"T minus 8" - Point of Reflection # 2 - The Ocean Oracle

Today's offering is from an extremely rare set of cards that encourages our connection to Source via the symbols of the sea :

The Ocean Oracle.

This deck is rare because it is currently only being distributed via word-of-mouth, with each deck lovingly hand-crafted by a dear writer/healer/friend of mine who lives in Australia, Susan Marte.  In an exciting development, however, the deck will be available as an "app" for your mobile device within the next few days.

Centering myself and quieting my mind, I plant my feet firmly on the floor in front of me and just sit for a moment.  I set my intention to choosing a card "for all of us."  I ask to receive a card that will have meaning and provide guidance to all who are joining me on this journey to the Winter Solstice.

Today's Point of Reflection:

"Mussel" - Tenacity

The Story:

The ocean is its own unique ecosystem.  What resides in the water is dependent on the ebb and flow of the tides; as well as what else lives in and around the water.  In all of nature, there are some things which can be both a pest and a predator.  Most of the time, the delineation is a matter of perspective.  Mussels attach themselves to that which is inactive, unlikely to move.  What it anchors to is something which cannot generally escape.  Many times mussels can be found attached to rocks, their fine filaments holding them safe against the tides, allowing them to feed on the abundant nutrients which freely pass by them.  This relationship is not one of harm.  But when mussels attach themselves to something like an oyster, the relationship is harmful.  The mussel's presence could eventually kill the oyster because its tenacious grip renders the oyster unable to move away from the toxins which are exuded from the mussel.  These toxins are unhealthy for the oyster's well-being, and ultimately its survival.  The mussel is not deliberate in this harm, but nonetheless, it still endangers the oyster.

The Messages:

What are you holding onto and not letting go of?  Are you holding it, or is it holding you?  Tenacity can both free and bind.  Is what you are holding onto nourishing you in a symbiotic relationship, or is your grip, your attachment, squeezing the life out of of one of you?  Is your tenacity poisonous?  Or is it a lifeline?  Be aware of that which you hold too tightly, or that which hold you.  Sometimes letting go that tightly held job, relationship or idea is the way to free your energy flow for something more life enhancing to enter into your ecosystem.
 (c) Susan Marte 2012


Ah, tenacity.  I can definitely see how, for some of us, this may be one of the gifts we bring to our lives, our work, our journey.  I might also confess how my tenacity can sometimes easily work to choke off my creative flow and growth.  

Just my efforts today, in attempting to get this post published, was a painful reminder of how my tenacious insistence that I  understand exactly how to insert text and photos into my blog posts almost completely derailed my best efforts and intentions.  As I approached a personal meltdown this afternoon, I realized the irony of how I was reacting to my frustration.  The text of this card, which I was trying to "link" to as a pdf (similar to yesterday's post) instead of typing out in its entirety, reminded me that I really needed to stop clinging so dearly to my idea of how this post would look.  So here it is.      


 Is TENACITY a trait you need to celebrate in your life?  Is it one of your gifts?  Or is it an aspect of character that holds you back from exploring new opportunities and adventures?