THE MINDFUL GALLERY'S PIC OF THE WEEK
Wolfie the spider. Photo by Christine Eaton
The mindful anchor in this photo: A spider I named Wolfie, who's been living on our back porch
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| Wolfie the spider. Photo by Christine Eaton |
(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness we want to have an anchor, notice when we stray from it, come back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace)
Wolfie isn't a small breed of spider, but he's no tarantula either. He's big enough to make you jump back and start looking for flammable liquid and a torch. He's been hanging out on our back porch for probably over a week now. At night he spins his web and just sits there like this (and as spiders do). During the day he's somewhere else. Initially I wanted him gonzo, out, see ya! BUT a couple of days ago I just allowed myself to stand there and look at him. Each night I got a little closer. I allowed the fear he triggers deep inside me to surface and I just came back to my breath and to watching him. I came to understand that he wants nothing to do with me. He's interested in what flys into his web. He's no threat. Not in that space and time. Not in that moment or series of moments. It's actually to the point now where I go and make sure that he's there each night, as our resident spider doing his part to control the insect population. I think I may even be sad when he's gone. I guess now I've formed an attachment, and that's for another blog post discussion :)
Now, I'm not advocating that everyone go and expose themselves to fear. What I am trying to point out is that many, many things scare us and that mindfulness is a tool to help us sit with those things when they arise. It doesn't mean we still aren't scared or anxious. It means that we're making an effort to have a different kind of relationship with what freaks us out. And in doing so can come great insight, wisdom, and a reality check.
Next time you're scared, try to take a few moments and sit with the feeling and try to soften around it without bolting from it. See what happens. You may be surprised (or not).
(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness we want to have an anchor, notice when we stray from it, come back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace)
Wolfie isn't a small breed of spider, but he's no tarantula either. He's big enough to make you jump back and start looking for flammable liquid and a torch. He's been hanging out on our back porch for probably over a week now. At night he spins his web and just sits there like this (and as spiders do). During the day he's somewhere else. Initially I wanted him gonzo, out, see ya! BUT a couple of days ago I just allowed myself to stand there and look at him. Each night I got a little closer. I allowed the fear he triggers deep inside me to surface and I just came back to my breath and to watching him. I came to understand that he wants nothing to do with me. He's interested in what flys into his web. He's no threat. Not in that space and time. Not in that moment or series of moments. It's actually to the point now where I go and make sure that he's there each night, as our resident spider doing his part to control the insect population. I think I may even be sad when he's gone. I guess now I've formed an attachment, and that's for another blog post discussion :)
Now, I'm not advocating that everyone go and expose themselves to fear. What I am trying to point out is that many, many things scare us and that mindfulness is a tool to help us sit with those things when they arise. It doesn't mean we still aren't scared or anxious. It means that we're making an effort to have a different kind of relationship with what freaks us out. And in doing so can come great insight, wisdom, and a reality check.
Next time you're scared, try to take a few moments and sit with the feeling and try to soften around it without bolting from it. See what happens. You may be surprised (or not).
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