Alligator ~ Integration

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Alligator and Lynx warn that we may have become inflexible in some area of our lives, unwilling to give or consider opinions which may be different from our own. Alligator reminds us that, even if we do not agree with these viewpoints, it is important to listen to them and understand why the one we are disagreeing with feels their point of view is valid. He counsels us not to be come overly serious about any situation right now and to take our time making any decision of judgement. He says, "Consider all the angles first, and if it doesn't bring you true joy in the end, don't do it!"
~ Lady Wolfdreams

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The powerful gift of Alligator medicine is to fully appreciate and integrate all that life offers. Gator shows us the value of thoroughly digesting both the pleasures and pains of life. In many ways, Alligator's medicine is reflected in its behavior. When Gator rolls under the water with its prey, its message is to roll with the punches when being attacked by life's circumstances. Carefully storing its prey under a log until the meat is tender teaches us about patience and proper timing.

Choosing to laugh when tangled in your own seriousness can immediately diffuse the stranglehold of anger and judgements, self-importance and inflexibility. Once your rigidity is removed, you care free to again integrate the present set of circumstances, finding what you may have formerly overlooked. Then you can learn Gator's lessons on how to digest the value of any life lesson.

Gator medicine people refrain from passing judgement until they have examined all the facts and seen all sides of any situation. It may be time to drop opinions and judgements so that the persent situation can be fully understood. Gator might have surfaced in the river of your life to tell you to digest the situation at hand before making any rash moves. You could also be dealing with someone who is too serious or rigid. If this is the case, embrace your flexibility, knowing that you are expanding beyond your former limits, even if others are wallowing in their self-created quicksand.

Have you been rushing through life and not taking the time to count your victories or to digest your Rites of Passage? If so, it could be time to honor your progress, mindful that quick-fix soloutions do not support long-term goals. Avoid getting stuck in the duality and quagmire of the human judgement game. Use calm resolve, review your healing process and life lessons, integrating the growth you have attained.

In all cases, Gator is telling you that something may have escaped your perception. Ask yourself what viewpoint or possibility did not  get factored into your assessment. Did that missing piece of the puzzle keep you from having an accurate view of what is now occuring? If so, it is never too late to reevaluate the situation from a more integrated and felxible point of view. Remember, Gator's eyes and nostrils are often the only parts of its body above water while it senses its surroundings. Gator integrates all probabilities before it makes a move.

~ From "Medicine Cards" by Jamie Sams & David Carson ~