When ice cracks… it sings like an ancient spirit
As much as I adore the warm, cozy feels that this time of year brings: spiced lattes, cozy sweaters, and crackling fires... as I write this, it's anything but warm here in Bend, Oregon. In fact... it's a frosty 7°F outside (-13°C)!
Everything is frozen solid. Whatever I step on cracks and breaks, there's no give, no bending. Soft ground that usually gives way underfoot is rockhard.
What a beautiful metaphor nature has once again offered for bringing to light some new awareness!
💙❄ TODAY ICE IS A WISE TEACHER ❄💙
Just look, she says, how you've frozen parts of yourself, thinking it would keep you safe, make you more loveable, and lock away the shadows that lurk in your psyche.
But guess what... when ice cracks it sings!
Jonna Jinton, a Swedish filmmaker/artist spends many a winter day recording the song of cracking ice. It's beautiful! When I heard her describing this, I just fell in love with the wisdom of my "ice teacher." (There's a link to her short video further down.)
“As the surface of the ice gets thicker, it creates a strong tension in the ice... until it cracks. And as the cracks move fast over the ice, it creates these strong vibrations and sounds that can be heard many miles away.... being out on the ice when it sings the most is a very special experience.
If the ice cracks close to you, you can feel like a wall of vibration from the sounds, almost knocking you down... it’s like the sound of an ancient spirit awakening under the ice, roaring out in the night. ”
I offer you this invitation: Welcome that strong tension building up in the ice until it cracks, and then fall in love with the song of your cracking ice. This is the sound of divine love breaking through.
Allow the vibrations that feel like they'll knock you down. It's just your creative life energy waking up and moving. You are safe. Reach out for support if needed, someone who can hold space for the tension and cracking.
A Neuropsychology Take: It's interesting that freeze is one of our hard-wired responses to threat and trauma. When things get too overwhelming or frightening, the parasympathetic nervous system engages, and we shut down. We can't even imagine safety for ourselves and over time we perceive more and more people and situations as threatening. Finally, even our own thoughts and feelings feel too dangerous to allow.
Supportive Prayer/Affirmation: "Cosmic Beloved, Thank you for surrounding me with kind spirits to help me feel safe enough to surrender to the thawing and cracking of the ice within. Please melt the frozen walls that keep me separate from others, feeling alone and cold. I welcome the warmth of my Truth that I am safe, I am loved. No matter what. Amen"
If you'd like to watch Jonna's singing ice video, here it is:
In growing joy and expanding peace, Susie