This wild boar has peacefully frequented Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand for over 20 years. He came up to me and laid his wiry-haired chin across my ankles as I sat with my legs outstretched on the beach. It was a curious experience and I'm not sure what his body language/ posturing meant but he did not harm me and I remain intrigued by the experience. Seeing a wild boar on a beach is not something I ever expected before reading about the the possibility in a Thailand tour book a couple months ago. Even with this 'heads up', seeing the wild boar was unexpected and having him approach me so closely was definitely a surprise, and not necessarily a pleasant one. I was mostly fascinated and slightly fearful. | As the month of July kicks off, we find ourselves 1/2 way through 2019. In fact, today - July 2, is the midday of the year. Smack dab in the middle - jokers to the left & clowns to the right. Whew. 1/2 way there and living on a prayer, perhaps. As we enter the 2nd half of our year-long journey from heartbreak to empowerment, we are joined by Wild Boar and the powerful medicine of confrontation. Wild Boar's "willingness to confront fears, challenges . . ., and uncomfortable circumstances" empowers the human spirit and allows us to "change our weaknesses into strengths" if we are able to "be fully present and mindful of what is happening and why." (Medicine Cards, p229, 230) This medicine encourages us to "embrace our warrior nature and find the courage to confront our fears." (Medicine Cards, p229) I identify with Wild Boar's medicine, with the need to confront my fears after many years of avoidance and denial. I am beginning to confront my fears. The first step is becoming aware of my fears - some have been buried so deep for so long that I am just beginning to discover how scared parts of me are. |
The medicine of Wild Boar can help us face our fears and to attack any dishonesty uncovered along the the path from heartbreak to empowerment that keeps us sea bound - unable to arrive on the shores of the graces. It is the same medicine as that found when the primal tiger pounces on the illusion of the story we tell ourselves, on the person we pretend to be. Attacking the ignorance and circumstance that chain us to fate by telling us we are less than another, less than the magnificent, unique creation that each of us is. The tiger devours the mind of man to stand strong in the light of all that can be, allowing us to soar with father sky if we have the courage to face our greatest fears - to look the primal beast dead in the eye and choose to act from love, no longer controlled by fear.
What is it that is holding you back from pursuing your dreams? What are your dreams? What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
These are the questions I will ask myself this week. What do I need to confront in my life at present? Is there something or someone who is weighing me down, holding me back? Even if my initial reaction is to point outward, I know that ultimately it comes back to me - to my fears, my demons, my desires.
I'm pretty sure I am holding myself back mainly out of fear. My fear is not as great as it was a couple years ago when the financial risk of starting my own business based around art, yoga and mindfulness created a sense of dread and anxiety but there is still something that is holding me back. I will ask Wild Boar and the medicine of confrontation to expose and slice through this fear - open a path to action and find out where the road of faith will take me if I let it.
In theory it is so simple. In practice, I struggle to get out of bed on most days and then find myself awake long after I should have gone to bed . . . all in due time. There is so much to learn if we want to free ourselves from ignorance and circumstance, if we want to move away from the pain of heartbreak and be able to engage life fully and be in healthy relationships. The medicine of Wild Boar reminds us that "challenges do not simply vanish. Unless you actively embrace your issues, you cannot reclaim your spirit's energy. Half the battle is won through the warrior's willingness to acknowledge and to accept the whole truth at all times." (Medicine Cards, p230)
On our year-long journey, Wild Boar is the last animal totem that joins us during the Realization Stage. It is the medicine of confrontation that prepares us for the Relation Stage of the inner journey by allowing us to embrace 'what is' and opening up the possibility of manifesting what could be.
"If you do not believe that you are brave enough to confront your mistakes or denials, quit lying to yourself and acknowledge the authentic power of the honorable self within. . . . call upon Wild Boar to help cut through feelings of helplessness or weakness. Those sharp tusks can cut to the heart of the matter and reveal the valiant warrior self that you may have unwittingly abandoned." (Medicine Cards, p230)
Namaste.