My inner tiger – January 2021

I drew this picture about 15 years ago and named it “Uro”. It means Unease. Restlessness, impatience. Heaps of energy ready to blast. For me, the picture symbolizes the enormous power and creativity that I used to keep locked up inside of me – on its way out. Drawing it, I captured a then very vague and hidden feeling of enormous energy, strength and power deep inside, which I at the time did not really dare to feel, let alone show. The tiger was well kept inside the cage – but the cage was not locked. The door was open.

I don’t think I’m the only one with an inner secret like this. We keep holding ourselves back, in a self-made cage of inner convictions and ideas. We all have so much more power than we think. But we keep on holding it back. Why?

Because we keep thinking our tiger is not good enough, it is not beautiful enough, it is not ready, it is too strong, it is too dangerous, it probably won’t behave, it will take up too much space, it is too……

ENOUGH! Our inner tiger is so enough. So ready. Our tiger is beautiful, just as she is. And as we start getting friendly with her, we come to realize she is not dangerous. She is gentle, loving, fun, nurturing, in her own powerful way.

During this year, many of us have felt the cage more than ever. The longing to be free has been amplified by all the external restrictions imposed on us, circumstances that we mostly don’t have any influence on. Let’s go inside and really feel it, that feeling of unease, restlessness, impatience, longing for freedom. Let’s use it to meet our own inner tiger and to become aware of the limitations we impose on her. Because this is where we have real influence. This is where we can really do something. We can free our inner tiger from the illusionary chains and limitations we have imposed on her.

Being inside a cage is very safe. And so, we keep her hidden in there, we avoid feeling her, we avoid meeting her, we avoid letting her show. But we need her, to feel whole again. To be resilient in times of challenge and crisis. To be all that we came to be in the world.

This past year my tiger has been very present in my life, standing in the doorway, dipping its toes into the world, trying out if it is safe to venture out of its imprisonment.

I am full of gratitude to my friends, family and colleagues, teachers and inspiration online and in nature, that have helped me to see, name and befriend my inner tiger.

She is free to come out. There are no chains. They were just in my mind. My tiger is on its way out.

My intention for 2021 is to let my tiger be free, all the time, all the way.

Does yours want to come out and play?