The Monarch Butterfly
After work, when feeling a bit rung out, to decompress I sit on my back yard deck and as sweet as pie, within a few moments this black and orange monarch butterfly appears. I’m not sure if it is the color of the outside furniture or the pillow that attracts the butterfly, but it’s clockwork. In a strange sense, it’s company and inspiration. This beautiful creature just sits on the chair next to me and when I pick up my phone to head back inside it flies away, silently and matter of factly.
As the feeling of fall begins to embrace us and keeps moving in, I’ll miss these quiet evening moments as a transition between work life and home life bringing a peaceful presence to the end of the day.
This brings me to the questions, how is your transition from working to shifting to home responsibilities? I consciously make the effort to break the work rhythm with a moment outside. A client of mine who worked from home created her daily commute to her office by actually leaving the house, walking around the block and re-entering as her work self, and she does the same upon returning home from work.
I think it is important to find your inward and outward balancing of work/life and all the other daily responsibilities, leaving and re-entering with fresh eyes and energy for a lightness of being just as the monarch butterfly animal totems share.
Butterfly – Totem symbol of joy and lightness of being
This totem animal is symbolic of the lightness of being and elevation from the heaviness of tensions. This power animal invites those who have a connection with it to bring joy and bliss into their lives.
Journal Prompt
Where do you store your tension? Take a moment each morning and evening for a week and notice yourself. Where is your tension within you? Does your body feel heavy? Or does your body feel light filled and joyous?
I know when I was experiencing infertility and years of a high conflict divorce I felt disassociated from my body and was out of balance. Coupled with the added stress of life circumstances, work and home life balance and emotional well being I needed to make a practice of asking and being consciously aware of my levels of joy and sadness. Begin with your “body check” and the energy will shift and become a practice for releasing what no longer serves you. Where do you store your tension?
Affirmations
I move through my day with a lightness of being.
I notice my joy and my bliss.
My bodies feel light and tension free!
Click here to download A Week of Discovering.
