The Pokémon and the Crown
It's a heavy crown sometimes.
My tiny little rubber Bulbasaur and the ring made to look like Princess Diana's crown. The blue pokémon with the green bulb on his back is just small enough that he could fit inside the ring he's sitting next to. The ring is silver, made to be shaped like a crown, and decorated with tiny man-made white pearls and cubic zirconia.
This isn't really what I had planned to talk about this week. I've been holding onto this, thinking we'll talk about how I read pieces together after we've gone through what all the pieces in my charm set are. I had a talk with one of my dearest friends about self-care a few nights ago, though, and now the pictures of Bulbasaur and the crown keep whispering, “Show us to them!” So, okay. This week, there's a little explanation about reading pieces together and some talk about self-care.
Just a reminder…if you're putting together a charm oracle set for yourself, I'm not here to tell you that it needs to have the same charms as mine. That's part of why I tell you the stories of where mine came from. I want you to have some ideas for topics to be covered in your set, and ways you could find items you already have to attach to those meanings.
Why Bulbasaur? He's my favorite Pokémon! I haven't played all of the games, but I have been playing since Red and Blue came out in the US. To be honest, I've never understood why so many people find Bulbasaur to be difficult to start with. He can last through a lot even if the fights are going a little slower. I choose abilities for mine that mean he can heal himself, and sometimes healing himself also takes health from whoever he's fighting.
And, okay, so I do let him evolve…but it's Bulbasaur that I love! So cute, and looks like he'd be sort of a plant-dinosaur hybrid puppy when not fighting. I've kept this tiny rubber Bulbasaur for years because holding it gives me a kind of safe and happy feeling.
Within my charm set, the Bulbasaur is about self-care and making choices that help you grow. Self-care isn't always an easy choice. It's a lot more than just bubble baths and an extra cupcake. Sometimes it means having to pass up something you wanted to do because you know it would cause trouble that no good comes of. Sometimes it means having to cause some trouble in order to get out of a situation that causes harm. Sometimes it means passing up what you want and making sure you drink more water, even if you don't like it, because you know your body needs better hydration.
And what about the crown? That ring was given to me as a gift, and it was pointed out to me that it's supposed to be styled as Princess Diana's crown. And, well…I didn't really have a good relationship with the boyfriend who gave it to me after the first couple of years, we eventually broke up, and even before then I've just never really had a reason to wear the ring. It just doesn't feel like it's my style. But I wouldn't want to get rid of it, either. It's always had it's own meanings for me when I look at it that had nothing to do with it having been a gift. When I started putting my charm set together, I knew it belonged in there.
To me, this piece is a reminder that leadership carries responsibility, and that what you may think of as a “fairy tale life” may not be so great for whoever is living it. It's also a reminder to never forget where you came from. No matter how successful you may be, don't forget where you started and everyone who helped you get where you are, or everyone who didn't get those opportunities.
So why are we looking at these two pieces together? Because this happened when I was doing a reading one day.
Bulbasaur landed inside the crown! I keep mentioning things about what pieces may draw your attention and how they can be interpreted depending on what other pieces are around them. Sometimes, depending on what your pieces are, they don't just lay flat near each other. This is a good time to look at how the meanings combine.
We already covered Bulbasaur being focused on self-care and personal growth. That included examples of self-care not always being about happy treats. Being inside the crown that speaks of things not all being the happily ever after of fairy tales could definitely be showing that. When divination tools allow for several versions of messages, it's easy to convince ourselves that whatever we or our client wants to hear must be what it means. Something like the crown landing on Bulbasaur can be a very clear, “I didn't say do what feels happy. I said do what is healthy.”
This can also be a reminder that self-care isn't done just for yourself. If you have people in your life you feel you need to be giving your best to, then how are you going to do that if you aren't at your best? And it's not just children who learn from our examples. Even adults tend to pick up behavior that is normalized around them. Choosing to rest gives others permission to rest. Drinking water reminds others they may need more water.
When I play a Pokémon game, Bulbasaur is usually my team leader. He's the one who has been with my character the longest, and he's the first one out there when we come to a challenge! Seeing the crown on the tiny Bulbasaur is a reminder that you actually have a responsibility to others to make sure you are taking care of yourself. Acting like self-care is selfish and others need you more than that… No. That's not how it works. What that says, if you look at it under the surface, is that you'll just give others whatever scraps are left of the day and then blame them for there not being more.
Sometimes that crown is heavy, but Bulbasaur reminds us that sometimes we have to give ourselves the best. Not just what is fun and happy, but what is healthy and helps us grow. Sometimes a leader needs to pass the leadership over to someone else for a while and go take a nap.