Metaphor as Life

Metaphor as Life

"My eye is my verse,
My art is my whole vision."
   ___Dallan Forgaill, "Amra Senan" (trans CM)


   When spiritual darkness falls and we lose our sense of place and progress in life, the ability to see our way through our lives by way of metaphor can come to the rescue and give us a sense of restoration. We do not have to be poets to accomplish this. As living human beings, we all have the ability to tune in to our inner guidance system and gain perspective in our present circumstances, by asking the following questions:

• How do I describe myself in my present circumstances? What do I feel like? (For example, 'powerless, like a car with a dead battery'; unheard, like someone singing in a hail storm'; 'over-burdened, like a head of state.' )
• How would I describe my normal sense of spiritual connection? (For example, 'like receiving Morse code in a foreign language'; 'nurturing and strong, like bathing in a hot pool')
• What is the nature of help that my spiritual allies can bring to me now? What do I need? (For example, 'space and time'; 'a beautiful and deserted beach in the sun')
• How do I envisage my return to a place of clear understanding? (Draw upon the images and metaphors that you graphically describe in your earlier response4s. Meditate upon the help you need right now. Let your own metaphors give you guidance and support.)

Diagnose your present condition by using the inner guidance system of metaphor, as suggested above."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]