Lungs and The Father

“The quiet constancy of your gentleness
Drew no attention to itself,
Yet filled our home
With a climate of kindness
Where each mind felt free
To seek its own direction”

John O’Donohue

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the Lungs correlate to the archetype of The Father.

Like the Father, healthy Lung expression supports our emergence from the cocoon of our Mother’s love, into individuated beings, ready to forge connections in the greater world.

This process is supported by the love of our own Father, imbuing us with a sense of self-esteem and self-ownership.

The earliest memory I have of my Dad was of sitting atop the window sill over our kitchen sink, chatting to Dad whilst he washed the dishes.

I must have been around three.

He was asking me which AFL football team I wanted to support. When I was unsure he proceeded to list all the teams and their corresponding mascots.

I choose Geelong Cats, because I had a pet cat at the time. 🤷🏼😆.
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Contrary to this little vignette, football would have been no more of a fixture in our household than the average Victorian family.
The weekend games would often bustle along in the background on our car radio.
And once a season we might have made a trip up to Melbourne to rug up for a night game.

But I guess what made this memory so poignant and enduring, was that he was providing me with a choice.

A chance to stand for something, as an autonomous being.

Looking back Dad was always quietly championing our tentative strides into the world – the forever shifting seasons of our hobbies and interests.

When we have a healthy sense of self-worth
we can stand comfortably as individuated beings,
at home in our unique values and astride our sense of purpose in the world.

We are in touch with our emotions, and consequently ourselves.
We have a strong sense of personal responsibility And equally a strong sense of sovereignty.

Whether or not we had the privilege of receiving this energy from our own Fathers, it is something we can continue to cultivate for ourselves.

The archetype of the Father, is the energy of the divine Father – in his boundless forms.
He is the spark of inspiration in our daily lives; The small flame that we tend to with devotion, As we create time for the things that light us up, And illuminate our sense of unique purpose in the world.