This week we embraced the earth energy and heaven energy in our practice through a powerful creation story coming from China.
Floating out in space was a cosmic egg. Inside the egg was everything and nothing, swirling and swirling around chaotically. And within all of that energy was a being called Pangu. He was trying to sort out all of the chaos for many years and then he finally decided to remove himself from the situation. He took his trusty axe and cracked open the egg at the center, freeing himself from this environment and separating the earth and the sky which is also the yin from the yang.
But the earth and sky were crushing back down on itself so he felt compelled to hold them open with his feet in the earth and his head in the sky. Then, one day after 18,000 years of holding them apart, he completely surrendered. He let it ALL go and transformed.
"His skull became the top of the sky, his breath became the wind and clouds, his voice the rolling thunder. One eye became the Sun and the other the Moon. His body and limbs turned into five big mountains, and his blood formed the roaring water. His veins became roads and his muscles turned to fertile land. The innumerable stars in the sky came from his hair and beard, and flowers and trees from his skin." (Leeming & Leeming, Dictionary of Creation Myths)
This beautiful myth describes so much of the human experience. Have you tried to sort out chaos before and kept trying different things? Have you ever decided to step away from chaotic people and events? Have you ever been drawn back in?
Finally, have you ever truly let go of controlling situations? What has transformed?
I can think of a number of situations, as a mother of a teen:) as well as having parents with ailments, where I simply had to let go and surrender control of trying to make it all happen or fix it ALL.
I have learned with my daughter, for example, that I have to let her make mistakes, have consequences, figure things out (rinse and repeat) rather than forcing her to do my “right thing” which may or may not be what is right for her in the moment. Her best growth will come from this. Why should I deny her this growth?
Me denying this growth comes from my own fear! Yikes..
Can you relate? Where is fear taking the wheel when you need to surrender rather than force?
Try practicing all or parts of this for a week:
Lie on your back and feel the floor as it meets your body.
Take a body scan and progressively squeeze and release parts of your body to find a deeper release.
Breathe in for 4 and out for 8 to encourage even more surrender.
Draw your knees in and squeeze out the old in pulses holding the knees.
Rock forward and back a few times and come up to sit.
Lie on your belly reaching your arms forward feel the front of your body surrender.
Come up to hands and knees for cat & cow stretches.
Sit on heels toes tucked under lift your torso and heart up to the sky. Place hands on low back/hips as you lift your heart.
Can you surrender the front of your body as you stretch it?
Rest and repeat this pose (Camel), surrender your heart to the sky.
Hands & knees, circle your body around one way then the other.
Lie on back. Let it all go for 5-10 min.
Sit up and repeat the sound lam (lum) aloud, whispered and internally.
Sit in silence.
As I prepare for a remembrance event for a very close friend who has passed, I am so moved by the Pangu story. Towards the end of his life he would repeat, it's just a transformation. Now I can find my friend in the wind, clouds, thunder, birdsong, crashing of the waves and the Spring flowers.
Let me know what your reflections are after practicing or contemplating the story of Pangu.
Peace to you!
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