The fairy and the unicorn - a tale of codependency
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The fairy and the unicorn - a tale of codependency
As I was replying earlier to a thread, this imagery came into my mind, and I decided to post a thread about it, so here it is:
THE FAIRY AND THE UNICORN
There once was a kindly fairy who had a special "gift" of being an empath. Not only could she channel the state of another being and feel its inner struggles, she was able to absorb their damage and help them to heal. She had a few experiences where she did this and things seemed to get better for the other party, so she went through life thinking this was perhaps her unique gift.
Well, one day, in her wanderings, she came across a beautiful, glinting silver unicorn with rippling muscles, iridescent wings, and a pearlescent horn that twisted with unbelievable elegance. She was immediately taken with the gorgeous beauty of this beast. The awful thing was that the unicorn was sweating and heaving and wild-eyed, with its horn lodged into the trunk of an oak tree, desperately trying to extract itself, thrashing and pawing, thudding its front hooves against the oak.
Our lovely fairy ran around in a tizzy, thinking how to save the unicorn, thinking, thinking, thinking, until she devised a way to pry it loose. The unicorn turned to her with a special glint in its eye, thanking her profusely, saying how it would never have survived without her, telling her she was special-sent.
She was feeling all wonderful about this, her work, until she turned to see the unicorn charging that oak tree, like a bull going after a red flag.
But this time, its horn went so far into the tree that it bashed its head and got a concussion, and went unconscious.
She didn't have time to think, so she quickly absorbed its damage, crippling her in pain and agony, dropping her to the forest floor to heal, while the unicorn perked up, stuck again in the oak tree. After much agony, she came to, and pried it loose, again - this time taking longer, because she was much weaker, and it was lodged more tightly.
Well, you guessed it. The cycle continued until she got progressively more damaged, and couldn't keep up with her healing. She would spare the unicorn just enough pain to give it the energy to charge the tree again, once more.
The final time, she swore she had saved its life, thinking how without her it surely would have not had these chances, or had the healings to give it more chances.
Her last dying thought was how at least she had done this good, giving the unicorn more chances.
As she finally dropped out of consciousness and into death, her skull battered and bloody and brain damaged, the unicorn shook its head, flicked its ears, looked curiously at her, and charged the tree, again...
THE FAIRY AND THE UNICORN
There once was a kindly fairy who had a special "gift" of being an empath. Not only could she channel the state of another being and feel its inner struggles, she was able to absorb their damage and help them to heal. She had a few experiences where she did this and things seemed to get better for the other party, so she went through life thinking this was perhaps her unique gift.
Well, one day, in her wanderings, she came across a beautiful, glinting silver unicorn with rippling muscles, iridescent wings, and a pearlescent horn that twisted with unbelievable elegance. She was immediately taken with the gorgeous beauty of this beast. The awful thing was that the unicorn was sweating and heaving and wild-eyed, with its horn lodged into the trunk of an oak tree, desperately trying to extract itself, thrashing and pawing, thudding its front hooves against the oak.
Our lovely fairy ran around in a tizzy, thinking how to save the unicorn, thinking, thinking, thinking, until she devised a way to pry it loose. The unicorn turned to her with a special glint in its eye, thanking her profusely, saying how it would never have survived without her, telling her she was special-sent.
She was feeling all wonderful about this, her work, until she turned to see the unicorn charging that oak tree, like a bull going after a red flag.
But this time, its horn went so far into the tree that it bashed its head and got a concussion, and went unconscious.
She didn't have time to think, so she quickly absorbed its damage, crippling her in pain and agony, dropping her to the forest floor to heal, while the unicorn perked up, stuck again in the oak tree. After much agony, she came to, and pried it loose, again - this time taking longer, because she was much weaker, and it was lodged more tightly.
Well, you guessed it. The cycle continued until she got progressively more damaged, and couldn't keep up with her healing. She would spare the unicorn just enough pain to give it the energy to charge the tree again, once more.
The final time, she swore she had saved its life, thinking how without her it surely would have not had these chances, or had the healings to give it more chances.
Her last dying thought was how at least she had done this good, giving the unicorn more chances.
As she finally dropped out of consciousness and into death, her skull battered and bloody and brain damaged, the unicorn shook its head, flicked its ears, looked curiously at her, and charged the tree, again...
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Waterford MI
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catlover,
this is wonderful.
i was the unicorn.
i was the empath.
thank my hp for learning the definition of insanity and letting it go.
the alcohol, and my need to control.
powerful story and the imagery is perfect.
are you a writer? you should be.
this should be a sticky.
thank you again for this fantastic story.
