Unfolding Depths
The wintriness that lives inside
Is inhospitable at times. Brisk inactivity and
Shadow reside. All life has dark and light, parts we show
And parts we hide. Unconscious foundation of self should
Never wither on the vine. More darkness and less light
Are the harbingers of the winter
Tide. During this time of respite, hunt for the blessings
The shadows provide. Hours of dormancy to contemplate
And restore. Hold on to hope that the struggles that lay
Beneath, will give resilience unlike before. In the depths of
Night, there is no active growth
In sight. Let us not use the witching hour to hide, but rather
To fight to thrive, to live on inside. Tis the season not of vibrancy,
But of slumber. A somber essence of bleakness and chill does
Beckon us to ponder our will. Preserved resources in
Our depths. Stored underground,
Buried for safe keeping, waiting to be found. The time will
Come when bounty is plentiful again. It is never a matter
Of if, but when. Pause, suspend activity, and look in the
Deep for a truth worth your pursuits. Far beneath cathedrals,
Mansions, buildings and homes, lay
Basements filled with rooms, vaults, crypts, or catacombs.
Soil cocoons the cold walls of concrete and stone. A place of
Mystery and mysticism to be explored alone. Knowingly enter
The world beneath descending the stairs to what lies below
Or else collapse, crashing down quick
Rather than slow. Falling, reach toward solid ground below as
You hear the warning snap of the frozen bough. Always
Cycles filled with ups and downs. The wheel’s position
Forever changes going round and round. Journey deep for
Memory, fantasy and intuitive potential
Abounds. In ancient underground spaces of old, rituals
Reside. Subconscious vision and dream and conscious thought
Collide. Hidden secrets asked to rise. Spirituality of self exists
Inside. Between sleep and wake, a curtain of dreams our
Subconscious does make. It is not what is
On the surface in a dream, but rather, the hidden meanings
Underneath. Those are the breadcrumbs of which to partake,
And a gift not to forsake. What wonders sleeping dreams
Do make, as winter does whisper desire for such fate. During
This time of a silent mind, we float in the
Shadowland of trance. The realm between the conscious
And the subconscious, it is a skillful dance. Things in a basement
Go thump in the night. Much as dreams go thump in the depths of
A mind. A clawing need to investigate what lay deep inside.
Accept or deny, that is for us to decide.
Every space below has a purpose, none are simply for show. Between
The worlds above and below, floating through a maze, awaken,
Foggy and dazed. The immortality of change provides chances to
Reshape. Rebirth is always possible if we can break the chains. There
Is all manner of warnings to be found in a
Secret room. As an icy storm cloud, the deepest and darkest
Of which will loom. The harrowing silence echoing through the dark
Builds like a crescendo. Entombed in a crypt or confined in a dungeon
You are locked away. With no windows there is no escape, and
It is there you will stay. There is power in being
Unable to hide from such isolation and pain. With no escape and nowhere
To hide, the truth you must undoubtedly face. The most haunted of
Dwellings below always have the most to hide. Resentment, abuse, rage,
Struggle, disappointment, and loss reside. When you hit the dark bottom
And lay in the rubble broken inside, the most to
Hide gives way for the most lessons to reach the mind. Even for
Those who believe they know all they need to know, unexpectedly life
Will happen and the fallacy of illusion will unfold. Deep inside, the
Darkest of times holds boundless sorrows. Descended into a
State of depression, confusion follows. The brutal
Cold of hatred and numbing loss consumes as you wallow. Lost inside,
Travel the labyrinth of passageways and blind alleys. Unable to see
Over the high walls of pain, look tirelessly for your way out of the
Disarray. Accept things are forever changed. Through loss and letting
Go of what had been, see a light, and a sense of
Hope within. Engulfed by flames or molten fire from a furnace or
Bottomless pit, destruction is inevitable unless you admit that even for
You water does exist. Sloping terrain and cracks in the foundation of
Your walls and floor, such imperfections we strive to ignore,
But why, for they offer a fortuitous door.
Water leaks and drips like tears of hope and flows to find its home.
Sometimes it bubbles up with force of will through the holes,
As a wellspring sprouting potential and the possibility to remold.
It will quelch the flames and crust the magma as it cools the soul. Ash
Will follow in its wake and give rise to
Rebuilding of a new life. Whatever our experiences, good or
Filled with strife, they are only a guide, what we make from our foundation
Is our choice alone in this life. Saturated with water, the soil now rich again,
Dig to uncover caverns filled with pools of precious gems. Gifts of
Treasured knowledge will allow you to rebuild
And cleanse. Material gifts can be taken way, but what we learn has no end.
In the midst of asking over and over why me and how can this be,
See how a student that is lost can become a scholar now found. Learn
From the symbols, depictions, and language that lay below. Find the world
You now wander to be ally rather than foe. Do not
Resist change out of fear, accept it with grace. Stay true to yourself
In the unpredictable times that you face. Allow for transformation, and the
Coming of a wisdom that is sage. Expand your consciousness and as awareness
Seeps through, let it shine brightly on a steady inner voice of truth.
Courage and passion are necessary to make our way out of the quicksand we have become accustomed to, and to discover from our rendered experiences that our hopes and desires can only become a reality if we seek a better way and take action in search of the lives we desire. This very theme is ingeniously portrayed in the poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in which a woman is cursed in her prison until she finally dares to dream, and in doing so discovers the inspiration to risk everything for possibility.
My article, Accepting the Teachings of The Subconscious Mind, is the perfect supplemental read to Unfolding Depths. Reviewing this post will offer meaningful opportunities for clarity in regard to your individual analysis of this poem and the impactful benefits it can lead you to embrace in the search for a transformative future.
