WTF is up with the octopus?

Two weekends ago I went to the aquarium with my daughter. We saw lots of fish and sea animals, it was enriching, it was fun.

I was struck by one creature in particular. The octopus. An octopus is a "cephalopod mollusc with eight sucker-breaking arms, a soft sac-like body, strong beak-like jaws, and no internal shell." It's nuts! The octopus at the aquarium was very active and I became very intrigued. Naturally, I took a video on my cell phone and we went on our way.

I kept looking back at the video. It was almost like it was my own version of a stress ball or something. It felt anxiety relieving to watch the videos on my phone.

Well, flash forward to the following weekend and my mom mentions a documentary that she wants me to watch, My Octopus Teacher. RANDOM! Or not...

I tell my mom about my current infatuation with the octopus from the weekend before, we watch the documentary (so good!), and we call it a day.

Until the next day...

I go to Target to get a journal for the 30 Day Clarity Challenge I'm doing and lo and behold, the only journals they had in stock had (you guessed it) an octopus on it. I purchase my octopus journal (wtf!) and laughed to myself thinking about this odd string of events.

Well, the full moon is tonight and I did a card pulling practice a couple days ago to tap into my intuition and guide me as I gain clarity on what I need to release that no longer serves me. Guess what card I picked? Yep - the octopus.

The octopus represents reaching, yearning, lacking boundaries and direction. As I've reflected on my most recent relationship and have continued doing my inner-work to grow and evolve, I notice the part of me that is always reaching for more, yearning for more, and allows others to consume me and pull me away from my mission. My lack of boundaries (conscious or unconscious) end up making me resentful of others and I can easily lose my sense of direction (as I get pulled in a number of different directions). What does the octopus need - SPACE TO ONESELF. Thank you, new moon. Thank you, universe.

I share all this for 2 reasons.

1. If you are conscious and awake, the universe is always talking to you. It reminds me of my favorite Elizabeth Gilbert quote: "If you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on this journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you."

2. We're all in this together. I think sometimes we put our therapists and coaches on a pedestal. I know I do this sometimes (sorry, Judy! sorry, Lena!), but the truth is we're all simply students in Earth School. Sure, I have education in Clinical Psychology, a certain number of clinical experiential hours, and I dedicate my days to personal development, but I am a work in progress (or work of art!) just like YOU!

Keep your eyes and hearts open!

Sending my love,

Katie