Chinese Zodiac Dragon
Over the past three days I have been attending a powerful and effective coach training program in Calgary, Alberta Canada. At the outset of the program the facilitators encouraged each participant to introduce themselves, in part by identifying which animal or totem animal they felt most embodied their nature. I was intrigued. I knew the power of totem animals and was curious to see what each coach had to say. As it turns out, over the course of the training program 3 interesting events took place.
The first thing that happened had to do with totem animals. During the introductory exercise several animals popped up: a raven, wild horse, hyena, bull, dog, deer, bald eagle, fox, rainbow trout and sturgeon. One participant thought that her totem animal was a rabbit, but she really wanted to be a dragon. She explained that it was her birthday that day and the dragon not only represented some of the characteristics she wanted to embody, it also represented the animal of her Chinese zodiac sign.
Interestingly enough, at the end of the first day of training, one of the program facilitators and the aforementioned participant masterfully demonstrated a unique technique called “Body Sensing”. It enables anyone who needs to manage, lead, mentor or coach another person to bypass the conscious mind and focus instead on the physical body at that moment. By tapping into the sensations of one’s own body the chatter and “stories” of the mind and ego subside. In it’s place, each individual is free to tap into their own inner wisdom. Properly executed, this technique has the potential to allow any person to take their management, leadership, mentoring, coaching, training and facilitation skills to a much deeper level.
At the conclusion of the Body Sensing skills demonstration the participant simply glowed. She said that as a result of the exercise she felt an extreme feeling of peace of mind and strength. In fact, she said she felt less like a rabbit and more like a dragon. The entire group broke into laughter.
The next morning before class got underway, the same participant shared something with me that made my jaw drop. I encouraged her to share it with the rest of the group because it was so powerful. The night before, her family had taken her out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. One of her sons couldn’t attend the celebration because he was working overseas so he sent a birthday gift to his mother in the mail. At the dinner table, happily surrounded by her family she opened all of her gifts. As she opened her son’s present and removed the wrapping she gasped in surprise: she reached into the package with one hand and delicately pulled out a dragon figurine – a tantric one at that!
Enter the dragon…
Whether she realized it or not, for the rest of the program the participant exuded more power and force. Several other program participants noticed and commented on it as well.
The second thing that happened also related to totem animals. On the third and final day of training another participant shared with the group that at lunch time she decided to go outside to get some fresh air. She took a solitary stroll on a nature path beside the training facility. While outside, she said a quick prayer and sent out a wish to the universe to see some wildlife. Several moments later she came within a foot or two of a mother deer with her two fawns. The ”coincidence” was unmistakable: the deer is her totem animal.
Roger von Oeck's Creative Whack Pack
The third and final thing that took place relates to the subtle ways your intuition, your source, your universe speaks to you. At the back of the classroom, the facilitators left several decks of cards with inspirational sayings on them.
One of the decks was very colourful and drew my attention. It was called: Roger von Oeck’s Creative Whack Pack. The cards were designed to jog your creative juices when you select one for inspiration. I casually selected a random card from the deck, mostly out of curiosity. It read (no joke; I do have a witness who can confirm this fact):
12. Listen to your dreams…
But enough about me, some of the people I have had the pleasure of meeting, and our experiences. What about you? Your source, your universe, your intuition speaks to you every day in many significant and insignificant ways. Are you paying attention to the cues?
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