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Anna Luna-Raven's avatar

I love this, Lori! I think we all have both in ourselves, depending on the situation, I guess. Great food for thought! 🩷

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

I’m glad to hear that it resonated with you, Anna, and always welcome you to share your thoughts as they come up. I suspect we have these parts and many, many more! 💚

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Paulette Bodeman's avatar

I appreciate the imagery, Lori! I need to sit with this powerful contemplation.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Thank you for your feedback, Paulette. If you’re inclined to share further at any point, I’m curious to hear where your contemplation takes you (but obviously no pressure or expectation that you share). Wishing you a lovely introspective experience!

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Leo in L.A.'s avatar

The male lion for sure. But not the popular lion persona . I had the tremendous fortune of going to Kenya and watching male lions, so serene and rooted in their authenticity and sovereignty. Not sovereignty as in "I need to Lord over others," but a deep confidence and understanding of their place and their value. 😊

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Oh, what an incredible thing to experience in the wild! Thank you for telling us about it. I do think that true leadership, authenticity, and sovereignty are nothing like the posturing and attention-seeking that we see stereotyped in so many places. I hope each of us has times where we can move through our lives with that kind of deep confidence and self-assuredness that comes from being rooted in ourselves and our communities.

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Leo in L.A.'s avatar

Me too, Lori 😊

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Leo in L.A.'s avatar

Me too, Lori 😊

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Lisa Parkes's avatar

I can relate to the deer and the bear. Such strong visuals. I am learning to love both these parts of me more and more.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Lisa, thank you for responding! I agree that it's a process of learning to love these (all) parts of ourselves and see the function they have in our lives. I'll be honest that I don't always like which part shows up in a particular situation. But, I'm learning to embrace all of them. So good to hear from you!

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Lisa Parkes's avatar

I’ve been sick and just finding my way back to Substack. It’s lovely to see a friendly face.☺️

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Ah, I hope you’re doing better now! I agree, it’s always lovely to see you around these parts! 💚

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Lisa Parkes's avatar

I am getting there. Thank you 🙏

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Wishing you continued recovery!

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Lisa Parkes's avatar

You’re so kind. I appreciate that Lori.

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Wild Lion*esses Pride by Jay's avatar

Lori, I definitely have the Lion's Roar in me. I can be very present and yes I can speak to a hall probably even if the electricity goes down. Yet I am also a bit lazy like most cats.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

I love that, Jay! I saw a documentary about lions once that talked about them as masters of energy conservation and how "lazing" is actually a great strategy for large mammals in a harsh climate where acquiring resources takes a large expenditure of energy. And if that isn't a metaphor for what it means to be a caring human in these times, I don't know what is!

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