Ah... The rescuer, what do we know about the rescuer? A very interesting archetype. There are two kinds of rescuers that tip the scale. One is a rescuer with healthy boundaries who knows when to help and when to let go. But on the other side is a rescuer who doesn't know when to let go which can lead into a toxic relationship that follows a pattern of codependency.
The healthy balance for a rescuer is to accompany someone up a mountain rather then to carry them up the mountain. Sometimes this can be the hardest part for the rescuer who has a huge heart for humanity as they watch someone continue to struggle. The real growth emerges as long as a rescuer has healthy boundaries and doesn't fall into the category of enabling which allows the other person to learn from their own mistakes.
I once had a spiritual teachers share with me that sometimes when we rescue a person we can take away the blessing of a lesson that the person we want to save is in need of learning. Then she told the story of an old man who happened upon the butterfly that was struggling to free itself from its cocoon. With great care he gently began to free the butterfly helping it from the binding of the cocoon. Once it was free he sat there with it in his hands as the butterfly tried desperately to spread its wings only to end up dying. In the end it was the struggle of exiting the cocoon that created the strength in the wings for it to fly and live.
As we walk this earth we have the gifts to love, support and inspire each other on our journeys. The rescuer is a magnified projection of this, but like all things it is the gentle balance that makes the difference.....
For more information I would recommend the YouTube video on the rescuer archetype from Caroline Myss:
The healthy balance for a rescuer is to accompany someone up a mountain rather then to carry them up the mountain. Sometimes this can be the hardest part for the rescuer who has a huge heart for humanity as they watch someone continue to struggle. The real growth emerges as long as a rescuer has healthy boundaries and doesn't fall into the category of enabling which allows the other person to learn from their own mistakes.
I once had a spiritual teachers share with me that sometimes when we rescue a person we can take away the blessing of a lesson that the person we want to save is in need of learning. Then she told the story of an old man who happened upon the butterfly that was struggling to free itself from its cocoon. With great care he gently began to free the butterfly helping it from the binding of the cocoon. Once it was free he sat there with it in his hands as the butterfly tried desperately to spread its wings only to end up dying. In the end it was the struggle of exiting the cocoon that created the strength in the wings for it to fly and live.
As we walk this earth we have the gifts to love, support and inspire each other on our journeys. The rescuer is a magnified projection of this, but like all things it is the gentle balance that makes the difference.....
For more information I would recommend the YouTube video on the rescuer archetype from Caroline Myss:
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