for ourselves with our beliefs and practices of change. The change that happens way deep down inside that changes our whole thinking and behaviors.

 

Combining the two, Earth and Resilience thinking and being the word awareness pops in. We have a turbulent atmosphere around this Earth lately and the self-control, problem-solving skills and social support has never been needed so greatly.

To practice during this time, resilient people are aware of situations, their emotional reactions, and the behaviors of those around us.  The North direction allows us this rest time to be still and look back and see where we can adjust and where we can be adaptable as all other creature on this earth.

Remaining aware we can maintain some control of our situations and think differently. Think in new ways and emerge stronger after we have faced any difficulties.  Heck life these days has become difficult on many aspects, being resilient is the new badge to wear.

In the North Direction, Wintertime may call for us to use some dramatic coping skills. As the story goes which wolf are going to feed, one of Fear or one of Love and Faith.  Our attitudes, the “thinking pockets” I’ll call them need some fine tuning and to look at ourselves as survivors allowing the waves of lives’ possibilities to stay nearby. Avoid thinking of yourself as the victim of a circumstance, instead look for the ways to resolve the problems you might be dealing with. 

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I do understand the difference of thinking and how it can affect life.  Experiences have slipped in on me, trying to be aware I reacted to all that was thrown at me and fell down the victimhood trap.  Darn I say I didn’t like myself at all and how I was behaving was not how I truly wanted to be in my life.  This North direction on the Medicine Wheel has been a big help and keeping my inner compass swaying in the better direction.

While situation may be unavoidable the survivor in us on the most part will try to stay focused on a positive outcome, but it’s not done alone.

We must have our “Tribe,” our social connections.  A good few supportive people that will hold space for you. As Mother Earth shares her interconnections with every living thing, we might want to observe nature again, see how well this works and do the same. More recently, we know the communication underground with the tree roots and the mycelium proven through sciences though always known by our ancestors as truth.

Our pediatrician share with me, when I was a mother of four young ones, Dr. Veeser said, “Share your problems with someone they become half the problem.”  Having support is about having others that can hold space for you, where you can be heard and understood.  A save place of non-judgement, shame, or blame.  It is tough these days to find our supportive tribe. I was also told that these people are going to be far and few between.  It’s not about being a social butterfly it’s about have the flowers-tribe, there for you to come and ground yourself, rest and gather up the energy you need and continue with our purpose in life. Now saying that purpose in life we may not know what that is but the North Inner Compass shares with us to “Just Keep Showing up,” because change is there waiting for us.  

Who are your supportive tribe?

How can you show up for them?

How do you need them to show up for you?

 

Showing up for ourselves is working with self-care. Are you supporting yourself with your needs first?

Good foods, rest, exercise, and companionship.

 

Whenever you're dealing with a problem, it is important to have people who can offer support. Talking about our challenges can be an excellent way to gain perspective, look for new solutions, or simply express your emotions. The courage to share our lives must outweighed any discomfort of embarrassment.  Resilient people have a network of friends, family members, co-workers, and support groups online or in person to keep them socially connected.

The North allows us the time, rest and stillness take an honest look at our emotional state and understand what is causing our response and to better cope with the situation at hand. Being able to dial down our emotion or regulate them effectively is a gift Resilience give us.

Along with resilience the practice of self-compassion tends to be noticed as accepting our emotions and taking a break with them.  Not a numbing out but an honest health break.  Laying down on the floor flat has been a wonderful practice, Savasana - The Corpse Pose. I’m a dabbler in Yoga but I’ve found this to be a very good way to have compassion for myself.  Again, just a suggestion, though it helps us face life’s challenges if we allow the self-compassion to be part of the resilience practice.

If you are resilient, however, you might choose to focus on what you can learn from the situation (leaving the house earlier for work), control your emotional response (using stress relief strategies to calm your mind and body), and avoid negative thinking (by reminding yourself that you are always on time and your employer will understand). Practice changing the thinking pocket with good possibilities.

Part of our process is the past creates the present, but we don’t have to cling to it in order to learn those lessons. It’s time to be brave, watchful and start renewing. The Inner Compass leads us into the East Direction next.

Resilience and the Element of Earth 

Disclaimer:

I am of strong European descent with a connection to the earth and nature. The spiritual work of our inner being is one of the individual persons.  A lifetime of seeking to continue to connect to what is true has led myself on a learning path in great respect for all. There is no claim of being a decent from a Native American tribe. The natural ways of the Medicine Wheel are gentle and all-encompassing for growth of our spiritual self.  I share this because I'm only sharing gifts pass through me from working through my own life's experience and listening and learning from all those that gather in the circle. A student of life is a great grounded place to be as our teacher are everywhere.  Any trail that leads you to look within is always going to lead you through a journey of self-discovery on so many levels.  No one says it going to be easy or without pain, but the reality is we become who we are meant to be as we heal our own wounds for service of others in our life.   Keep showing up, you are worth it!