New Substack Article👇 https://substack.com/@ancienteyesart
Written 10_ 22-23✨️🌿🍁
I was out for a walk in the woods today.
It is such a beautiful time of year—the twilight between summer and fall.
When I came to the top of the ridgeline, I heard below me the sound of what I thought were boulders being smashed into the river.
I made my way to the edge and saw huge salmon jumping. I was amazed and in awe of the power and force they had, as they willingly smashed their bodies onto the hard water.
I sat at the shoreline and watched them for a while. Their fins sticking out of the water reminded me of leaves and branches as they camouflaged themselves so beautifully in nature.
It made me reflect on the life of a salmon. It offers great sacrifice for its cycle.
The strength, power, tenacity, and endurance of the salmon’s journey is nothing short of miraculous.
The lesson I took from the salmon today was that life can be hard. Sometimes we have to fight for our lives (or so it can feel some days) against the current to reach our destination, so new life and beginnings can be born.
But those salmon never gave up, never thought they couldn’t do it. They just knew that’s what had to be done. They were living with absolute purpose in the natural order.
I am always in awe and inspired when I watch nature, and I learn so many lessons.
Today, I was having a challenging day physically and spiritually.
Then I sat with the salmon, and they reminded me that we sometimes have to sacrifice parts of ourselves that no longer serve our highest good in order to make big changes.
I reflected on what my offerings were and have been, and I am even more grateful for the challenges and hard times.
Because pain—and sometimes having to make hard choices for long-term health and well-being (mind, body, spirit)—is worth the birth of something new.
Watching salmon leap upstream during their spawning journey is truly an awe-inspiring sight that offers profound reflections on life’s struggles and resilience. From personal experience, standing by a riverbank observing these powerful fish as they tirelessly fight the current has deeply resonated with me during challenging times. The salmon’s journey is not just a physical feat but a symbol of determination and purpose. Their ability to endure obstacles, sometimes deadly ones, to fulfill their natural cycle encourages us to assess our own battles. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when life demands sacrifices—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—but the salmon remind us that perseverance through hardship often leads to meaningful growth and renewal. In fact, this natural display also invites introspection about what personal parts or habits we may need to shed to evolve. Much like salmon returning upstream to spawn and then passing, we too have cycles of transformation that require letting go of what no longer serves us to embrace new beginnings. Moreover, observing their perfect camouflage—fins resembling leaves and branches blending seamlessly with the environment—can teach us about adaptation and harmony with our surroundings. This imagery reinforces the idea that strength comes not just from fighting but also from aligning purposefully with the natural flow of life. For anyone facing physical or spiritual struggles, I highly recommend taking time to connect with nature and learn from these timeless lessons. Witnessing the salmon’s tenacity and willpower renewed my own sense of endurance and gratefulness amid hardship. It affirmed that pain and sacrifice, while undeniably tough, are part of the process that births something new and worthwhile. Ultimately, the salmon’s story is an inspiring metaphor encouraging us all to keep moving forward, to fight for what matters, and trust that transformation and healing are on the horizon.
