Go here for part 1 of 3, and part 2 of 3.
Becoming informed by Environment and Metaphor.
When I see the chickadee rushing and flitting from branch to branch to consume winter’s bounty, I hold my story with more ease and remember that even the small winter birds need to keep to the task to thrive. Gather seed, pick and peck, keep going, keep moving. The dimension of the chickadee’s movement touches the feeling of movement in my doings. How do I want to accomplish the tasks before me? Is it easy and flirtatious like the bird and pine? How am I traveling through the things that call to my attention? Am I attending to detail or racing off to the next pine bough with seeds?
"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them." — Thomas Merton
Metaphor for Understanding Another.
How do we bridge what we do not understand? By creating a picture! Metaphor can help grasp what a loved one is feeling and experiencing. Using this tool can look like, “What is this like for you?” “Can you paint me a picture so that I can really understand what you are trying to tell me?” “What’s it like?” And then get curious together to really learn more about your loved one.
Metaphor for New Solutions
Metaphor can be used in problem solving. Just like Sherlock gathered evidence to create a solution, gather up a strong image of what the problem looks like in order to see an alternate result. The alternate result comes from the questions you can ask of the things in the scene.
Metaphor for Honesty
Metaphor can be used to create more vulnerability. “I feel like…” offers a way to express and be known in a different manner. Little moments that build up irritation can be reduced when using a metaphor for how you feel. If you find yourself holding back, ask if there is a metaphor that could help you to open up.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” — Steven R. Covey
Metaphor to Mantra.
Become the metaphor in your mind. Imagine the entire scene of what you are processing. Embody all of it with great clarity. Then ask what power phrase is available from this understanding. Build your mantra to use while working through this phase or experience.
Bog? “One boot, Next Step”
Bird? “Stretch the wings”
Spaghetti? “One bite at a time”
Bud? “My unfolding is now”
Accept, Reject or Challenge
It’s a New Year! Take time to honor your progress. Is there something you are ready to let go of in 2020? Post your intention around this where you can practice it regularly. Vision boards are a great way to ring in the New Year. Update an old one or start fresh! Use your new calendar to decide action plans and desired outcome dates. Be specific with yourself. We become what we practice. We practice what we become.
March on with Metaphor.
Namaste, and Happy 2020!
Laura