Chapter 37: Salmon and Streams of Consciousness
It is time once again to Stew on this! The salmon run also reminds me that you and exist in two “streams.” The first we could call the River of Innate. I prefer “The Lovestream.”
One of our favorite autumn activities here in Lake Tahoe is watching the annual Kokanee salmon run. It is the only land-locked salmon run in North America. Every October, thousands of Kokanee turn bright red and leave the lake. Giving up food, they struggle up one particular creek, over cascades and rocks, and spawn in the same spot where they were spawned. Then they die and create a feast for the bears and eagles.
The salmon literally put everything they have into answering the call of their inner voice. I guess you could say that for salmon, procreation is literally a once in a lifetime experience!
You and I would undoubtedly balk at this method of propagating our species. But for salmon, it has worked for 30 million years.
As most things do, this reminds me of chiropractic. Innate Intelligence has been creating and maintaining ease in humans for 300,000 years. As chiropractic people, even though our huge brains might think they can run the show better, we are always best served by being humble to Innate’s infinite wisdom and trusting in it. We are best served by knowing that every single time we remove interference to Innate’s expression in someone, that person is ALWAYS better and more connected to Source than they were before. It is as simple as that!
That is not, however, what this chapter is about.
The salmon run also reminds me that you and exist in two “streams.” The first we could call the River of Innate. I prefer “The Lovestream.” It gently and eternally flows in and through us, moving us toward greater levels of ease, evolution and unfolding.
Innate is always tapping at the door of our consciousness, nudging us into this stream. When we are in it, we feel whole, connected, and more than enough.
We can always row our boats gently, merrily, and lovingly down this stream.
Then there is the other stream. It is the river of our educated mind’s thoughts, feelings, conditioning, reactions, and judgments. It pretty much flows all the time, too. Sometimes it is just a trickle, but this stream can build momentum and quickly turn into a raging torrent.
I call this one “The Ego-stream.”
The Ego-stream can become a flash flood, and the banks of the stream can seem way too high to escape. In those moments it becomes, “Love who?” It gets increasingly difficult to remember there are unlimited possibilities, and nearly impossible to access the parts of our consciousness that know our intentions, our values, and what is important to us.
When we realize we are in this stream, it is time to be like a salmon and to go against it. To become mindful. To stop and let the stream roll past. To find the slipstream that takes us to the Lovestream.
We can do this because no matter how long or far we have traveled in the Ego-stream, with or without a paddle, we can declare without a doubt that “the Lovestream is around here someplace!”
The ability to make the choice to find a different stream is something that salmon apparently do not have. You and I, on the other hand, can choose to remember that the torrent of the Ego-stream is merely some overactive electrochemical activity in our own mind, and that it is taking us to places we do not want to go.
Like a salmon, we can put everything we have into answering the call of our inner voice - and choose love instead.
We can rise above the torrent, just like the ducks that float on the surface of the creek above the salmon, calm and still, flipping upside-down occasionally to eat some caviar. We can be like the little diving ducks we see at the California coast, who look like they are about to be swamped by huge waves only to gently bob up and down over the crest.
The Ego-stream can be like a huge wave, and we can stop and remember to float on top of it. We can relax and enjoy the ride over to the Lovestream. It is only when we get trapped in the content of the Ego-stream that we crash into the rocks.
It may behoove us to practice grabbing onto something in those moments in the Ego-stream, so we can slow down enough to hear the call and find the slipstream. You may have already guessed what I would nominate for that job – our heart.
If we practice, a single breath into the heart can be the way back - into possibility, hope, gratitude, joy, peace, and all the other gifts waiting in the Lovestream. Then, more regenerative thoughts and feelings can start building their own momentum.
If we practice that shift of focus all the time, we will be able to do it when we most neOne of our favorite autumn activities here in Lake Tahoe is watching the annual Kokanee salmon run. It is the only land-locked salmon run in North America. Every October, thousands of Kokanee turn bright red and leave the lake. Giving up food, they struggle up one particular creek, over cascades and rocks, and spawn in the same spot where they were spawned. Then they die and create a feast for the bears and eagles.
The salmon literally put everything they have into answering the call of their inner voice. I guess you could say that for salmon, procreation is literally a once in a lifetime experience!
You and I would undoubtedly balk at this method of propagating our species. But for salmon, it has worked for 30 million years.
