Root | Crow | Oak
I Balance Work, Rest and Play.
Has your life been feeling like a non-stop weekday filled with all work and no play? Crow flies in when you feel you may be having a mental or physical breakdown. When you are in a constant state of over-drive, relaxation can feel hard to attain. You may struggle to let yourself have fun or relax because of a nagging feeling that you aren’t doing enough. This endless sense of responsibility and over-striving can lead to exhaustion, burnout and a weakened immune system. Crow brings the ability to shape-shift into other states-of-being to restore your vitality and renew your spirit.
One must fully be able to let go of the focus on duty to find the frequency of play. The ability to have fun provides the opportunity to laugh with your partner or play with your kids rather than always being disengaged or distracted by chore and obligation. If we forget the importance of balanced living, we find life passing us by without truly seeing, feeling or enjoying it. We unknowingly steal energy from those around us when we aren’t tending to our inner and outer balance.
As children, we are taught by the rules and expections of our family, society, and culture. Often a rigid work ethic or belief structure can influence many generations by instilling a deep fear of financial survival that leaves no room for fun or deep relaxation. This has fueled the alcoholism problem found across the globe, for when we can’t relax naturally, we reach for easy relief. Being unfulfilled by what you fill your day with will surely lead to a dull existence. A person in this condition will tend to squelch other people’s happiness. Your inner world (feminine) creates your outer world (masculine). When you trust and honor your feminine/inner world, you can set your inner intention, take balanced action, and let God do the rest; pray and get out of the way, rather than wrestle and overly force your physical reality. Wise crow also brings the justness of divine law when imbalanced human law starts to dominate.
Just like too much work with no play can create an imbalance, too much play without properly supporting yourself and your loved-one’s needs will also lead to imbalance. Providing for your survival necessities gives you the freedom to have some fun. Let the wisdom of crow restore harmony and balance to your inner and outer world.
Key Words: over-striving, balanced living, creativity and play, mental breakdown, alcohol, motherless, appreciation, workaholic, burn-out, divine law, survival, intimacy, trusting the feminine, deep relaxation, edema, under eye bags, weakened immune system, pancreas, diabetes, knees
Bach Flower Essence: Oak
Action Steps:
Are you enjoying work, rest and play? Journal about your relationship with all three and notice where you struggle.
Do you find you always use alcohol, sugar or TV/electronics to relax or have fun? Seek out alternative, healthier ways to find child-like fun. (Ie: walking in nature, art projects, sporting activities).
Take time each day in silence to feel your feelings and listen to your intuition.
Give yourself full permission to take one day a week away from thinking about anything work-related and have some fun in a healthy, safe way.
Journal around how your parents viewed work and money, and the core beliefs you carry because of it. How has their beliefs helped you? How may they be hindering you?
Practice yogic spinal twist movements.
Do you have fun when you are doing something that should be fun or feel relaxed while doing what looks relaxing? If the answer is no, contemplate what you are not taking care of in your life that is nagging at you and stealing your contentment.
Reflect on your household growing up at age 2. What are the events and stories you were a part of at that age. How safe was your environment?
Do you or someone in your home disallow sweetness in life? How have you been affected by all work and no play?
Practice bringing mindfulness and gratitude into your work each day.
Contemplate the work ethic of your parents and grandparents such as a grandma that felt she had to scrub the floors on hands and knees for it to be clean, or a Dad that worked 60 hours a week to make ends-meet. Notice if you hold yourself to these standards or carry guilt for not following in their footsteps.
Do you distrust the feminine? The feminine is reflected as your inner world, feelings and intuition. Observe how much value you give your inner world.
Have you had to fight for what is divinely right rather than abide by dogmatic rules forced upon you? Journal around what comes to mind.
Are you hanging on to traditions or family patterns that don’t serve your highest good or are hurting you?
Practice praying and getting out of the way rather than using excess force and muscling through life.
Does it feel like you are healing a lineage pattern or curse? Journal about what has shown up generation after generation. Ask God to bring you new awareness to end the cycle.
Are you and your partner lacking intimacy? When we stay in fear of survival/over-work mode, intimacy can disappear. Make an effort to do something fun together and keep trying new things.
Contemplate if you feel that you need to suffer to be a good person.
Do you hate your job? Be honest about the level of enjoyment versus stress and dissatisfaction you have. Set your intention to increase the amount of satisfaction you experience at work, even if that leads to finding a new job.
Find a big Oak tree to sit with. Let her balance and restore you.
