On Saturday, we buried my dad. The weekend was filled with the tears of sorrow, the laughter of memories and the warmth of family and friends. When I was laying in bed this morning thinking about what to write, the symbol of Ouroboros came into my head.
Ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a snake devouring its own tail. It's the symbol of creation out of destruction, life out of death. This circular snake is a representation of individuation, or how we grow into human beings distinct and different from all others. It's the concept that we recreate ourselves through a constant process of digesting our experiences to shape a new and unique person.
As I listened to stories about my dad told by my mom and siblings; cousins and uncles; childhood friends and new neighbors, I realized that we have all chosen different pieces of him to integrate into our lives. As my son said in the car last night, we each get to pick things from grandpa that we hold on to. And isn't this true for all of our experiences in life? We get to hold on to the things that serve us and let go of the things that don't.
Remember that we are not static creatures. We are in a constant state of recreation from the cellular level to the spiritual space. We get to choose what to feed ourselves and what to destroy within us so we can flourish. What will you feed yourself today? What will you reject that you no longer need? Who will you be tomorrow that you couldn't imagine you could become just yesterday? As you integrate all of the experiences of life, remember that you are the alchemist. What you feed yourself, you become.
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