Steps of Healing #5: Symbols Matter
A picture is not always worth 1,000 words.
Sometimes it is not about words at all.
Our lives and our tribes are glued together by symbols. Yes, we often have shared ideals, abstracted concepts that we debate and apply the force of our rational brains to. But most of our communication and exchange of meaning is not done with language.
Relative status is largely determined by an silent dance constantly and subconsciously performed
We can often evaluate friend from foe, a member of your tribe, or not, based on subtle cues worn as signals. They often carry deep meaning for us, but if asked to articulate that meaning, we may come up blank. Or offer simple explanations like: safety, power, comfort.
Symbols matter. They're like pieces of your heart that you can look at.
What symbols are you drawn to?
How do you internalize the attributes compassion, leadership, and community?
The fact is, the symbols that we respond to most strongly are not always what we want to live by. If you find yourself responding in a way to a symbol that is counter to your ideals, ask yourself why that is.
Then do the work of reshaping your core beliefs about that symbol.
Remember, you cannot talk your way out of something that you learned through experience. You have to correct it with new experiences.
These symbols are communicating with your non-language sectors. You need to play on the same field.
What symbols are you communicating to the world around you?
From body language: your posture, your attire, your job, your tone; to explicit messaging: social media, your vocabulary, your music; you are constantly displaying symbols that carry pieces of data.
You may not be aware of it. Or, the meaning you hope to convey may get lost and misinterpreted.
Ask yourself what you want to communicate and what you are communicating. Adjust when those two don't match.
What symbols do you give yourself?
Several weeks ago I wrote a post about my symbol of healing. I have several symbols, but a prominent one right now is a basic lighter. It reminds me of my struggle with self-harm and it draws me deeper into reconnecting with my own sense of passion.
This psychical representation carries something far more important than 1,000 words. It brings non-verbal meaning. It contains markers of past experiences and the hope of a changed future.
If you're anything like me, your post-enlightenment, westernized rationality throws up all kinds of roadblocks against sentimentalism, mysticism, and right-brained activities generally. I want to solve things with my reason. But the issues I am trying to address are "arational."
You need a different set of tools
I encourage you to spend some time wandering around with an open posture towards finding a symbol for your own healing. Leave a comment if you use symbols in your own life.
Until next time, be blessed.
Sam
Like most of you, I am to build my Steemit community. This takes work, but you are not without resources!
Steem Follower
Steem Engine
Mannabase is a cyrpto approach to Universal Basic Income.
Sign up now for your FREE weekly distributions of Manna
Full disclosure: it is a referral link.
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by Sam Simkins from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.