As most things do, this reminds me of chiropractic. Innate Intelligence has been creating and maintaining ease in humans for 300,000 years. As chiropractic people, even though our huge brains might think they can run the show better, we are always best served by being humble to Innate’s infinite wisdom and trusting in it. We are best served by knowing that every single time we remove interference to Innate’s expression in someone, that person is ALWAYS better and more connected to Source than they were before. It is as simple as that!
That is not, however, what this chapter is about.
The salmon run also reminds me that you and exist in two “streams.” The first we could call the River of Innate. I prefer “The Lovestream.” It gently and eternally flows in and through us, moving us toward greater levels of ease, evolution and unfolding.
Innate is always tapping at the door of our consciousness, nudging us into this stream. When we are in it, we feel whole, connected, and more than enough.
We can always row our boats gently, merrily, and lovingly down this stream.
Then there is the other stream. It is the river of our educated mind’s thoughts, feelings, conditioning, reactions, and judgments. It pretty much flows all the time, too. Sometimes it is just a trickle, but this stream can build momentum and quickly turn into a raging torrent.
I call this one “The Ego-stream.”
The Ego-stream can become a flash flood, and the banks of the stream can seem way too high to escape. In those moments it becomes, “Love who?” It gets increasingly difficult to remember there are unlimited possibilities, and nearly impossible to access the parts of our consciousness that know our intentions, our values, and what is important to us.
When we realize we are in this stream, it is time to be like a salmon and to go against it. To become mindful. To stop and let the stream roll past. To find the slipstream that takes us to the Lovestream.
We can do this because no matter how long or far we have traveled in the Ego-stream, with or without a paddle, we can declare without a doubt that “the Lovestream is around here someplace!”
The ability to make the choice to find a different stream is something that salmon apparently do not have. You and I, on the other hand, can choose to remember that the torrent of the Ego-stream is merely some overactive electrochemical activity in our own mind, and that it is taking us to places we do not want to go.
Like a salmon, we can put everything we have into answering the call of our inner voice - and choose love instead.
We can rise above the torrent, just like the ducks that float on the surface of the creek above the salmon, calm and still, flipping upside-down occasionally to eat some caviar. We can be like the little diving ducks we see at the California coast, who look like they are about to be swamped by huge waves only to gently bob up and down over the crest.
The Ego-stream can be like a huge wave, and we can stop and remember to float on top of it. We can relax and enjoy the ride over to the Lovestream. It is only when we get trapped in the content of the Ego-stream that we crash into the rocks.
It may behoove us to practice grabbing onto something in those moments in the Ego-stream, so we can slow down enough to hear the call and find the slipstream. You may have already guessed what I would nominate for that job – our heart.
If we practice, a single breath into the heart can be the way back - into possibility, hope, gratitude, joy, peace, and all the other gifts waiting in the Lovestream. Then, more regenerative thoughts and feelings can start building their own momentum.
If we practice that shift of focus all the time, we will be able to do it when we most need to.
It is also very helpful to spend as much time in the Lovestream as possible. I call it being “pre-prayered.” Hillary and I observe a “sabbath” every Saturday morning. No tech, no work, no urgency…just time together in the Lovestream.
Salmon do not have time to rest when they are spawning, and we might not think we have time to rest, either. But we deserve the time to hang out in the Lovestream. Everyone we serve and interact with will be happy that we do, too.
Life is hard enough without spending excessive time in that other stream!
You and I are the creators of our own lives. The more we live in the Lovestream, the faster we can recognize when we are in the Ego-stream, and the easier it will be to find the slipstream. Then our lives will more reflect the beauty, peace, joy, and love that we already are.
Stew on that, and I will see you next time!ed to.
It is also very helpful to spend as much time in the Lovestream as possible. I call it being “pre-prayered.” Hillary and I observe a “sabbath” every Saturday morning. No tech, no work, no urgency…just time together in the Lovestream.
Salmon do not have time to rest when they are spawning, and we might not think we have time to rest, either. But we deserve the time to hang out in the Lovestream. Everyone we serve and interact with will be happy that we do, too.
Life is hard enough without spending excessive time in that other stream!
You and I are the creators of our own lives. The more we live in the Lovestream, the faster we can recognize when we are in the Ego-stream, and the easier it will be to find the slipstream. Then our lives will more reflect the beauty, peace, joy, and love that we already are.
Stew on that, and I will see you next time!
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The distiction between the Lovestream and Ego-stream captures something essential about navigating conscousness. Your point about the salmon's journey mirrors what happens when we realize we're caught in the Ego-stream's current. It takes real awarness to find that slipstream back to Innate. The metaphor works because, like the salmon, the effort isnt about forcing upstream but recognizing when to stop resistng the wrong current.