What does it mean if the groundhog sees his shadow?
Who is Punxsutawney Phil?
So what does it mean if it is six more weeks of winter?
Why all the hoopla and ceremony in search of an early spring?
If the ground hog sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of winter. This also means no early spring. It means more dark skies and colder weather. It means winter boots and coats, and warm weather wishes.
Puxatony Phil is the groundhog who predicts the weather. Legend has it that if he sees his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If he does not. there will be an early spring. In reality Phil is actually you and me, being the prognosticator of our own lives. If we see our shadow, we are too focused on ourselves, and our petty hopes, cares and worries. If this is the case, life is much more difficult, and will feel a lot like winter.
Six more weeks of winter, means more of the same. Metaphorically, it means we are stuck in our lives, not open to change, or focused on giving. We have to let go of our shadow selves.
The hoopla and ceremony is a reminder. Move back into the oneness. Forget about yourself, embrace the moment.give, and just be. If you can do this there is no time for noticing your shadow. And what do you know? You are instantly where you want to be.
“How will I have enough to retire? How will I grow my business? How will I accomplish all my dreams? What do I write about today? How will I make it interesting enough>? Will they like what I have to say? So much on my mind. Why do I feel this way?”
“It would be hard to explain my friend. I am not sure if you want the answer. Go back in and meditate. For you there are six more weeks of winter on the way.”
“I feel alive and free. All my concerns are taken care of. This includes tomorrow. For I am lost in the moment. The rest will unfold beautifully. I will express how I feel. I am lost in the adventure. What do you have to say?”
“Your experience is beyond words. There is no need to explain. Your meditation is great. For you there is early springtime.”
Many people are asking if the Groundhog saw his shadow. Will there be an early spring. If not that means six more weeks of cold winter like conditions. But the real question is will you see your shadow? Will you still be caught up in your egoistic concerns. Will you experience a cold dreary life? Do you need to go back in for introspection and meditation? Or can you move into the moment and escape all these concerns and enjoy. Have you been meditating on the light peace and freedom all along. If so your life will be like springtime anew with wonderful adventures on the way. By the way if you get a chance watch the Groundhog Day movie again
For the last week or so I have been asking myself, how do I move into Groundhog day? How do I make sure that I am not repeating the same theme over and over in my life. Most who know what I am speaking of would say that I am thinking about the movie starring Bill Murray in which is stuck in a time loop over and over again. In some ways I may be. But for me this is what Groundhog day is about.
When I talk to people about the day, most ask me if the groundhog has seen his shadow. Then they ask “What does it mean if he does? Are we hoping that he does or does not? Which one means spring?” I explain that if he sees his shadow it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not it means that we will have an early spring. Most people are hoping for an early spring. Then I tell them the holiday is more about us than the weather. It’s about “How is the weather going to be in our lives? Is it going to be dark and cold for a long time? Or is it going to be bright with new wonderful beginnings?” It is determined by whether or not we see our shadow. Are we going to remain self-centered caught up on ourselves, our worries or concerns? If we do, our life will be cold and dead and we will truly feel stuck. If we can somehow move beyond our concerns and live in the moment, become the moment, learn to give, without concern for the outcome. We will have mastered the day and not have seen our shadow. Life will be wonderful, beyond our dreams.
As I said originally, the question is how do we do this? How do we live in the moment? How do we give without concern for outcome? How do we not remain caught up on the ways we feel we have been treated? How do we let go of longing to be treated the way we feel we want to be treated? How do we stop looking for recognition? How do we stop seeing the dreaded shadow of the false self?
My thought is first we must realize that our happiness is not wrapped up in any particular situation. If we can’t realize it, we must do all we can to convince and remind ourselves of this deep truth. We must remember it is more about the journey and who we become in this journey than the destination. We must also try our best to embrace the moment, trying to see life as a game, and adventure, which has hidden good and opportunities within each moment. See ourselves in an incredible movie where the question is asked, what will our hero do now? How will he or she find magic in this moment? We must learn to meditate and connect with our deeper self. If we do, we must learn to treat each moment like a meditation, with a chance to become more centered and turn every situation into gold. We must get so caught up in this process that we forget what ever worries or concerns we previously had. When we do we will be mesmerized by the wonders we experience and find it hard to believe how much fun we are having.
Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies. People everywhere seem to
love this film, whether they consciously notice its deeper messages or
not. This of course is the movie in which Phil, played by Bill Murray who is stuck in a time loop, and has to live through the same day over and
over again. It also happens to be the day that he hates the most,
Groundhog Day. No matter what he does it seems as though he cannot get
out of this day and this experience he hates so much. We’ve all felt
at times as though we were stuck in Groundhog’s Day, repeating similar
situations over and over.
· Although we may not experience the same day over and over,
I’m sure that we’ve all felt at times as though we were stuck in
Groundhog’s Day, repeating similar situations and dealing with similar
types of people over and over.· Phil a weather for-caster did not like the idea of being sent
to the small backwards town to cover the story of the Groundhog, also
named Phil, predict the weather. He hated the town, the tradition,
and he hated the idea of an animal predicting the weather, and getting
all the attention. It’s no coincidence that Phil has to go through
this day that he hates so much, over and over again. The more we
dread something, the more we have to go through it.
· Phil tried to escape this dreaded day and move on to the
next. But, no matter how he tried, he was right back there again. How many times have we tried to leave relationships, jobs, etc. to end
up in one just like the last?
At one point some guy cracks a joke and asks Phil is his name
Phil just like the ground-hog. He then asks him “Hey Phil do you see
your shadow?” This is a very important part of the movie. It’s no
coincidence that our hero’s name is Phil just like the groundhog. This is a hint that the entire movie is about the ground-hog day experience.
Seeing one’s shadow is identifying with the ego or shadow self. The
more any of us identify with our ego the more we taint all our efforts
and relationships with our petty concerns and remain stuck, just like
Phil having to repeat our same lessons over and over again. According
to the tradition if the groundhog sees his shadow there will be six
more weeks of winter. In other words if we are still identifying with
our ego, our hopes worries and concerns, then it’s time to go back
into hibernation or meditation and reflection, to rid ourselves of
this shadow, our ego and all its petty concerns for self. If the
groundhog does not see his shadow, if we are in the moment without the
egoistic concerns then we have an early spring in our world. Then we
spread more light everywhere we go. And as for the season, what is
happening in our lives, it magically changes on its own. The message
is that we are all Phil and must overcome seeing our shadow.
· Phil even learned how to manipulate people and situations,
and predict the future because of all his previous experiences in that
day. But, he still could not move on. This can be true of us. We can
grow enough to be materially powerful, fulfill certain desires, gain
psychic abilities, and still be stuck.
· Finally our friend and hero decides to lean into the day. He
begins to embrace where he is and move beyond himself and his ego. He
really gets caught up in the adventure of the day, and truly becomes a
much more evolved person. He begins to truly see the other people
around him, and helps people everywhere he goes. He enjoys it all and
looks forward to it, and during this process, he makes many friends,
and finds love. This is how it is with all of us. When we embrace
the adventure and let go of our egos and projected outcomes, we grow
and life becomes so beautiful!
Cover via Amazon
· Surprisingly Phil finally awakens to a new day with his new
love in his arms. At this point, he even suggests to his new love
that they stay in the same town that he was visiting and previously
hated so. Meditate often, embrace where you are. Let go of yourself
and your concerns for the outcome, and find yourself moving right on
to where you really want to be, it may even be where you already are.·
Some would say that this movie not only depicts how we can be
stuck in this mortal lifetime, but also how we can be stuck
metaphysically, returning to this earth lifetime after lifetime,
reliving similar circumstances until we finally get our lessons and
evolve.
My Question To You: What are you going to do to get out of being stuck? How are you going to move beyond your shadow self and move into being One?
