Spirit Animal - Pelicans' Duality

"Two pelicans on the Bow River channel" by Judith Hirst-Joyeux July 2008

I have been listening to some of my friends and clients talk about  the difficulty that they are having with their mates.  It seems that some days I will get several of these discussions.  I was walking the dogs and pondering what was going on in the Universe that might be causing this dissension in couples.  Was it because time was speeding up?  Was it because life really is just getting too difficult?  I was getting ready to make a list of all of the possibilities. 

As we rounded the curve in the path, we look over the side channel that flows into the river.  And I saw the two pelicans.  It seemed a rather odd place for them to be since the large flock was about one-half mile back on the river.  They both looked at me, quite pointedly, and then looked away.  I pulled my camera out of my pocket and snapped a picture so I could study it later, and figure out what they were saying.

As I sat down to puzzle out the message, two things struck me: 1) there are only two and 2) one was definitely female and the other male.  The answer was before me!  This was to help me understand duality in the situations that I was getting from my clients and friends.  When talking about duality, I teach that each thing or each incident is like a double edged sword. There is a positive and a negative side (and the terms positive and negative are judgemental, yet we use these terms to express what we think helps us and what we think hurts us).  The truth is that most swords are just sharp and can cut with either edge which humans interpret as cutting either way - right or wrong, positive or negative; helpfully as in cutting ties that bind and hurtfully as in cutting and wounding. 

What the penguins were reminding me was that each human carries duality within them - the female and the male.  However, we have not been able to balance the feminine and masculine within us. So, we choose a mate that most reflects that masculine or feminine within (see the prominent reflection of each penguin in the water), and we work out our duality with a partner in our daily lives.  Quite often the pair work out their lessons in tandem.  Although they may disagree, the issue is quickly resolved and harmony is restored.  When one part of the duo moves ahead more quickly on the journey, their lesson is resolved with out the help of the mate, and the mate remains with unresolved issues.  This is when the pressure in the relationship begins, and the couple begin to moving in different ways. 

Picture two horses who have not learned to work together trying to pull a wagon.  The horses do not move rhythmically in step and consequently, one pulls and puts the other off balance.  The pulling motion is jerky and the direction may be erratic.  Result - disharmony and quite often an angry driver.   The driver will usually give the team a week or so to get their act together because the team is together all day, every day.  If harmony is not restored, the driver replaces one of the horses. 

So too, do humans get more and more out of step, and the result is an uncomfortable situation where there is no forward movement as a team, and the views of each begin to differ more and more.  At some point, the situation is so uncomfortable, the relationship breaks down.  Each partner then either immediately looks for a new mate or takes some time to figure out what was going on so they "get it right" on the next go round.  Did I mention that pelicans mate for perhaps several seasons and do not appear to mate for life?

It appears Great Spirit is reminding me that there is a season, or several seasons for everything, and then everything changes.  The message is also telling me not to get caught up in the drama or to be attached to the outcome.  It is simply nature at work.

Wishing you many moments of harmony,

Judith  

Ps. for some good reading about spirituality, check the book page at  The Book Department at angelsandancestors.com.