Learning from an octopus
may we deepen our connection with more-than-human beings
Oh, what you know of coral, crabs, corners, and salt.
You, named mollusk, cephalopod, head foot.
You, with a triangle of hearts.
Through slants of stone—your gumball eyes
back-and-forth, back-and-forth—
you watch, you wait, you want.
I want to know what you know
of silence, of darkness, of ever-after light.
Octopuses have brains throughout their skin and nerve ganglia. So do humans.
What do you know from the whole of you, from the places beyond the brain in your head?
Octopuses are mollusks who evolved out of their shells of protection.
What shells of protection are you shedding or ready to shed?
Octopuses know how to sit still for long periods of time.
Where might you invite more stillness for yourself?
Octopuses explore and play as a primary way of being.
How might you bring more playfulness to how you live your days?
What new wonderings, dreams, and knowings might you find within yourself when you connect with the octopus?
*
Love, Melissa
Additional resources:
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
Other Minds: The Octopus, The Sea, and The Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith
Inky’s Escape: How a Very Smart Ocopus Found His Way Home by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford
Pituitary and Pineal Gland Meditation with Gil Hedley (video)
The Heart Brain with Gil Hedley (video)
My Octopus Teacher (documentary)
Note: The plural of octopus is octopuses (not octopi) because “octopus” comes from Greek, not Latin.
Button Snail Hum is a pollination project of Noticing Matters.
Learn more and connect with me: melissaabutler.com | melissa@melissaabutler.com
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