Where are you on the spiral path of life?
As I walked out of my home one early spring morning, I found a perfect snail shell. Small and iridescent, it lay gleaming in the light on my path. I picked it up to look into its spirals, and then placed it gently back on the earth.
Not long ago I went to visit a friend who had broken his leg in an accident and was in a rehabilitation center. Observing him in his convalescence, I saw that he was slowly healing and learning to walk again. I began to consider that he— like many of us— has had some difficult lessons. Looking back on my own life, I have wondered why certain events occurred. My answer came in the form of that small shell.
The Caracol (in Spanish), or spiral, represents the continual journey of learning—an unfolding. Just as the snail shell grows with the snail, so do we humans grow in our awareness of who we are. The snail shell represents the way in which we protect ourselves and our vulnerable emotions and spirit. The challenge for the snail is to learn when to be open, when to trust, when to come out of the shell. Our life is about learning to balance two ways of being: protecting our inner self and allowing others into our hearts. The delicate balance is knowing when to be open to trust and love and when to set boundaries and protect our sacred space.
We are these exquisite, vulnerable spirits. Outside we have the shell of protection. The spiral shell is the bridge that allows the gentle transition of growth, protecting us until we are strong enough to move on. The snail who left that gift for me that day has moved on to another growth experience.
Where are you on that spiral path of life? Know that wherever you are, you are in the right and perfect place. Look for the gifts and be present to the place where you are. Appreciate the simple loveliness of this day, and the simple perfection of this moment.
Copyright 2018, Patrice Scattergood. Originally published in SpiritSide Magazine, February 2009, writing as Patrice Raithel.
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