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Tunnel Vision & Overlooking
the Obvious
By Cinnamon Moon
Well, this thread was inspired by a friend who emailed me and
made a comment about how easy it is to overlook the obvious.
Teachings that had been studied for awhile were suddenly coming
clearer...expanding and began clicking things into place. It
struck my friend as this happened and I thought it important
to discuss here for those who are coming to understand spiritual
matters.
First let me say that Spirit keeps
things simple. The principles of Medicine in shamanic terms
or Magic in nature-based traditions are the same. They are foundations
that grow with us, then expand as we come to grasp more and
more of just what the foundations really mean. Seeds that sprout
and grow with us if you will.
I was explaining to my friend about
'tunnel vision' and it's not a bad thing. We all have it to
some extent as we're learning about ourselves and the spirituality
we are evolving with. Tunnel vision merely means we're passing
through an experience and are limited in the scope of that experience
until we reach the end where we can expand our concepts by what
we gained. Our minds are only capable of holding things to the
limit of our perceptions and passing through experiences broadens
those perceptions.
So I see tunnel vision in this way...you're
passing through the tunnel and it *is* taking you somewhere,
it will open up onto a vast new horizon and you have to find
your way by lamplight until you get to the end. Simple...right?
Right!
It's at the end of that tunnel that
whatever we learned becomes obvious to us. The passage part
keeps us in the dark but at the end the light is bright. We
don't always recongize how far we've come and how much ground
we've gained until we start to feel the exhaustion of the journey
(some tunnels are really, really long, others are quite short).
As we start to see the light at the end we have the hindsight
of the journey to base our perspectives on and the expansiveness
of the view ahead...what that journey has let us to and all
that remains to explore for us on that level.
The foundations then begin to expand
and we have our 'ah-ha' moment of recognizing how they apply
to other situations and with that we connect some more dots
and deepen our awareness.
Let me use the Medicine Wheel as
an example since it's definitely a starting point to a fundamental
understanding of Native spirituality. At first it doesn't make
much sense. There are physical placements of 36 stones, each
representing 'something' that we have to wrap our mind around.
It's an overview of something we don't understand and feels
like a tremendously overwhelming task to memorize all that it
represents. Whoa! That's a lot to take in, most of it going
right over our head.
We step back, break it down, begin
to place things on a foundational level...there are quadrants...pick
a quadrant and begin to look at that, the rest can wait. Each
quadrant represents one of the elemental forces coming into
view and the lessons they teach defined by the stones in a given
quadrant.
The quadrant of Air is a good place
to start...it represents the higher mind and higher learning...the
student striving to be a scholar, philosophy, creation, beginnings.
We generally start there though that's not carved in stone but
I'll use it for an example. The quadrant suddenly brings us
to study the creature-teachers that rule the three Moons within
that element. A path from the elemental stone to the center
of the Medicine Wheel brings us to the teachings that lead us
into lessons on finding our way to Spirit at the center based
on all this quadrant holds influence over.
In this way we discover a tunnel
of sorts...one that leads us through a basic perspective and
all it's composed of. And how, when we've made our way to the
center, we apply those teachings going back out into the world.
We expand our understanding this way and the experiences we
have will show us how there is countless opportunity to apply
that perspective to everything in life.
Then we move to the next quadrant
and the process starts again. One by one, we explore the elements
but it takes those experiences to grasp the teachings they hold.
Our tunnel-vision of exploring a very direct focus begins to
expand further when we reach the end of those lessons but it
takes time to pass through the tunnels we're exploring. To get
a good grasp of the Medicine Wheel can take you a month or a
year or whatever amount of time it takes. It will depend on
how focused your study is, and how intricate your lessons are.
Now Spirit hides things in plain
sight and keeps them simple. Sometimes under a leaf we need
to turn over or the wind turns it over for us if we need a little
help from guidance. But until we come to a point where we can
understand and hold those teachings they are very elusive. We
need the foundations to base everything else on or it just doesn't
make sense. Foundations are anything but boring...they are vital
aspects of the whole...the corner stones on which everything
else is constructed. Start with the foundations or you'll end
up chasing your tail in confusion.
