The Crafty Crane & The Craftier Crab

Join me in as I recount this ancient wisdom fable with amazing parallels for the current state of our world. I will also guide you through some deep reflection as you find your own personal wisdom in this story. Optional aromatherapy: peppermint, eucalyptus or rosemary essential oil and a carrier oil to dilute.

Transcript

Hello friends. I have always been one that does my greatest learning through stories. Stories captivate me, Engage me, And help me remember deep and meaningful concepts. Today I'd like to share an ancient story from India. And this story has so much pertinence and relevance for what we are collectively experiencing right here, Right now, On the earth. I hope you will enjoy. But before we get started with the story, I'd like to offer some aromatherapy options that you may want to go and grab if you happen to have them that will help enhance your experience. If you happen to have peppermint essential oil, Or rosemary, Or eucalyptus, Any one of those three would be perfect. And I also highly recommend a carrier oil to dilute. They all require dilution. So jojoba essential oil, Or sorry, Jojoba carrier oil, Or sweet almond oil, Or liquefied coconut oil. Without further ado, Let's dive into the story called The Crafty Crane and the Craftier Crab. Once upon a time, An old crane lived on the rim of a large lake in the middle of a jungle. Because of his age, He was not able to prey on fish and other insects. Unable to suffer hunger, The crane stood on the edge of the lake and began crying and crying very noticeably. Moved at the sight of the crying crane, A crab passed by and asked, Friend, What is the matter? Why are you not out hunting for food today? The crane replied, Oh son, You have correctly guessed. I am feeling guilty because I have swallowed far too many fish in my life. I have decided to fast unto my death. And I'm not even going to harm the smallest fish that comes within my reach. To which the crab replied, But why are you so philosophical today? The crane said, What shall I tell you? I have heard that there will be no rains for the coming 12 years. Astrologers have forecast an evil conjunction of the planets. As a result, The rains will not be happening for at least 12 years. For all of our lives, We have played and lived together in this beautiful lake. But now I am worried of the fate that awaits the poor fish and other creatures that live beneath the waters of our lake. The crab asked, Is there no way we can save ourselves? To which the crane said, At present, Fish and other water creatures in other small lakes are migrating to the bigger lakes with the help of their relatives. But here in our lake, Nobody seems to worry about the dark future. At this rate, There won't be any kind of fish left in our beautiful lake. The crab carried all of this information to the fish and other water creatures of the lake. Alarmed, All of them came to the crane and pleaded with him to show them the way to overcome this danger. The crane said, There is a big lake not far from here that has plenty of water throughout the year, And the lotuses are always in bloom. That lake does not even go dry if there are no rains for 24 years. Well, I could carry each of you one by one to that lake. Well, The poor fish and other water creatures at once put all of their trust in the crane and agreed to be carried off to the other lake. Each day, The crane would take one fish at a time to a lonely place where he would eat them. He would then return alone to the lake and repeat the trick again and again and again. One day, The crab asked the crane, Uncle, You were taking everyone else to the faraway lake and not me. Why don't you take me there today and save my life? Tired with eating fish every day, The crane was far too happy to carry the crab to the lake that did not exist. The crab climbed onto the back of the crane, And as the crane was flying to the spot where he ate all the fish, The crab saw a heap of fish bones and asked the crane, Uncle, We have come such a long distance, And I see no lake anywhere. Tell me, Where is this lake? The crane said, You are a fool to trust me. There is no lake, Nor is there water. Say your prayers now, For I am going to eat you. The crafty crab at once caught the neck of the crane in his claws and tore through it. Slowly, Carrying the neck of the crane, The crab was able to return to his home lake, Where all his friends worried that the crane did not come back, Asked him what happened. The crab said, Oh, You fools, That crane was taking all of us to a lonely place where he would eat us. I found out his mischief, And I have saved myself by slicing him with my claw. From today on, All of us can live happily without fear. What I'd like to do now is invite you to join me with a little application of aromatherapy, Peppermint, Rosemary, Or eucalyptus. If you are working with eucalyptus or rosemary, I want to invite you to place one drop of carrier oil with one drop of essential oil into the palm of your hand. If you happen to be working with peppermint, I invite you to place four drops of carrier oil with just one drop of peppermint oil into the palm of your left hand. Once you have done that, I invite you to gently rub your palms together, And then rub them together a little more briskly to build up a little heat and friction. And then bring those open palms near the nose so you can take three deep breaths with me. If you're not working with aromatherapy, Just join me for the breaths. Go ahead and empty all the air from your lungs. Take a deep inhale through the nose into the very center of the brain. And a slow exhale through the nose. Take another deep breath into the heart. And a slow exhale through the nose. Take a final deep breath all the way down to the base of your spine. And a slow exhale through the nose. With your eyes closed, Simply bring your arms to your sides. We will take a short meditative journey into the personalized wisdom message of this story just for you. Just sit and feel. What are the applications of this story? Not only for us collectively, But also for you personally? Do you sense any parallels between the story and your own life? Have you ever disregarded your own intuition, Or even wisdom, Common sense, To place your trust in someone or some group or something that does not truly deserve your trust? So just remember what that was like. Do you find yourself or even the collective more vulnerable or easily deceived when in a state of fear or panic or lack? Take a look at the culture around you, Either your immediate friend group, Or the city in which you live, The state in which you live, The nation in which you live, Even the world as a whole. Do you notice any parallels between the story and the collective culture around you? And if you can notice any parallels, Can you think of any parallels in the world or culture around you that are like the crane from the story? In your own life, And in general, Do you find yourself more like the crab in the story? More like the crane in the story? Or even more like the fish in the story? And if you could choose to be either the crab, The crane, Or one of the fish in the story, Which would you prefer to be? The final question for reflection is, How would you become more like that character from the story that you wish to be in your life? I definitely invite you if you'd like to open your eyes and perhaps take this conversation or internal dialogue into a journal. Perhaps you can go back to the questions here in the video or the recording. And just take a moment to write down some of your thoughts and reflections. Thank you for joining me. I love ancient wisdom stories. There's a great thing about these stories is they can have one meaning at a certain time in our life. And we could read them again during a different chapter of our life and derive a totally different meaning. That's what's so great about them. I hope you have a beautiful, Wise, Enlightened, Empowered and uplifted rest of your day and week and I look forward to speaking with you again soon.