Beth
this is wonderful.
i was the unicorn.
i was the empath.
thank my hp for learning the definition of insanity and letting it go.
the alcohol, and my need to control.
powerful story and the imagery is perfect.
are you a writer? you should be.
this should be a sticky.
thank you again for this fantastic story.
Beth
A jug fills drop by drop
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 6,784
Right on. Thanks!
It reminded me of a great post on how the ex was still living in a bar. And she said "if I was still there I would be suffering at home waiting for him" and now she is free. While he does exactly the same thing.........
Sticky, sticky!
It reminded me of a great post on how the ex was still living in a bar. And she said "if I was still there I would be suffering at home waiting for him" and now she is free. While he does exactly the same thing.........
Sticky, sticky!
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: NYC
Posts: 132
This is an appropriately disturbing image -- the destroyed fairy princess. I've been there many times.
I've often wondered, when first breaking up with someone with whom I was in an addictive cycle, whether they were going to become the perfect boyfriend or husband for someone else. It never happens. It's not about us and we shouldn't make it about us. We make it about us at our own peril. That is our addiction.
I need extra strength this weekend as it is my qualifiers birthday and the relationship was addictive so I cannot contact him...it's an absolute struggle with every fiber of my nature to not send him some sort of birthday wishes...but it's so important that I don't. Thanks for this reminder of what our relationship was.
I've often wondered, when first breaking up with someone with whom I was in an addictive cycle, whether they were going to become the perfect boyfriend or husband for someone else. It never happens. It's not about us and we shouldn't make it about us. We make it about us at our own peril. That is our addiction.
I need extra strength this weekend as it is my qualifiers birthday and the relationship was addictive so I cannot contact him...it's an absolute struggle with every fiber of my nature to not send him some sort of birthday wishes...but it's so important that I don't. Thanks for this reminder of what our relationship was.
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,294
Thanks, everyone.
I've found that when I get confused with details ("But I have a mortgage that will default!"... "But it will hurt the 4 year old stepdaughter!"... "But I have no place for my cats!"... "I don't have an income and am better off here than homeless!!"... - this is NOT to seem callous to serious considerations, only to point out that in the end they really change nothing about the essential elements of the story.) - if I can make imagery that boils down to the essential elements, then I can take a look at that imagery and see a whole lot more clearly.
In this tale, it doesn't matter that it's a unicorn, or narwhal, or antelope. The fact is it keeps ramming its head into a tree. It doesn't matter whether the unicorn is beautiful or ugly, whether it's wearing the King's banner or wearing claw marks from a forest puma. The fact is, the unicorn is ramming its head into a tree.
It doesn't matter whether the words the unicorn says to the fairy are true, truly meant, false, sociopathic, or vicious lies. It doesn't change a thing; every time it's set loose, it rams its head into the tree.
What the fairy decides to do has no bearing on the fate of the unicorn, it only makes it take longer, and hurts her more. Only the unicorn decides whether to bash the tree again, or not.
But, what the fairy decides to do DOES impact what happens to her.
It makes me think in a whole different light, to have this imagery in my head, ready to pull out, when I start to get confused by the details.
CLMI
I've found that when I get confused with details ("But I have a mortgage that will default!"... "But it will hurt the 4 year old stepdaughter!"... "But I have no place for my cats!"... "I don't have an income and am better off here than homeless!!"... - this is NOT to seem callous to serious considerations, only to point out that in the end they really change nothing about the essential elements of the story.) - if I can make imagery that boils down to the essential elements, then I can take a look at that imagery and see a whole lot more clearly.
In this tale, it doesn't matter that it's a unicorn, or narwhal, or antelope. The fact is it keeps ramming its head into a tree. It doesn't matter whether the unicorn is beautiful or ugly, whether it's wearing the King's banner or wearing claw marks from a forest puma. The fact is, the unicorn is ramming its head into a tree.
It doesn't matter whether the words the unicorn says to the fairy are true, truly meant, false, sociopathic, or vicious lies. It doesn't change a thing; every time it's set loose, it rams its head into the tree.
What the fairy decides to do has no bearing on the fate of the unicorn, it only makes it take longer, and hurts her more. Only the unicorn decides whether to bash the tree again, or not.
But, what the fairy decides to do DOES impact what happens to her.
And the unicorn doesn't do it to her; she does it to herself, after the first return to tree-butting.
++++++++++It makes me think in a whole different light, to have this imagery in my head, ready to pull out, when I start to get confused by the details.
CLMI
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