The Man In the Maze

The diagram below was found painted on the wall in the museum of the San Xavier Mission in Tucson. The explanation that follows was provided by a local silversmith, Joe Begay.

To the Tohono O'odham, the man at the top of the maze symbolizes the birth of the individual, the family, the tribe and Iitoi (our Creator). As the figure goes through the maze (a person's life), it may encounter many turns and changes. Progressing deeper and deeper into the pattern one acquires more knowledge, strength, and understanding. As the figure nears the end of the maze it sees death approaching (the dark center of the pattern). Interestingly, it is able to bypass death and retreat to a small corner of the pattern. It is here that it repents, cleanses itself, and reflects back on all the wisdom it has gained in life. Finally pure and in harmony with the world, it accepts death. As a person journeys through their life (the maze), they can feel comfort in the fact that Iitoi is always there to help and comfort them.

SoL in Tucson

Some of us SoL Consultant members met on a ranch in Tucson this past weekend, and the experiences peeled back the covers from some things I had inadvertently put to bed. Activity-wise, we spent a day with horses in a way in which they reflected back to us the energy that we project universally. During that session I had a stunning encounter with a handsome specimen named Kai Master that was especially unambiguous in the way that he “chose” me.

We spent the next day in sessions using exercises designed for theatre ensembles, wherein we experienced contact with each other in ways I had never seen before. At a very deep level, the transparency and awareness produced something much like what I experienced in a workshop with Roger Schwarz & Associates and his Skilled Facilitator practices. The vocabulary and the actions were completely different, but the levels of contact were eerily similar.

Add that to a book I just happened to be reading at the same time, “For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotions in You and Your Best Friend,” and I have come home with a few thoughts and special observations:

• I’ve been underestimating the power of emotions in communications. The theatre person working with us talked about how little information we get verbally in comparison to seeing and sensing people. As Roger Schwarz would say, “When emotions run high there is lots of good data”;
• With the horses it was suggested that those emotions are actually observable energy, as explored by Dora Kunz;
• Yes, we use our images as improvements over the spoken word, but what do we know about the emotional power? I’m thinking now that just adding color to text could trigger hormones and emotions;
• Separate parts of our brain are responsible for emotions and reasoning. Studies of brain injuries have shown that when these two parts cannot communicate, an individual is incapable of making decisions;
• I haven’t even begun to understand just how far images can carry us.