A woman bends to enter a jagged rocky archway into underground caverns. She wears a suit of armour, is short and shivers. As she goes deeper, she grows in size and walks with straighter posture. She enters a dingy and floats along an underground river. She sees her reflection in a waterfall and chooses to discard the armour. It is heavy and weighs her down until she lets it go. She jumps into wavy river, swims through the waterfall and discovers a hidden world of fire-breathing dragons. She fears the heat of the fire until she tames and befirends a dragon.
Heading underground suggests we harbour secrets, wish to hide away from the world or, perhaps fearlessly delve more deeply into what is bothering us beneath the surface. Ask what feels threatening and whether we recently escaped (or have memories of escaping) from a perilous situation.
Armour and dragons symbolize protection. If we fear connection, we may unconsciously create physical distance in relationships or, shut people out emotionally. We may forget how to connect, shield our heart due to past hurt and distrust, or never have had role models for emotional connection. We always have the choice to let go of what weighs us down and experience the natural flow of energy within and around us.
Waterways echo the state of our emotions. Choosing to navigate through changing life conditions builds resilience. Emotions are our gauge for how well we are dealing with whatever arises. If we consciously regulate our breathing, as we do when we swim under and above water, we control how we respond to unforeseen events. Deeper breathing allows us to respond calmly rather than feel stressed and shaken up. How we breathe reflects our emotions and to what degree we allow them to control our body and mind.
Waterfalls invite us to purge thoughts and situations that no longer serve us. We are ready to let go on a whole new level. We may feel compelled to do a detox, to shift gears in areas of our life, focus of our energies and attention in new directions. We are drawn to what feels natural.
Fire can symbolize anger, hostility, or rage that is suppressed and in need of release. Only by befriending our shadow, do we make the unconscious conscious, and come to know balance. Those things we fear or make us feel uncomfortable about others are those things we have not yet accepted within ourselves . Fire also represents life energy, our source of power and inspiration, creativity and gifts. It is up to us to pay attention to what is brewing or erupting within us, and to recognize we have the choice how to harness and direct our energy.
Dragons are also magical creatures. Tapping into our dragon power is accepting the dragon within. They represent innate abilities to transform how we perceive and experience what is happening in ourselves and the world. We each feel the way into what it is to stand in our power, speak our truth, love all parts of ourselves and be our own best friend.