I often cover a kids’ yoga class for a dear friend / fellow yoga teacher when she can’t teach it. They’re a gorgeous bunch of 7-10 year old girls who are brimming with rambunctious enthusiasm, big hearted personalities, well meaning fashion / love advice, ample cuddles and many, many stories to share each time I see them.
It makes me wonder when do we develop our archetypes.
On occasion, in the mad dash to either come into a massage circle, or when one has inadvertently kicked a leg up and back in an attempt to hold a 3-legged downward dog, there is the occasional mishap that results in a kick in the head.
If I’ve been distracted and have missed the witnessing of the above unfortunate incidents, the burst of tears and reports of “Patty, Jessie’s CRYING!!!” usually get my attention pretty quickly.
My response is usually something along the lines of “Sweetie, what’s wrong? Does it hurt in your feelings or in your body?” and the reaction will usually confirm an inadvertent elbow in the chest, or the confirmation that they were called by a hurtful name.
On one occasion, the response was a deep sigh and a declaration that there was pain in BOTH the head AND the heart.
Little girls can have a penchant for the drama of a Greek Tragedy. Bless.
What strikes me as even more fascinating than the entertainment value that I’m always assured of, is the deep-rooted connection that they already have to a certain archetype, even at such a young age.
“She ALWAYS says mean things like that” “Well I’M her best friend, and you’re not allowed to say mean things to her” “Laura’s a cry-baby anyway”
I think back to my childhood and how I was teased mercilessly for wearing thick glasses that were reminiscent of the bottom of coke bottles. After sticking up for myself on several occasions, I eventually embraced the archetype of the ‘fighter’ in my teens.
It eventually lead to me becoming a Social Worker and ADVOCATING for the rights of others that couldn’t stand up for themselves.
I was the first to stand up to my family and would constantly back my friends or colleagues who needed support.
It’s only recently that I hung up those boxing gloves and realised that the fight I seemed to access so readily was really just a fight within myself.
My own little battle to accept the different aspect of my personality and make peace with my own past was at best, an unnecessary one.
This ongoing battle within myself was also reflected in my outer world as I battled, time, stress and my own value system. Somewhere along my own personal healing journey, I decided to give my stressed state an upgrade so that my personal operating system could come from a place of love, peace and acceptance.
The results in terms of my own chakra balance have been extraordinary since I became a lover instead of a fighter. It’s extended a sense of grace into my world that’s been reflected in my personal and professional life.
What about you? Are you a lover or a fighter? A performer or an empath? A servant or a workaholic? I’d love to know.
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