Learn to Love Your Goo

Goo? What do you mean by goo?

I'm referencing the Butterfly Parable.

In 2023, when Paula was away at her Myofascial Three, Beyond Technique course, she was reminded of a beautiful parable that resonates so deeply with the authentic healing process. 

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The Butterfly Parable

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was a way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we went through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly! 

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So how does this relate to massage and goo? 

When it comes to massage and bodywork (and frankly health overall), we have a tendency to look at other people to "fix" us. We want to come in for a massage and lay on the table, compliant and eager for another person to take all of our aches and pains away. We have been trained to lay there and take it.

But that's not how true healing works. You have to be an active participant to heal fully and deeply.

Sometimes that means extra communication with your massage therapist about pressure and focus.

Sometimes that means honoring your body and the feelings it's trying to communicate with you.

Sometimes it means learning to sit in silence and just be.

Sometimes that means letting the emotion out, even if you think it's embarrassing (it's not, it's beautiful).

And sometimes that means ending the session early because you're body/mind/soul is at it's limit.

All these things are the goo ~ the area that seems like a struggle at times; the uncomfortable feelings that give an opportunity for tremendous growth.

The goo is where the magic happens.

Learning to love your goo is the most radical form of self-love and self-acceptance that you gift yourself.

It's not always easy.

It's not always comfortable.

It's definitely not what most of us have been taught to do.

And the struggle is more than worth it.

It gives you your life back.

It gives you your power back.

It helps you discover the radiant you that's underneath it all.

It brings you back home.

The world is waiting for you to stretch your wings.