puzzle • holding space

I’m holding space for welcoming a range of emotions.

I made a puzzle for my toddler self - like one of those wooden cutout puzzles - to learn to identify emotions and welcome them. It’s all white and not colorful because it’s so hard for me to discern these emotions sometimes, unless I have lots of time to look carefully (feel into them).

So, each animal represents a different emotion that I’m making progress on. The animals have their own guest rooms and are welcomed with something they like (for example, monkey has a branch and banana).

It’s inspired by a poem called The Guest House by Rumi, that my guide shared with me.

I’m not familiar with this poem.

Here it is …

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

—Rumi

I love this! My inner toddler wants to play too. Which emotion does each animal represent?

Here, I’ll give you the list of emotions and I’d be curious to know if you make the same associations with the animals!

Fear • Grief • Shyness • Loneliness • Love • Anger • Pride • Joy

Well, I’ll reveal that the raven represents Grief. I’m better able to identify Grief and I’ve begun to create a guest room … but I’m not able to welcome it fully. So it doesn’t quite have a place to settle into yet.

Fair enough. Some emotions are easier to welcome than others. Our society makes it harder too by identifying some as “negative”. Do any of your other sculptures explore Grief?

I do … I will link to them when I’ve shared them. In the meantime, you can take a look at some of the other sculptures because I think I’m realizing there’s a grief element in many, whether it was my main focus or not.