Powerful and exhilarating the hawk is a metaphor for the dynamic depth of power that lies within each of us. It is there but we don't feel it often because it gets caught in unconscious behavior and buried under our fears and layers of self-protection. Yet this power is much more accessible than we might imagine
I call my site 'Reclaiming Sovereignty' - this encompasses the essence of the work I do.
The word reclaim comes from the Old French 'reclamer' "to call back a hawk to the glove," also "to call upon, invoke; claim; seduce"
Sovereignty also comes from the Old French 'souverainete' meaning "authority, rule, supremacy of power or rank"
We all have personal power. What differs from one person to another is how much this power is in alignment with the rest of our psyche.
Our relationship to power is taught to us by our parents. They are almost always unaware that they are giving this teaching - but it is passed on nonetheless.
The spontaneous impulses we had as young kids carry a tremendous power. They emerge in the form of strong wantings and the compelling need to express oneself in the name of exploration, curiosity and self-discovery.
Such expressions are often met with condemnation and the imposition of rules and limits. And such limits are part of good, responsible parenting. But often it goes too far and our natural power is squashed and invalidated. The fact that as young kids we are unaware of this makes it even tougher to recover. It becomes simply part of how we see and relate to life. Our relationship to the world is dominated by such unconscious conditioning.
Yet underneath it all we yearn for expression, recognition and for having the existence of our own power, reflected back to us.
Spontaneity is power
Let me pause on that one as it is quite important. Observe a 6 year old boy. He puts out a certain behavior, but is also testing those in his environment, to see how his expressions are received by them. He wants to feel something coming back. Something that confirms the existence of his own power of expression. Does he make an impact on people? Does his expression register on the people who were present to it? Does the very expression of his being count?
It's a subjective impression on his part, but it will dictate the degree to which he will be okay with letting himself express spontaneously as an adult.
And spontaneity is power.
Easy to say, but not easy to do. Layers of learnt behaviors and fears rob us of access to such freedom.
Where is your power caught?
First step is seeing where your power is caught. Repeating again the power is there inside all of us - it's only our access to it that is in question. That immediately removes the "i'm not powerful" belief. The power is there, but it has been railroaded into certain pathways of behavior, that are so part of 'how you do life' that you don't see them.
In order to see where your power is caught let's look at some of the major areas of life experience that we all deal with. The obvious starting point is sex.
The desire for sex is built in to the very survival instinct of the species. In other words an undeniably powerful force. To what degree does your sexual energy integrate and flow with the central ambitions of your life? Are you fulfilled in this area? Do you get what you want? Do you know what you want? Do you feel like you are 'friends' with this powerful energy? or does it seem to work against you? Or taking a further step back - are you even aware of this energy working inside you? Do you have a conscious relationship to it at all?
These are big questions but revealing if we want to talk about feeling more powerful in our lives
By 'power' I am not referring to dominating others, or having power over others, but rather personal power. The degree to which you can manifest what you want, reach your goals, be who you want to be. Not feel limited by fears, self doubts, or 'I can'ts'.
Comments