The Starfish Story

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The Starfish Story

adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)





Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."



The End.


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Starfish as a Totem
A person with a Starfish Totem will protect himself from and be prepared for any sort of danger. Usually this will be done through diversification. So, like the Starfish having its brain and senses distributed, the Starfish Totem will never have all of his eggs in one basket, so to speak. So, he will never have his money invested in one place. He will prefer to have several part time jobs to one full time one. He will prefer to have many romantic and sexual partners going at the same time instead of one monogamous partner. This is good and bad really. Really this will allow the Starfish to remain at the balance and equilibrium he likes, but it won't bring the rewards that come with investing in one job or one relationship. Starfish Totem people will seem quite calm and at times uninteresting. This is sometimes only an appearance, for the Starfish totem is the master at making others underestimate them. Then when others least expect it, they do something bold and quick and surprising (similar to the Starfish shooting out its stomach to capture a larger prey). The Starfish totem will be acutely aware of its surroundings and all that is going on. Even when he looks like he is vegging out on the couch, he is hyper aware. This comes from the Starfish’s 360 degree vision. Romantically, the Starfish will not make any attachments at all, simply living from lover to lover. When he is in brief relationships, though, he will tend to share tasks and items equally with his partner. Careers will always trouble a Starfish Totem as he will not wish to commit to one path. The best career for the Starfish is several part time jobs at once. Remember that if you run into a Starfish Totem, do not underestimate them and don’t try to corner them into one way of being or thinking or doing. Other than that, enjoy them as they are interesting individuals.

~Written by RavenDreamer
See full article at: http://www.spiracanada.com/spiralbound/2007/yule/totem.htm

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