Iceberg

Submerged

Up to 90 percent of an iceberg’s body is below the surface, deeply submerged in the bosom of Grandmother Ocean. Yet Grandmother allows considerable freedom for her enormous children, permitting them to move about as dictated by the currents and their own momentum. Having broken off from a glacier or ice shelf, they float along the sea, much to the detriment of vessels that attempt to traverse their passageways.

Most of us have heard stories of ill-fated ships that have had tragic encounters with these ice mountains. Although the topmost portion of an iceberg can easily be seen, there’s still a massive amount of its body below the water that may be difficult to detect. And that which remains unseen can fool us and perhaps even be dangerous and damaging.

Whatever you suppress or deny and attempt to keep out of conscious awareness will show up somewhere and somehow. These are your shadow aspects. At one time, you put them out of your consciousness for good reason, yet they remain contained by shame and guilt. Sometimes these submerged aspects of yourself are projected onto others so that they mirror those denied or suppressed parts of you, and you may even harshly judge these characteristics when they are exhibited.

Now is the time to allow these elements to surface and embrace them. These may make up some sort of self-expression, a secret dream you wish to accomplish, or even uglier aspects that are difficult to acknowledge or accept. Whatever you have submerged deep inside of you, this is your opportunity to pay attention to those things and welcome them to the family called “you.”