I’m gonna be a mixologist today, because I have a couple of metaphors I just have to mix.
It’s Groundhog Day today. Of course, I think about the movie. I can’t help it. It’s become such a metaphor for getting stuck in a cycle of repetition. We get stuck chasing our own tail (wait, do Groundhogs have tails?) and we just can’t seem to see a way out. It feels like we keep making the same choices. The same lessons seem to be presented to us. Over and over and over. We just get better at getting the same results quicker. That same stupid Sonny and Cher song keeps playing, and we keep slapping the alarm clock.
My friend Loraine just shared a new metaphor for this kind of short spin cycle where we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel because we are just spinning. She says it feels like being the pilot on a plane where we haven’t filed a flight plan, so we just keep circling and circling and pretty soon we’re gonna run out of fuel. Then what?
Are we just circling the drain?
Let’s land this plane.
To do that, I want to switch over to the Spiral of Ascension, because it’s another circular metaphor that has been swirling around me.
What’s the difference between Groundhog day and the Spiral of Ascension?
Perspective. We might be looking at the same things, the same activities, choices, routines…whatever…but if we look at them from a different perspective, we can see something new. If we intentionally pick a higher vantage point (Gasp*) maybe the lesson is elevated. Maybe it’s a different lesson. Maybe our higher self can take over.
Perspective. Instead of thinking “Oh, here it is again. Same old, same old. Poor me and other blah, blah, blah” we can think about it differently. How can I come at this thing from a different point of view, without all my preconceived notions, biases, assumptions and maybe even (gasp again) outdated beliefs. How can I look at this differently so that I can see it differently.
Maybe we can break free and break the groundhog day spin cycle. And land the plane. And fill up the tank. And file a flight plan for new adventures. Okay, okay. Mixology break.
In the meantime, remember these things: You are loved. We are all loved. Let’s all be kind. And in all things – progress, not perfection!
Love and light,
Maggie
*”Good gasp, everyone” a quotation from one of my favorite newish shows, Ghosts. I’d have stuck that in the body of the blog, but it was too hard to make the grammar work.