Or does it? A river’s journey is not always smooth and is often filled with blockages, bumps and undercurrents that redirect it - an example of how humans live their lives. Use the river as a metaphor for time, which is not linear. It is fluid with mysterious changes and currents beneath.
The first line I used to market my book, You’re not the Boss of Me, was - ‘What happens if you find you are following someone else’s dream? It asks if you are following ‘the group’ direction instead of your own. I believe we have to focus on where we want to go even if there are bumps and blockages along the way. We have to have our ‘own dream’ even if the true destination and direction is not yet clear. The end result may not be what you expected but it is yours. How great is that when you can create your own dream?
Metaphors are the framework for ‘who am I?’ Use the river metaphor to help understand yourself. Believe the river’s energy is yours, as it flows and teaches us. Rivers are veins and arteries and give its blood to nourish the earth (Pachamama). This relates to the veins and arteries in our bodies that nurture and feed us. We need to honour the system within and care for ourselves. If there are blockages or illness within ourselves we need to understand what is causing the problem. Listen to the symbology of body messages. The body speaks to us by focusing on the location and function of the problem. For example a stomach problem could be about an issue we are not able to digest. This is usually about conflict.
There can be physical issues but there also may be spiritual messages that need to be attended to in order to clear blockages. Ask yourself - what feeds me? what nourishes me? what is my truth? The Hopi Prophecy talks about not hanging on the the banks of a fast moving river (holding onto fear and old issues), but to know the river (our life) has a destination and to push off the shore to the middle of the river with our eyes open and our head above the water. See who is there with you. Be available for spiritual growth. Allow your flow internally and externally to be about your own healthy journey.
Hanging on to past issues as well as taking things personally blocks our flow in life. A ‘poor me’ attitude not only blocks spiritual growth but brings it to a halt. Live life in a sacred manner and release the struggles that cause you stress as you learn to flow like the river. The Shamans of Peru call flow ‘kallary’. Keep that word in your heart, live your own dream and become the person you have been waiting for.