Re-Balancing Through Symbols
A shamanic journey is conducted to access other realms of consciousness or levels of reality. Once there a person usually obtains higher guidance often through symbolic language which when interpreted reveals what the psyche is trying to keep hidden. A power animal or messenger from the world of spirit may show up in the awareness, as a teacher or guide. The shadow aspect of a Panda – trying to help too many people, doing too many things at once, being overly sensitive and becoming easily stressed – is an underlying theme in the article below.
In psychological theory, this character trait is often called people pleasing or “sociotropy”. It is a behaviour that can be a symptom of a mental health condition like anxiety and depression, avoidant personality disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD) or codependency of dependent personality disorder. Whilst according to trauma theory the ‘submit’ response’ (animal defence survival responses of fight, flight, freeze, submit and attach for survival) concerns being freely ‘used’ by others and having no energy to counteract the resulting depressive hypo-arousal.
Into Presence: Rebalancing through Symbols was published in Watkins Mind, Body, Spirit in August 2020.
The shamanic journey work in this article was conducted by Tim Raven. To learn more about his work please look here.
Why Symbols can be Important
Symbols enable complex communication to carry meaning. They help us to understand and explore our internal world. Images of animals embody their strengths and attributes whilst their shadow aspect can disrupt ‘the delicate negative feedback system that regulates our internal production of hormones’. Old memories and unresolved emotions lodged at this misty or concealed level can lead to physical issues. The animals can help us to interpret these issues: tell us what they are.
For example, ‘people pleasing’ can relate to thyroid problems. On a metaphysical level this is caused by lack of synchronicity between heart and head or an inconsistency between what is really wanted and a fear of expressing those needs.
Louise Hay states thyroid problems are to do with, Humiliation. “I never get to do what I want to do. When is it going to be my turn?”
Whilst Evette Rose writes, ‘You have a deep fear of not being heard and being misunderstood.’ And ‘you felt attacked and threatened in your own territory. This left you feeling nowhere is safe.’
The shadow aspect of a power animal disrupts ‘the delicate negative feedback system that regulates our internal production of hormones’.
