Teaching the future generation this way enriched the lives of all the members of that society, using storytelling and symbolism to engage the young. They are also an essential tool that teaches creative thinking, self reflection, empathy and writing (symbolism).
Water transforms the land around us and nurtures the plants that transform sunlight into calories. So too does water transform the Frog. They freeze in winter and are awakened when it melts. Scientists are studying how the cell walls of certain Amphibians can freeze without being destroyed and how this can benefit us. The sperm shaped polliwog will not metamorphosis into a frog without the ponds, lakes and rivers it needs in order to feed and breathe. The Frog as a Totemic symbol can be seen as transformation through sound, they cannot mate without their calls, and they transform sound into new life. In our lives in this day and age, sound is everywhere, from the streets and devices around us, and it transforms our state of mind. Our voices transform our thoughts and ideas into sound in order to communicate them. Sound can and does transform our mood in the form of Music. The sounds of that day are music to my ears and renewed my faith.
Ancient Wisdom was imparted upon me once again this Spring that in order to transform and cleanse that cabin fever after a long, hard Winter, in order to rejuvenate my soul and let my thoughts undergo a metamorphosis I had to get out to hear and feel the sounds of Spring. I needed to feel the temperature of the water rise as the Sun fed its energy to it,
I had to see the dormant living things around me reborn. Spring is a celebration, an affirmation of the continuity of life through Metamorphosis. The Frog of any species is a good reminder of that. By going on a journey to explore and discover, I maintained my connection to the source of our lives. I wanted to affirm that wisdom of the sacred pattern by experiencing, photographing and sharing all these beautiful, wonderful things.
Photography (c) Matthew J. George. All Rights Reserved