Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

[SunnyGirl]

"It's ironic, but until you can free those final monsters within the
jungle of yourself, your life, your soul is up for grabs." —Rona Barrett

We all have monster's in our lives. It's not easy to live with
an active alcoholic; or maybe your monster is depression, pain
or fear. What ever it is, we somehow manage to get "IT" into
the closet and just when we think we're safe he somehow
escapes. I've come to the conclusion, the more I worry and
focus on the monster, the more powerful he becomes in my life.

Several years back, I went through a period of depression. I
spent a good measure of my day lying in bed, not able to come
up with a reason to get up. I wasn't suicidal, just lacking in
strength to cope with life.... I finally had a talk with my H.P.
and he gave me the strength to begin again. Just baby steps,
but little by little I came to the point where I refused to allow
that monster to control my life.

Today I am a little more patient with myself, if I give my best
effort that's enough. I quit worrying about what others
might think or say or think about me. My job is to take care
of me.... to find happiness and peace of mind. I've learned
to trust myself and my instincts and to keep the doors open
for all options. My H.P. is a loving God and to HIM I give all
trust. HE's given me the courage to get up each day and
look for the blessings around me.

I had to become willing to change....

"How does one become a butterfly? “You must want to fly
so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.... and if
I hadn't found the courage to change, there would be no peace
or serenity in my life!

Peace on the journey, SunnyGirl

[caressa]

My monsters were more like boogie men and much scarier than lions, tigers and bears. They are things of God, mine seemed more of the devil. Creatures of my own mind, not that of the Creator.

They liked dark places and grew there. They tried to drag me in there after them.

I found myself in depression on several occasions but glad that with the program and my HP I had the tools to get out. I never go into that deep depression prior to recovery. That is one of the things I don't ever want to go back to. That old depression was a result of my using, not just drugs and alcohol, but work, food, relationships, and other things to try to escape my reality.

According to D. J. Conway and his Animal Magickal Attributes:

The Lion teaches us to learn to relax, don't carry the stress of one situation into another, reminds us to strengthen family ties, and represents strength, courage, and energy and releasing stress and tension.

The Tiger represents power and energy. If action is called for, don't analyze it to death, just do it. Unpleasant but necessary actions only get worse if procrastinated. They find strength and will-power to tackle an unpleasant situation.

The Bear stands for strength and stamina. Bear can help you to find balance and harmony in your life. Patience, defense, revenge, wisdom, dreams, intuition, introspection, death and rebirth (getting rid of the old to make room for the new), and transformation. Seek quiet places for answers and harmony in your life.

The Butterfly represents reincarnation, beauty and love. Transformation of the personality and life. Understanding where you are in the cycle of your life and using it to the fullest.

Many times we are in the larva stage, a new beginning, then we learn to crawl and take steps to a new way of life and then we can take flight and spread our wings.

Animals can be scary. They can be big and overwhelming. Yet for me, my God put them on this world for a reason. I like to think of them in the positive way. Those beasts can ravage my soul, but then can be tamed, and show me a better way of life.

[SunnyGirl]

Re: Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

Just to clarify, I have no fear of animals, although I wouldn't
want to meet a hungry bear in the woods. Not sure if you
recognize the significance of the Lions, and Tigers and Bears,
this was a line from the Wizard of Oz...... The "Cowardly Lion"
lacked courage, the Tin Man needed a heart to love and the
Scarecrow, brains. In the movie, they all had these attributes
they just weren't in the habit of using them. I remember Dorthy
and the others chanting this as they faced their fears on the
way to Oz.....

We fear the things we can't control, we get anxious about it
and spin out of control. It's a thinking problem, facing our fears
allows us to bring the monsters out into the sunlight, where
they're much easier to recognize and deal with. When we try
to over think our problems, it turns it into a frenzy of wild
thoughts.

Today,I have the ability to confront life head on, to stand up for myself and what I believe in. Chasing the monsters out of my
closet and into the light gives me freedom and I feel liberated.

Hugs, SG

[caressa]

Liked your analogy and the Wizard of Oz thing. I too wouldn't want to meet either, just wanted you to know that my fears often had faces although they say when you dream it isn't about what you see but how you feel that matters.

I was just trying to show how we can turn a negative into a positive. Sorry if it came across as disagreeing with you.

Loved your post. Like your way with words. Like the fact that we can both be right because we see a different picture because quite often we see things from opposite sides of the street. Yet often even if we have a different view, we can come together with understanding and acceptance for who each of us is.

[SunnyGirl]

I enjoyed your share, just wasn't sure if you understood
what I was trying to say.... ;D

What a boring world if we all saw life in the same way....

I have watched the Wizard of Oz so many times I can't
count them all. The scene with Dorthy, the Scarecrow,
the Tin-man and the Lion, walking along the brick path
with arms linked and repeating.... "Lions, and tigers, and
bears, oh my!" This has always symbolized, (to me) finding
the courage to face our fears.....

Thank you my friend for sharing your thoughts, I agree
much more often than you might imagine..... Hugs, SG

[majestyjo]

A good share for this time of the year. Those bug-a-boos don't stay around so long now, thanks to the program.

[caressa222]

Played the blame game for years. Glad I don't have to go there in today.