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Four Feet, One Path

11/29/2012

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Picture
(7-6) The dog has four feet, but he only takes one path.
 El perro tiene cuatro patas y coge un solo camino.

Animals follow their instincts and do what thousands of years of evolution has taught them works best.  They don't turn ideas over and over in their heads; they just do what needs to be done.  Humans, on the other hand, usually have a lot of projects going on simultaneously and a lot of conflicting demands on their time.  The dog's four feet remind us that there are always choices to be made, and everyone has options.  If a dog goes in one direction, he might find a bone. If he goes in another direction, he might find a stream where he can get a drink of water.  But, if he tries to go in four directions at once, he will go nowhere.  This is an important lesson for us to learn about priorities.  If we can't get our heart, body, mind and spirit to work together and lead us in one direction, we're going to be stuck at the crossroads, unable to progress.  

When this sign appears, it talks about the need to set priorities and do one thing at a time.  Don't let yourself be bogged down in indecision, and don't spend too much time turning ideas over and over in your head.  There comes a time when you simply need to decide and move forward, in one direction, and have faith that it will work out.  Every step in life is a risk. We can never see what's at the end of the path. But, usually if we move forward with confidence, things turn out just fine.   In Odí, the ancestors and spirits of the dead are important guiding forces, and sometimes they speak to us through inner dialogue and bursts of intuition.  Listen to your inner voice when you have to make a decision, and let yourself be drawn in the direction that feels right to you.  


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    Eni Acho Iya is a practicing Santera, daughter of Ochún. She's also an academic with a PhD in Spanish and Latin American culture.

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