What Do You Find After The Storm?
“Storms make Trees Grow Deeper Roots.” ~ Dolly Parton
This weekend I got a chance to visit the ocean again with my little one. This is one of our favorite places to be, and this time we got to take friends with us – so of course we enjoyed it more & had way more fun.! And as always – there are treasures to be found when one walks the beaches. I especially like going with kids because they always exude such an enthusiasm for finding anything on the beach.! 🙂 And this weekend was no exception, what we found was a sand dollar. I happen to come across these quite a bit in my wanderings at the beach, but this weekend was the first time that I had heard there might be a ‘legend’ to the sand dollar.
In my search for the ‘legend’ I came across the ‘symbolism of the sand dollar’ & as always I am amazed at how when one is paying attention we ALWAYS come across the messages that are relevant to our lives or that we just need to hear to keep us moving forward. Here is what I found….
The Sand Dollar needs to have coordinated action, movements & motivation to be able to survive in its ocean environment. A rigid exterior is needed to protect itself from predators and from the constant bumps it receives from being tossed about. Yet it is so fragile that when certain pressure is applied when it is outside it’s ‘regular watery environment’ that it can break rather easily. Which is why it is somewhat rare to find an intact sand dollar.
Sand dollars are quite adept at going from surface to burrowing down – just underneath the surface of the sand. Which is how they survive in such an ever changing environment.
“The sand dollar is symbolic of worth, value and valuing one’s Self. It is a living being from the sea. The sea is representative of the collective unconscious: that which is born out of creativity and great expansiveness. The sand dollar is so lovely, so delicate, and so fragile that it is easily broken in its original state. At the same time it is extremely well formed and has survived the tempestuousness and disorder of its environment, the sea, to become this beautiful creature that it is. Think about it, sand dollars come ashore to be discovered after a storm.
Residing within the sand dollar are five beautiful “doves” which can only be seen once it is broken open. During the course of our lives, there are times when we have to break open. The moments we break open are the moments we experience freedom and transformation. The sand dollar represents who we are and what we were born with. This is our shell. When we can break free from our shell, our restrictions, we can experience ultimate freedom and fly like the doves….! That ultimate freedom is authenticity.” ~ Deedre Diemer – The Authentic Journey
The Sand Dollar shows that constant change is expected and there is freedom in this movement much like the life. Life flows at us, sometimes quite harshly, that is just the nature of life – much like the sea – sometimes you see a calm, gently swelling sea…but sometimes the sea can rise up hundreds of feet in storms……how we do we deal with it?
The Sand Dollar demonstrates the power of likes and similarities. Are you socializing or surrounding yourself with like minded friends?
The Sand Dollar shows how to make the transition from the surface to burrowing actions. What is just under your surface? Do we look under the surface or do we just swim by oblivious to the treasures that are just beneath the surface of someone?
Are you streamlining your activities to make the most of your time in developing who you are & sharing it with the world?
What are you developing in your inner core so that when the storms of life may break you open what may be found?
Are you allowing the storms of life to break you or wash you ashore to display the treasure that you really are?
Click on the “Leave A Comment” Link at the top left hand corner under the date to tell us what you find after the storm?
Balanced Expressions 