she finds a way
the Gallbladder is a vine. she will find a way. the ultimate problem solver. getting around obstacles. creative solutions. she works closely with the Liver, who assesses the circumstances, sees the big picture and drops the pin on the destination. the Gallbladder is in charge of enacting the plan. making the decisions and judgments along the way to see it through, to get to the destination. not just decisions about where to go, but also when to go and how to get there. timing is everything. patience is a virtue. if the trees budded in the middle of winter, their evolution would cease. and potentially so would their growth. the flowers would freeze and die. no pollinators to fertilize. no new seeds to spread. no new life on the other end. in health, the gallbladder official makes wise judgments about the when, the where, the how. when the time is right. for the benefit of life. that’s the virtue of benevolence shining through this spring season. making decisions for the benefit of life.
the Wood element is a rising out of nothingness toward something. what is this something that you are rising toward? your Wood element must be tuned in to the whisperings of your Heart, so that it knows the something yearning to be out in the world. the Liver official uses this to form its plan. the Gallbladder official uses this to decide the specifics of your movement up and out into the world. should i wait or move now? which direction will i go first? in order to make these decisions we need clarity of vision. both inward and outward vision. looking in to know clearly what the desire is. looking out to understand the greater landscape your working within. vision is a characteristic of the wood element. both the Liver and Gallbladder need to see. if the vision is cloudy, fogged up by pathological stories or smeared with limiting beliefs and mindsets the Liver’s plan will not align with the heart; the Gallbladder’s decisions will be timid and meek. and ultimately, you will stay small. stuck in the muck. the seeds of your ideas and dreams will remain that, seeds.
with clear vision, functional windshield wipers and a strong connection to your Heart, your wood element can bring you out into the world in the most authentic and satisfying ways. part of that vision is knowing when your time is right. when to enact the plan, to punch through the soil, to burst through the bud, to start unfurling toward the light. in this grand metaphor, the light is your goal/dream/desire. what you are reaching toward.
for Amanda, her Gallbladder official (the decision-maker) knows that mid-april is the time to start stretching, reaching, and yearning for the light. right in time with the blooming of the dogwoods. she waited patiently. she saw others sprouting, unfurling, bursting before her, but it wasn’t her time. not yet. past Amanda would have fallen into pathological habits and stories - judging herself and comparing herself to others. asking “why am i not doing that? going there? where is my burst of energy? why do i feel like i cant share my ideas with the world?” concluding, “i must not be good enough.” but present amanda has done some work. instead of falling into those limiting beliefs and false narratives, she remembers that not all seeds sprout at once, not every species blossoms at the same time. we will all have our moments in the sun. seeing others out in the world, those early bloomers, can be inspiring and joyful! not something to be compared to and competed with. sometimes the decision is to stop listening to those stories in your mind. to remember where you are going and what you are doing and who you are becoming. timing is everything. pausing is a choice. sometimes finding a way through is simply waiting for the right moment. when you’re time is right, you will find your way out into the world.
by amanda briody