Learning Story - The Elephant And Antelope

Addressing Imbalance With Our Heart Energy Centre

Many people suffer from imbalances in their heart energy centre, often known as the heart chakra. Those imbalances can create unhelpful behavioural patterns in our business and personal relationships. You can use the learning story “The Elephant And Antelope” if you’re working with clients with personal or business relationship challenges.

Whether you choose to embed this metaphor within NLP training or use it in isolation, allow the client to absorb the information in their own space and time. Another option is to read this story to your children as a bed time story!

A Little Background

In this story, the elephant symbolises the ROOT chakra and the Antelope symbolises the HEART chakra. The Dark Antelope symbolises the THIRD EYE chakra. Actually, our root chakra works in tandem with our heart chakra. When one of them is out of balance, the other often moves out of equilibrium.

Indeed, when both are balanced, we can build a strong foundation of trust and connection.

The Elephant And Antelope

The elephant and the antelope had been great friends since childhood. Born in the same year, the elephant was just slightly older than the antelope. They had been an inseparable pair and were present in each of their earliest memories.

In fact, they balanced each other perfectly. That is to say, the elephant was sociable, thoughtful and protective and the antelope was full of inspiration, tenderness and grace. Together they explored their sanctuary and were often found upside down, giggling at their shared jokes and explorations.

Relationships Change

During their teenage years, the antelope began to feel possessive of the elephant who had developed a wide group of friends. What’s more, as the antelope noticed her possessive thinking, she started to notice that antelopes are not like elephants in many ways.

Moreover, she noticed that more than just the physical differences, they had different values and beliefs. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more she noticed that the elephant was solid, heavy and steady, whereas she was springy, light and graceful.

Envy And Jealousy Can Be Consuming

One day, when the elephant and the antelope were wandering the reserve they encountered a group of the elephant’s friends. Disappointed, and not wanting to get too close to the giraffe who seemed enormous today. Additionally, she had no desire to tumble with the other elephants, who looked big and boisterous. Hence, the antelope dropped her head and announced she was going home to rest.

Confused, the elephant could sense something different about the antelope. He’d known for a while, being a sensitive creature, that the antelope’s energy did not feel right. She hadn’t looked deep into his eyes for a few weeks now and he missed her connection.

He turned around and trumpeted to her as she vanished in the distance. Hey wait! I’m want to know what’s the matter. What’s changed? You used to love playing together with everyone. Are you okay?

Sometimes It Feels Unsafe to Speak Our Truth

Unable to express her feelings because it seemed so strange to acknowledge that she wanted the elephant to herself. How was it that he didn’t know? What’s more, why couldn’t he read her mind. That is to say, they knew each other so well. Hence, she looked at him with her peripheral vision so as to avoid falling deep into the abyss of his ocular knowing.

Finally, she said “Nothing’s wrong, I’m just tired, and you seem to enjoy the company of the group more than just my company anyway, so go and have fun with your friends.” At high speed, she turned and ran at high speed back to the camp.

The elephant started to speak and yet before the words came out she had vanished. He felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart. Additionally, he wondered how long this had been going on. Wracking his brains, he tried to remember when he had first noticed that the energy had shifted between them. However, he couldn’t pinpoint a precise time. Had he been selfish? Was he responsible for this emotional treacle which she had just poured upon him? Quite frankly, he felt out of sorts. In fact, body didn’t flow in the normal way as he turned around and walked back to join his other friends.

When The Energy Changes In One, There's A Natural Energy Shift In The Other

“Ow” said the giraffe as the elephant ducked the ball between his legs and crashed into him, sending him tumbling. Actually, the elephant couldn’t hear. Here he was celebrating his goal. Now, that was all that had mattered, he had won.

“You’re not normally so boisterous” said the giraffe to his friend. It’s only a game you know.

Later on that day, the elephant went to check on the antelope. Again she still refused to look him in the eye and when he once again asked her how she was. Simply and without a hint of warmth she said “I’m fine, and you couldn’t help even if I wasn’t”.

In a sea of disappointment and confusion the elephant felt as if the energy had been knocked out of him. He fell to his knees and into a long sleep. In fact, he didn’t even eat dinner.

The Energy Impact of Separation

When he woke up, there was chatter in the camp. Indeed, as he rubbed his eyes with his giant feet, for some reason this seemed to improve his hearing. Had he heard right? The antelope had left the camp? Without saying goodbye. He could not believe his dear friend would leave without saying goodbye. Emotionally, he felt hurt. In fact, he felt profoundly and deeply hurt by this betrayal. What had he done to deserve this?

He rushed to find the Antelope’s parents. “Where has she gone?” he asked. “She’s traveling with family. She said she wanted to spend time on her own and discover some life for herself. She’ll be home in time” said the girl’s mother. Actually, her voice softened as she suddenly saw the forlorn look on the face of her daughter’s life long friend. Then she remember. “Oh, she left this for you.”
The antelope’s mother dipped her antlers and passed a note into the elephant’s trunk. It simply said, “We should find a way to be happy without each other. Your friend Antelope.”

Hurt, Vulnerability And A Lack of Understanding Are So Often Masked With Anger

A sudden rage swelled inside the elephant. He marched out of the camp and headed towards the forest. There, moving like a whiling dervish, he tore trees, branch from branch, until some were entirely uprooted. Tired after his outburst he fell asleep in the forest.

