Dr. Thomas Maples

Inspirational Quote

Food For Thought

The world of depth psychology knows the power of the paradox. The symbols that drive our life journey forward are powerful representations of the world soul, as it plays its enantiodromia in the individual souls of those who would dare to navigate life’s course. The title of today’s piece is about fathers, for that is the world that I know. While I love my wife, I will not dare to navigate the depths of the feminine soul from a personal perspective. For this is their realm, and to be a mother is simply an experience I will not know on a physiological level, even though I know that the power to nurture life forward can create bonds of love or tragedies of demise when the individual identity is not allowed to tap into and nourish its own gifts forward.

As a father, I must open my children’s minds to the world of dreams. These are not just the visual experiences that play out in the soul’s theater upon initiating sleep, but the world of possibility open to all beings who take the time to cultivate faith in their inner abilities to advance confidently in the direction of their dream’s intent. But to do this, there must be a sense of grounding. For dreams, without appropriate values can be a dangerous path to lead, for it is in the values we teach our children that the true gifts of parenting manifest.

Imagine if we taught our children to win at all costs, even if it meant stepping on others to attain your means. It may sound shocking, but in turning a blind eye to the value of sportsmanship and adhering to social norms (values-based rules), we create the very means from which this form of egotistical plight cements itself into the cultural fabric of our internal and social being. With just a slight shift in focus and a caring adult present at the helm, the value of winning becomes amplified when the child learns the inherent lessons present in any form of defeat. You can’t be a good winner until you know how to deal with loss and failure. A true champion knows the depths of hard work it takes to learn from the times they have tasted the canvas.

In today’s podcast, I explore the demise of Icarus. He held fast to his father’s dreams but never learned the value of hard work behind creating his own. Because of this, he met with tragedy. But not entirely in a physical sense. As we will explore in this segment, the descent into the sea only represents a psychological death, from which the soul can open to ground itself in the very values needed to assure the next flight will meet with the core of lessons hard fought for and earned. Until next time my friends, I wish you Namaste. May blessings find you on your journey to advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.