Another example...let's take a Totem
that's been discovered as belonging to you...one you're attracted
to but don't understand it's Medicine...you just love the creature,
find an affinity with it, or it intimidates you a lot. You go
to the Totem Library and look it up, read about it...tunnel
vision helping you hone in on the information. As you complete
the article on your given Totem you have an idea of how it plays
into your nature, attributes, life, actions etc but do you understand
that Medicine? No, not really, not until you explore that more.
The article took you through the tunnel portion and completing
it opens you to new perspectives that allow you to hold more
insight as you explore new horizons with the help of this creature-teacher.
It will teach you it's Medicine. You may learn to Dance your
Totem, or mime it's movements. You may learn to shapeshift with
it, journey with it, meditate with it. So many options and you
may want to take them all in or as many as you can discover
at the moment.
" Elephant Drums! I've got
it!" The ah-ha moment comes where you see how that Medicine
and it's teachings can take you further into your own evolutionary
process and connect you deeper with understandings. It takes
you deeper into yourself too. It suddenly grows with you and
things start falling into place. One by one we explore the paths
that unfold within us and each issue/Totem we look at takes
us in another direction of interest and we map our way to the
understanding we need. Experiences along the way fine-tune that
understanding and help to draw other
lessons to us.
The lessons of experience call for
us to apply what we're learning in order to resolve challenges,
overcome obstacles or blockages, and in this we grow stronger
and take another step. We hone our abilities too. It calls for
patience and there's no way to push ourselves through these
processes. They come when we're ready for them. So those of
you who feel like you're all tangled up in confusion and on
overwhelm aren't abnormal or any different than anyone else.
It just means you have to select a focal point to begin exploring
in a more methodical way....a point to start your journey to
understanding.
Know that there will be a webbing
process as you go...one thing leading to another, and that the
path you take is being mapped each step of the way. It begins
to customize itself to your needs this way. If you can find
the sense of adventure that leads to deep exploration it becomes
quite interesting. Trust your interests, they are leading you
in the directions you need to go. Trust what catches your eye
or resonates with you and explore it more and be patient with
yourself. You'll understand as it unfolds and you'll find the
journey through the tunnels to be much more relaxed.
The unknown of Spirit is vast, but
it's also very simple. We're the ones that complicate things
and confuse ourselves. Spirit makes the path quite obvious...a
tunnel goes one way...leads to something...an unknown...a marvelous
mystery that will open before us. So the next time someone says
you've got tunnel vision smile at them and say "thanks
for noticing!" and then start looking for the obvious.
Remember there's only one way to go with it...right straight
ahead. Keep walking and you will arrive at the beginning of
something new and exciting and with that the understanding to
go with it. The perspectives that limited you initially will
have expanded through experience and things will start going
click...click...click.
BearInMind:
“I
was explaining to my friend about 'tunnel vision' and it's not
a bad thing.”
So "tunnel-vision"
is a matter of being so focused on one thing that you cannot
see anything else? I have a friend who can walk right past a
person "and not see" them unless their name is called
out. She said she has a severe case of tunnel-vision. I believe
I am experiencing some type of tunnel-vision with respect to
the human race and how it began.... Meh ~ that's another topic.
“So I
see tunnel vision in this way...you're passing through the tunnel
and it *is* taking you somewhere, it will open up onto a vast
new horizon and you have to find your way by lamplight until
you get to the end. Simple...right? Right!”
Is it that
simple... really??? Well what about people who seem to live
in a tunnel and never get to the light at the end because they're
camping out in the dark toasting marshmallows in their tunnel?
Is that a matter of being in denial, or is it more a case of
being naive, or is it absent-mindedness?
“Let
me use the Medicine Wheel as an example since it's definitely
a starting point to a fundamental understanding of Native spirituality.
At first it doesn't make much sense.”
