The themes for our meditations this week are inspired by four teachers: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” is a 2019 illustrated book by Charlie Mackesy, which follows the developing friendship between these four characters.
The Boy is lost in the winter wilderness, where he meets the friendly Mole, who offers to help him find his way, searching for a home which he’s never had before. While exploring the wilderness, they encounter a river, and decide to follow it until they find a village.
On this journey, a horse and a fox become a part of the story too.
“This book is for everyone, whether you’re eight or 80”, says author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy who was attempting to make sense of his own feelings when he drew a picture of a boy talking to a horse and posted it to his Instagram account. Eventually Charlie had an entire book of words and pictures: an uncomplicated tale that he hoped would offer a pathway to healing for any troubled soul that discovered it.
The four creatures in the story – a lonely boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox and a gentle horse – were all elements of Charlie’s own make-up, and mirrors parts of all of our personalities. As the boy and the mole meet for the first time, the initial fear they must overcome is the landscape itself. As Charlie himself states, “I think the wild is a bit like life. Frightening sometimes, but beautiful.”
As we all embark on the journey of a new week which perhaps is also frightening but beautiful, we take some inspiration from this story:
“Most of the old moles I know wish they had listened less to their fears and more to their dreams,” said the mole. – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
“Imagine how we would be if we were less afraid,” said the boy. – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
What is it that will motivate your actions this week? How will you choose which actions to take?
We can create either from a place of fear or from a place of freedom, and because we are human, all too often our goals and the actions we take are hijacked by what scares us. We “create” in order to survive because if we don’t create there’ll be consequences:
“I HAVE to go to work”, “I HAVE to keep a roof over our heads”, “I HAVE to put food on the table” … All of these are valid reasons for creating, and it’s a reality that we all have to deal with.
But the problem with creating from fear is that you never have a way to outrun it – you will never create so much that the fear disappears, even if you do reach the goal that you set, it will quickly be replaced by the next fear.
Creating from fear keeps you playing small and ensures that the best you can ever do is escape “punishment”.
Creating from a place of freedom, shifts your focus from problems to possibilities.
Freedom suggests that instead of just trying to avoid bad “consequences”, why don’t you create at your highest potential?
But the very human truth is that sometimes the fear is overwhelming, and we struggle to see anything beyond the storm that we’re currently facing. If this is the experience you’re having please don’t be disappointed in yourself for being scared, but trust that storms always end up passing, and that you always find your way back to more clarity.
“I can’t see a way through,” said the boy. “Can you see your next step?” asked the horse. “Yes.” “Then just take that,” said the horse.” – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
“Just take this step… The horizon will look after itself.” – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
Forgive yourself for the moments when you are scared, and in those moments don’t try to see too far ahead, just take the next small step. We all have unrealized potential, and you will find yours when you get beyond fear and start believing that this is true.
I hope you have an awesome week, whether it is easy or hard.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Jumpstart the week.
(Image credit: “The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse” by Charlie Mackesy)