by Martha Giffen
Are you having difficulty staying on task? Is it tempting for you to stray from your goals? Are you discouraged in your work life? Do your close relationships cause you pain and grief?
Still hunting is a practice used by Indian people. When Indian children are very young, their parents diligently teach them to still hunt.
Simply stated, Still hunting is the very act of sitting quietly and watching any living thing for a period of time; then going within and using meditation and prayer to determine what can be learned from what has been observed.
The well known pointillist, Ralph P. Brown, a Mohawk, related the following experience, which helped me gain some insight on my own actions. I offer it now, in the hope that it will help you, as well.
Ralph was charged with the responsibility of building the fire to heat the rocks that were to be used in a sweat lodge ceremony. The fire would require large sized logs to be stacked around the rocks. Whenever he performed this sacred task, he made every effort to start the fire from the inside, as close to the center and as near the rocks as possible.
On this occasion, when the fire was well underway, Ralph observed that there were beetles coming out from inside one of the logs. The heat had no doubt rousted the beetles from their hiding places. Ralph actually saw the beetles come out of the holes long enough to scamper around the log for a time.
Ralph was surprised by what he saw next: Even though the beetles had time to run down the logs and escape the consuming heat of the fire, they retreated into the holes from whence they came!
Ralph was puzzled by this beetle behavior, so he prayed during the ceremony for understanding. He shared with me what he was shown. We humans are not so different from the beetle in this way: each of us creates a safe place to be. This safe haven can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual in nature.
It is in these safe places we are comfortable. We feel these places we create are dependable, predictable. Just the way the beetle made a safe place in the log, we humans gravitate toward the familiar, the comfortable, whatever we think will protect us. Just like the beetles, we are creatures of habit. Change can seem painful and dangerous to us, even though not changing can snuff out our lives, as in the case of the beetles.
Ralph came away with new understanding. The little beetles had caused Ralph to examine his beliefs and look carefully at what could be trusted. He offered these probing questions:
1.In what shall we place our faith?
2.How could my own beliefs fail me?
Ralph also came away from the experience of still hunting with a profound sense of gratitude for the little brother who had sacrificed his life in order for Ralph to gain a better understanding of himself. Ralph told me that the beetles death was not in vain because of the lesson Ralph took from the experience. He said that by sharing the story with me, if I take something positive from it the sacrifice becomes even more meaningful. He encouraged me to share the story about the beetles with others, for if someone else takes something positive from the story, its value redoubles.
If you find it difficult to stay on task, is something about that task making you feel unsafe or uncomfortable? When you allow yourself to stray from the goals you have set, could it be because you are creating change that takes you out of your comfort zone? In your close relationships, are you feeling uncomfortable?
You might like to try still hunting for yourself. Simply sit quietly, watch any living thing for awhile. Then, go within. After making some observations of your own and praying for understanding you might gain some insight that will prevent you from sharing the fate of the beetles Ralph saw when he went still hunting.
About the Author:
Martha Giffen is an entrepreneur who uses her expertise to encourage and motivate others to achieve success. She holds B.A. and J.D. degrees and is the founder of Best Kind Marketing. Martha is a popular blogger, article writer, and is the creator of
www.ThinkAndMotivate.com.