My friend and colleague, Schelli Whitehouse, shared some interesting mythic wisdom with regards to the period of year we are now entering beginning today…Wisdom that is very interesting for Equine Assisted Coaches and Therapy who are working with the ‘shadow’ aspect of the human psych; those unrecognized and un-accepted aspects of ourselves hold important wisdom –wisdom that when acknowledged, often leads to self love and fulfillment.
Kim McElroy's 'Shadow Dancer'
In the northern hemisphere, sunset tonight ushers in the Celtic season of Samhain. During this window between Samhain/All Hallow’s Eve and Christmas/Solstice/Midwinter, the veil between the worlds is thin and our ancestors are most accessible to us. It is also the beginning of the dark half of the year, a time to become more intimate with the hidden, mysterious, “shadow” aspects of ourselves.
In the west our egos tend to avoid the dark. We yearn for perennial spring and summer. But we can’t have light without darkness and, as writer Annie Dillard reminds us “you do not have to sit in the dark. If you want to see the stars, however, darkness is necessary.”
Like all aspects of duality, light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. The experiences that shatter our egos are also the situations that lead us (if we let them) directly to our heart’s truest desires. It is only in resisting some aspects of our experience and clinging to others that we create suffering for ourselves.
You may have heard the story of Persephone, one of the goddesses of ancient Greece. According to Greek mythology, Persephone was Queen of the Underworld. I grew up learning that Persephone became Queen after Hades abducted her and took her to the Underworld. Interestingly, as an adult I learned a different version.
In the more ancient telling of Persephone’s story, she is picking flowers in a beautiful field one day when she hears the plaintive cries of the dead emerging from a cleft in the earth. Her heart opens in compassion and she feels a pull to answer their call.
Although she is young and afraid to leave the realm of perpetual light and pleasure where her Mother Demeter rules, Persephone faces her fear, surrenders her innocence and enters into the unknown with her eyes open. And it is only in the Underworld, where she faces the cries of the lonely and confused souls amidst cold and darkness, that she finds her power and becomes a Queen in her own right.
What does Persephone’s story tell us about creating more of what we want? Paradoxically, when we stay in the world that we know and push the feelings, ideas and experiences that make us uncomfortable “underground,” our power is limited.
When we are willing to go wherever our souls may lead us, particularly when we are armed with compassion, then we become Queens and Kings. We are Masters and Mistresses of the Universe. And because there is nowhere we are unwilling to go, anything becomes possible.
You can choose which Persephone you would like to be—the one who walks consciously into the Underworld, or the one who goes kicking and screaming, too distressed to see where she is going.
Life will take you into the Underworld, there is no doubt. If you enter it willingly, resolving that while you are there you may as well learn something, you are likely to remember the way out. It is when you deny that the Underworld exists, or spend all of your energy avoiding it, that you get abducted. When you are taken to the Underworld without your consent, it is much harder to find your way out.
November 8 – 10 I will be co-facilitating “Coaching Mastery and Marketing for Wealth ~ with Horse Power!” During this experience we are going to take a journey with your personal Archetypes and connect with both the Brilliant as well as the Shadow aspects of ‘who-you-really-are’ in regards to your business.
This is a 2 ½ day in person experience totally focused on the unique brilliance, purpose and personality of your business! Yes, there will be periods of ‘darkness’ in this process. And you will be given the tools to light your own candle, flashlight or headlamp! Plus, a map to guide you the rest of the way!
If you feel that you are presently ‘in the dark’ with what needs to happen next for your personal and professional growth, I urge you to learn more about this workshop.
The workshop is limited to 8 participants and there are only 3 places available. To learn more and register please visit: http://www.equinealchemy.com/programs/coachingmasteryandmarketing/
Some of the participants have been studying coaching mastery through the way of the horse, with master coach Lisa Murrell, our host and co-facilitator for this experience. A few of them already have thriving coaching practices and are expanding and up-leveling their businesses and others are brand new to the industry and just learning the importance of sharing a clear, direct message for a specific tribe of people.
Wherever you are on this spectrum of business development you can be sure that your specific needs will be addressed both emotionally and practically.
Take a look at what Lisa and I have put together for you and contact me if you have any questions.
http://www.equinealchemy.com/programs/coachingmasteryandmarketing/
Don’t wait, the price for this extraordinary experience goes up tomorrow, November 1st.
Lisa
Murrell is the master coach at Equine Alchemy and Effective Leadership Coaching.
She began consulting in Paris and has spent the last 15 years working globally
to help clients achieve transformational results in the areas of organization
development and executive and team coaching.