Sorting

This may seem a little silly, but while sorting the laundry this morning, I thought of sorting seeds as a theme in mythology and fairy tales.  The "impossible task" of sorting reoccurs in many stories.  "By nightfall they must all be sorted!"

Cinderella's stepmother tells her to sort a pile of seeds and grains "or else!"  In the Russian tale of Vassilisa, the cruel stepmother sends the girl to face the fearsome forest witch Baba Yaga, who tells Vassilisa she must sort a pile of seeds by taking out all the black ones.  In the Greek mythical tale of Cupid and Psyche, Cupid's mother Aphrodite gives Psyche the impossible task of sorting a heap of seeds as well.  In every story, the young girl is helped in her "impossible task" by birds or ants ~ the little spirits of earth and air and forest come to her aid.  Is this because she is a goddess in disguise?

Sorting things out.  It's a practical task ~ separating needs from wants, dark from light, things to keep from things no longer useful.  It can be a social task ~ help the kids "sort it out" ~ talk through their differences, calm down, analyze the situation, solve the problem.  It's a psychological task we all face sometimes ~ sort things out.  In therapy we sift through memories and emotions and thoughts to find meaning and direction.  In difficult times in life we can either freak out and give up, or we can sit down, start sorting, face the task in front of us one little piece at a time.

Faced with an overwhelming situation, a chaos of emotions, an impossible task, that giant pile of tiny mixed up seeds that no one could ever sort out, the stories tell us to calm down, take it slowly, and call upon spirit to help us!  Sorting through is a practical, down-to-earth task, of going through things, putting them in piles, deciding where each little thing goes.  When in the midst of tragedy or stress or just a giant pile of laundry (!), it's best to just take one thing at a time, put one foot in front of the other, and calmly sort the seeds in front of you.  And don't forget to hum a tune to call up your spirit helpers!

Sometimes writing can help us sort it out:  Write a list, sort by priorities.  Write a list of pros and cons. Write a letter to sort things out with a friend.  Spill out all your thoughts and feelings onto paper, so you go back and sift through them to find some order in the chaos.

Psyche of course means Soul, and the story of Psyche challenges us to do the daily mundane tasks that make up the day, to calmly accept the challenges of practical life, while waiting for love ~ or more profoundly, while waiting to discover our own souls.  I like this connection of the practical with the transcendent.

Well, this is what I get for blogging so early in the morning, before I've had all my caffeine ~ a long post wandering off into the psychology of fairy tales. 

Cinderella and Psyche often remind me of the sign of Virgo, which the Sun will enter in just a few days.  "Virgin" originally meant something more like complete and whole unto oneself, just fine on my own, thank you very much ~ Psyche had to discover herself before she could truly find Love.

You may not be familiar with the story of Beautiful Vassilisa, so here is a link to a great version!  http://www.artrusse.ca/fairytales/vassilisa.htm .  Note that although the old witch Baba Yaga is frightening, it is through working with her that Vassilisa grows and triumphs.  Facing one's darkness leads to the discovery of self and strength and love ... that's a theme to explore another morning.