CURIOSITY 2.0
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”Albert Einstein
Sometimes it seems like a good idea to just stop and ask “why?” or “what is happening here?” When having trouble focusing on my blog, or finding an interesting topic to explore, it’s a good time to ask those selfsame questions. To better describe what is happening, I come up with a metaphor: I see a little mouse dashing madly about the house while evading the butcher’s wife and her menacing carving knife. What a visual! Though we live on the fourth floor, we actually do have a mouse leaving telltale signs on our outdoor furniture, and I recently spied it darting our from behind our couch to the relative safety of the neighbor’s balcony. Perhaps that’s why it came to mind. Exploring symbolism has been a pastime, maybe even a passion of mine for a very long time. Symbols are meant to operate like keys that, if explored in a stream of consciousness way, can unlock multiple layers of meaning. Timid creature that it is, I was curious to discover what indigenous cultures might have to say about the symbol of the mouse. I’m glad I took the time to look it up. Here’s what I found:
“In many Native American cultures, the mouse is symbolized as a pathfinder and is humble, generous, and innocent. The mouse is also a symbol of scrutiny, order, discovery, and examining life’s lessons.”
Hmmmm. Not at all what I expected!
Letting curiosity be my guide, I ask what I am to make of this “humble, generous, and innocent” mouse madly darting about the house? It seems easy enough to read into the symbol of the house. A first interpretation would be to see the house as my mind, my mental household, and the mouse as the spiritual seeker and dutiful blogger who is aware that this post is already overdue!
What then of the butcher’s wife? And what to make of her carving knife? Again, these symbols seem easy. The butcher’s wife strikes me as the critical mental aspect (closely related to my maniac roommate) that is only too quick to cut off any train of thought she deems superfluous or unworthy. There’s hardly anywhere to hide from her merciless censorship. Which is why I resort to spiritual practice and surrender.
Chanting mantra for twenty minutes or so creates that calm and receptive mental space from which I can better see where my metaphorical imagery is taking me. It’s a kind of conversation between my right brain and the innocent part of me that doesn’t have to be the expert, or know where my intuition is heading. It doesn’t have to know, manage or control everything. Another way of saying it would be that I’m following the flow of my creative stream. This, in turn, prompts the question “what does the mouse symbolize spiritually?”.
On the EcoKids website I found the following:
“The spiritual meaning of mouse in the house is about letting go of the details. It may even be as literal as stopping your obsession over cleanliness and organization. Instead pause to appreciate the beautiful home and life you have. Start a list of things that you are grateful for.” Sound advice from the mice.
While I take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt, it does serve to illustrate that there’s no lack of things to discover and learn on our human journey. If I am curious, humble and open-minded, willing to ask questions and be receptive to answers coming in whatever way the universal intelligence chooses to communicate, everyday can be an exciting adventure for body, mind and spirit.
With the occasional butcher’s wife to make me fleet of feet!