28 - Armadillo - Boundaries

28

Armadillo

Boundaries

Armadillo. . . 

      Armour all my boundaries,
      Teach me my shields,

      Reflect all the hurt,

      So I will not yield.

Armadillo wears its armour on its back, its medicine a part of its body. 

Its boundaries of safety are a part of its total being. Armadillo can roll into a ball and never

be penetrated by enemies.

What a gift it is to set your boundaries so that harmful words or intentions just roll off. 

Your lesson is in setting up what you are willing to experience. 

If you do not wish to experience feeling invaded, just call on Armadillo medicine.

A clue to how to proceed is to make a circle on a piece of paper and see it as a medicine shield. 

In the body of the shield, write all that you are desiring to have, do, or experience. 

Include all things that give you joy. This sets up boundaries that allow only these chosen expediencies to be a part of your life. 

These boundaries become a shield that wards off the things which are undesirable to you. 

The shield reflects what you are and what your will is to others on an unconscious level. 

Outside of the shield you may put what you are willing to experience by invitation only, for example a visit from a long lost relative, or criticism from friends, or people needing handouts.

If Armadillo has waddled into your cards, it is time to define your space. 

You may have been too willing to let your home become a bus station. 

You may find that you cannot say "no" even when you know that you will have to cancel plans to be obliging.

This routine can get old in a hurry! It may be time to ask yourself the following questions: 

(1) Am I honouring the time I need for my personal enjoyment? 

(2) Do others treat me like a doormat? 

(3) Why do I always get upset when I am taken for granted?

(4) Is there a reason for my being a "yes" person?

All of the answers to these questions relate to setting up boundaries; what you will and won't do; what makes you feel uncomfortable and what is comforting to you. 

How you react in any circumstance has to do with your ability to be objective. 

You cannot be objective if you cannot tell where the other person's personality stops and where yours begins. 

If you have no boundaries, you are like a sponge. It will seem as if all the feelings in a room full of people must be yours. 

Ask yourself if you are really feeling depressed,

or if this feeling actually belongs to the person you are talking to. 

Then allow Armadillo's armour to slide in- between, giving you back your sense of self.

Contrary:

Go ahead, roll up and hide. This, sarcastically, is the message of reversed Armadillo. 

You may think the only way to win in your present situation is to hide or to pretend that you are armour-coated and invincible, but this is not the way to grow. 

It is better to open up and find the value and strength of your vulnerability. 

You will experience something wonderful if you do.

Vulnerability is the key to enjoying the gifts of physical life. 

In allowing yourself to feel, a myriad of expressions are made available. 

For instance, a true compliment is an admiration flow of energy. 

If you are afraid of being hurt and are hiding from feeling anything, you will never feel the joy of admiration from others.

The key is in allowing Armadillo to help you to stop hiding and to use Armadillo's armour to deflect negative energies. 

In this way, you are able to accept or reject any

feeling, action, or energy flow without having to hide from it.

The underside of Armadillo is soft, but its armour will protect this softness if the boundaries are in place. 

Hiding from your true feelings and fearing failure or rejection will amplify your need for cast-iron protection. 

You have the power to rid yourself of

these doubts and to touch the deepest part of beingness. 

You will know you are doing the right thing. 

Whether it is communicating, or painting, or surfing - the creation belongs to you. 

The only real rejection is in not trying break out of the armour you have used to protect yourself. 

Is the armour now becoming a jail, and your fears the jailer.

Overview:

Respect your Sacred Space. Drop hesitations and banish abuse. Use proper boundaries

and thrive.

Source: 

Sams, Jamie and Carson, David. 

Medicine Cards

(Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1988).