Coat of Arms: My Family Crest
I imagined my shield as my face (side note: I tried doing this project on the adobe Fresco app that John used and use a picture of my face but to be honest I was struggling with how to use the functions of the editing software!)
So the top of the shield represents the mind and the top of the head. I wrote Individuality in this area to protect, honor, and remind us that as humans we each have our own mind which can creatively come up with a multitude of ideas, thoughts, solutions, and more. And it is our birthright and our responsibility to look within to discover those beautiful spaces that make you, you.
Next are the eyeballs underneath the brain. The eyes are where we see and create an understanding of our worlds and what we envision for our lives. While I contemplated putting a vision in one square and something else in the second, I felt like I valued the one decision exercise so much and truly value this practice of deciding your one decision versus coming up with a whole vision for your life and getting lost in the many moving and changing parts that a vision that transforms overtime. It also blends the two eyes into one sphere which is significant for thinking about our universality and our oneness. Rather than thinking of ourselves as separate and disconnected.
Underneath the eyes is the mouth. I wrote Speaking with Love, Joy, Humor, Softness, and Strength because those are the core basic values of what I believe is important to be mindful of when using your voice. While there are times for each of these things individually it only works when we can balance these energies. Too much humor, are you hiding behind the giggles? Too much softness, are you being overridden by others and trying to keep the peace? Too much love, are you allowing love to come to you? Too much joy, are you creating space for grief to be expressed? Too much strength, are you able to be held tenderly and show you’re soft inside that enjoy restful and peaceful moments?
At the bottom of the shield where it points downward is the body that carries all the inside makings to keep life going and spirals down into the sacred base where your genitalia (sensitive, pleasure, connection) is where the records of our emotions and knowing of ourself are stored, remembered and expressed. So I wrote Intimacy for all those intricate parts and pieces because that is where deep — — — (I don’t have the word to describe it, bigger than connection) inner knowing and worlds of exploration, desire, yearning are to be felt, heard, and learned.
What words, images, and symbols would you put on a Coat of Arms or Family Crest?
To help you with thinking of ideas — reflect on your values and beliefs and what seems to be the ones you’d want to reflect powerfully on your chest.
If you are wondering about the backstory of this creation, I am taking a dreams and metaphor course in my schooling to become an Integrative Healing Arts Practioner and Hypnotherapist. I am learning about how our minds create understanding and meaning through symbols, images, and metaphors. Our brain does a lot of this unconsciously and subconsciously while we are sleeping and awake. When we consciously create images that reflect our hearts and inner worlds we become the driver of our life. Remember as a seasoned driver you are able to drive with little conscious effort and at times may zone out while driving. This is a natural state we drift in and out of throughout our lives. Another word to describe it is being in a trance and these states of trance allow us to explore other dimensions and places.
Are you interested in dream interpretation and tuning into your subconscious world to understand yourself better, heal places that feel you are confined to a prison cell, and create a life that is aligned with your values and beliefs?