That's so
true in my case ~ I found it sort of difficult to *really* understand
the Medicine Wheel at first, but when Minna Earthkeeper started
the Dreamtime post, that's when I really got an "ah-ha"
about it. I guess it was the creativity involved in that that
gave me visuals and things really started falling into place
for me then, and I really began to "see the light at the
end of the tunnel," as the saying goes. Gosh but I was
in that tunnel for a long time!
“Another
example...let's take a Totem that's been discovered as belonging
to you...one you're attracted to but don't understand it's Medicine...you
just love the creature, find an affinity with it, or it intimidates
you a lot.”
SQUIRREL!!!
I adored them and "communicated" with them as a kid
but because of what someone told me about them, since then if
they get too close I get anxious. I really wish I could get
back to the place when I was comfortable with them *sigh* I
wonder how long I'll be in this tunnel.
“The
lessons of experience call for us to apply what we're learning
in order to resolve challenges, overcome obstacles or blockages,
and in this we grow stronger and take another step. We hone
our abilities too.”
Reading that
immediately reminds me of my journeys into The Basement *insert
horror-movie song clip* I noticed that as I focused on any particular
internal issue that was hindering me (my Monsters), I would
soon encounter the issue in real life, which brought back those
emotions. Reliving those dealings and emotions I buried in the
basement helped me a heck of a lot when I questioned why I felt
that way, and traced the feeling back to the root. Once I embraced
the truth about the issue, then I was better able to address
the issue I was facing with a clear mind. Painful experiences,
*shudders* but it was all well-worth it!
“We're
the ones that complicate things and confuse ourselves.”
Oftentimes
we get help from others with complicating things and confusing
ourselves... others who have tunnel-vision and want to make
you believe what they believe, even if it's not correct Then
we join them in their tunnel and have to find the truth (the
light) ourselves. A thought just occurred to me that perhaps
some forms of tunnel-vision are "protectants" for
us. It sprung into mind as the example of dreams.... Dreams,
for the most part, is a way to bring something to our attention
that we need to deal with, but in a subtle way.... In a way
that our conscious can more readily accept. Gotta run! Thanks
for that inspiring article!
CinnamonMoon:
“So "tunnel-vision"
is a matter of being so focused on one thing that you cannot
see anything else? “
Pretty much.
“I have a friend who can walk
right past a person "and not see" them unless their
name is called out. She said she has a severe case of tunnel-vision.”
Ha! Well that's a different kind
of tunnel-vision. I was talking about the kind in spiritual
enlightenment but it's basically the same I guess.
“Is it that simple... really???
Well what about people who seem to live in a tunnel and never
get to the light at the end because they're camping out in the
dark toasting marshmallows in their tunnel? Is that a matter
of being in denial, or is it more a case of being naive, or
is it absent-mindedness? “
I'd say it could be any or all of
those things. Maybe they're just not interested in getting out.
You have to walk through it....you know, putting one foot in
front of the other... if you camp out you're not getting too
far at the moment.
“SQUIRREL!!! I adored them and
"communicated" with them as a kid but because of what
someone told me about them, since then if they get too close
I get anxious. I really wish I could get back to the place when
I was comfortable with them *sigh* I wonder how long I'll be
in this tunnel.
Then why not do a guided visualization...take
a 'tunnel' back in time until you get to the memories of you
and the Squirrels playing. Grab that perspective, tuck it in
your pocket and bring it back down the tunnel to the present.
Then use it. You made a choice at one point...when that person
warned you of danger you chose to believe you were in danger.
Prior to that you didn't entertain the thought. Since then you've
allowed the fear of that danger to rule. (Monster in the basement!)
“Reliving those dealings and
emotions I buried in the basement helped me a heck of a lot
when I questioned why I felt that way, and traced the feeling
back to the root. Once I embraced the truth about the issue,
then I was better able to address the issue I was facing with
a clear mind. Painful experiences, *shudders* but it was all
well-worth it!”
Well that technique might help you
with Squirrel.
“A thought just occurred to
me that perhaps some forms of tunnel-vision are "protectants"
for us.”
I'm sure in some cases that's true.
People do hide out in dark places.
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Libraries
are on this row
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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©
Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon (Founders.)
2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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