The Underworld Shadow of the Distorted King

Last night I dreamt I was in the arms of an Ash tree. Above me in the high, bare branches was a king snake. Below me, was another king snake. I remember thinking, as long as there are king snakes around, I won’t be in danger of rattlesnakes.

To understand this thinking, you must know I have a lifelong phobia of rattlesnakes after a traumatic childhood experience which invariably connected rattlesnakes with childhood abuse. I have spent my adult life repairing my relationship with the serpent.Back to the ash tree. In Norse mythology, the Yggdrasil, or World Tree, is an Ash tree. It's branches reach into the heaves and roots spread over the whole of the earth and into the Underworld. In ancient Ireland, the Ash tree is one of the guardians of the land. In Greek Mythology, the nymphs of the Ash tree were called the Meliae, which means ash tree and is a derivative of the word for honey (melt). The king snakes came directly from reading these words from Martin Shaw about the distorted King archetype and our longing for the honorable inner King:

“A King or Queen is a centralized point inside the psyche which has the power to radiate outwards, make decisions, hold boundaries, enjoy three-day feasts, and draw up the gates when necessary. There exists an interdependence between them and their servants and kingdom. This is a built-in posture of the self, not an argument for external monarchies or dictatorships.….The savage and distorted King is a force that anyone living today has experienced in abundance. We are far more familiar with this than a King image that is strong, decisive, cultured, and fair. When that image is denigrated or entirely lost, then the psyche is adrift from ancestral anchor-points that could root it in a fertile sea bed with the bones of captains and great ships.”

We are in a very real confrontation with the underworld shadow of the distorted King. The Queen or Sovereign Earth is speaking volumes through every possible language she has. Every shadow and every illumination is interwoven, and we are being asked to do the seemingly impossible: to both confront our collective fear, pain, and illness, and to heal ourselves and the planet.

 Note: Gopher snake baby died in my hands after I found it on the road

It must be stated that it is a privilege to be contemplating the “big picture” mythic undertones of this moment in the world. As I read beautiful poetry and inspiring words from people I follow online, I am also marking my privilege to do so. We can practice awareness around our projections of perspectives you or anyone else “should” have.

I, for instance, am privileged to work from home, even if I have trouble making rent. I don’t have kids who are out of school now. I am not dependent on the school lunch system to feed my children. I don’t have to juggle already sick family members and kid’s homeschooling. I am not forced to work in hazardous conditions. I am not currently in danger of eviction. There are so so so many people who are living through very real, terrible conditions that are now being hit with the virus and the nearly impossible need for social distancing. There are small businesses that may not make it. There are refugee camps with no preventative supplies. So while the big picture stuff is something anyone can ruminate on from any background, let’s also be collectively aware that any kind of talk as to the big “why”, or spiritual growth, or consciousness raising is often (at least on social media) coming from a place of privilege. As such, how then can I give back? What is my social responsibility?

I am going to make every effort to not impose any sense of what you or your family “should” think or do. I know social media can seem like a place of authority because we speak from an often unconsciously learned sense of marketing to the public. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I am doing my best. I am scared. I am hopeful. I am learning. I am privileged. I am also a small business owner. I have big picture ideas and many small anxiety-driven fears. The earth is speaking. We are capable of great harm. We are capable of magic.

Love you.