Tidepools as a Metaphor
(I love a good metaphor)
Qualities of presence: Tidepools evoke curiosity, excitement, close looking, delight, discovery, presence and playfulness. These are qualities I prioritize and cultivate in my therapeutic approach, as they support healing and wellbeing.
The process of transformation doesn’t have to be a long slog of terrible; it can be a challenging but satisfying, and even enjoyable, exploration.
Boundaries:
Tidepools are discrete miniature ecosystems, there are identifiable boundaries to each pool, and yet, each pool is connected to other pools and all are influenced daily by the tides of the vast ocean. Tidepools need both boundaried space and the influence of the ocean to exist.
Unique expression and interconnection coexist:
Each tidepool is unique, yet inextricably interconnected with a larger landscape. We are each our own little ecosystem, with our various parts interacting (see parts work under my approaches!). We are also connected to many other little ecosystems (friends, family, coworkers, etc). Beyond this, we are part of complex environmental and social ecosystems, and part of the infinite fabric of aliveness.
No better way to be: Tidepools offer a reflection of your own image back to you, from the surface of the water, if the water is calm and still. Or, they may be full of bubbles and wave-lets as the tide washes in or out. It is not inherently any better for the water to be still than it is to be aswirl; we are not separate from nature, we ARE nature, and coming into relationship with ourselves in our many states of being can relieve some suffering without demanding that we become fundamentally different than we are.
Constant transformation: In high tide and in low tide, there are so many layers of life and change beneath the surface, in constant transformation.
Just like us.