When he woke it was dark. He felt spaced out and fearful. In fact, all of a sudden the sounds in the forest seemed alien to him and he couldn’t trust his own safety. So, he scrambled towards the edge of the forest on his belly – hoping not to be noticed by anybody.

When he finally made his way back to camp, the giraffe invited him for dinner. “No, said the elephant sharply, you’re going to leave eventually too so I’d rather not be friends anymore.”

A Strong Foundation Completely Out Of Balance

Conversely, just as the giraffe turned around and said “suit yourself” the elephant rushed at him, and held him close in apology. “I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean it. I do want to have dinner with you. I just feel really strange, as if I’m off balance. Please let me be with you tonight.”

Confused, and yet easy company, the giraffe indulged the elephant and ignored the strange behaviour.

After a few weeks, the elephant had become the concern of all the other animals in the camp. He had lost a significant amount of weight, he seem spacey and often in a daydream. What’s more, he was either clingy or dismissive with his friends and often expressed bouts of rage, making more trees in the forest his victims.

Time To Take Action With The Elephant

One day, the Lion could stand the sound of the elephant tearing up the trees no longer. He prowled over to see the elephant’s parents.

“What is wrong with your son, is he experiencing Musth?”

In dismay, his parents explained that he was suffering from a broken heart and he would not talk to them. Moreover, they could find no way to reach out to him or connect with him.

“Mmmmmm” said the lion. “Well in that case, we need to summon the dark antelope and she can infuse the elephant with her wisdom.”

As a result, the lion went in search of the dark antelope.

A Change Of Scene Brings A New Perspective

Far on the other side of the reserve the antelope was discovering more and more of herself. As she ran around with her distant relatives, gamboling and jumping as if she was as light as a feather, she began to find the feeling of joy she used to have with her best friend the elephant.

In fact, the more fun she had, the more she thought of him. Until one day, after nearly 2 months, she realised that it was time to go home. Her cup was full. She had learned that finding joy in herself had allowed her to realise that love comes in many forms.

What’s more, she’d realised that she had enough love to share with many more people than she had shared with before.

Then suddenly, in that moment, she realised the gift or life skill of her friend the elephant. Even though he loved her dearly, he had so much love to share with all his other friends too. In that moment, she realised that the love he shared with his other friends did not diminish the love they shared. In fact, she realised that her safe and steady friend shared a love with each and every creature that was unique. The awareness of his sensitive nature allowed her to know that it could be ignited through love, safety and the support of his enormous friend network.

However, at the peak of this enlightened thought, sorrow flushed through her veins. In fact, she started to wonder “how will I get him to forgive my crazy and emotional outburst.” She felt empty. She vowed to take 2-days straight until she found a way. After this, she would return home and show him how much she loved him.

The Intuitive Healer

Meanwhile on the other side of the reserve the black antelope found the elephant banging his forehead repeatedly on the largest tree in the forest. “Interesting approach” said the black antelope. “I know your power is charging through blocks and yet why fight a battle you cannot win?”

“What do you care?” Said the elephant dismissively. “I care because you care, my friend, and I can see that your sensitive energy is out of alignment, as if you think there’s something missing.”

“No – I am on my own and on my own I shall stay. I am strong alone. No-one can touch me and I am safe. I shall build the highest walls from these trees and live inside my private palace. I shall grow the sweetest treats and sell them to all the other animals. I shall have all the power. I will be known as the best and even the Lion will not dare to try to take me down.”

Real Stability Cannot Be Shaken

“Is that so?” Said the dark antelope, free from any hint of emotion. “Well, before that, I wonder if you might humour me. That sounds like a lot of hard work and so unnecessary when you can live as easily as you did just a few weeks ago at the social heart of this community. Anyway, you want what you want” said the dark antelope. “But before you go into isolation, would you spend the next 2 days with me please?”

“So you want to spend time with greatness” said the elephant. “Fine, I will grant your wish. What are we going to do for 2 days – I hope I’m going to enjoy it.”

The dark antelope was unmoved by the ego-centric comment, as if he was expecting it. “Yes my friend, you will enjoy it. But first, will you agree to do whatever I want for the next two days … and then afterwards, it can be ALL about you.”

“FINE!” said the elephant belligerently.

“Good, so let’s begin.” said the Dark Antelope, smiling a toothy grin.

The Dark Antelope Begins The Elephant's Healing Journey

For the next two days, the dark antelope ran the elephant up and down the reserve at high speed, trumpeting at high volume and jumping through hoops. To begin with the elephant resisted and yet soon he found his rhythm and began to feel like his old self again.

The dark antelope spoke so kindly to him. Look how strong you are, look how majestic you are, look how handsome you are, feel how safe you are, over and over again the empowering words were chanted. On the third day, the elephant woke up ready for action and chattering away to the dark antelope.

The dark antelope smiled and said “thank you for giving me two days of your time. I have enjoyed the time we spent together and learned a great deal. Now it’s time for me to leave you in peace. I will be back to check on you from time to time and I will think of you lovingly often.”

For a moment, the elephant felt sad and asked what he would do all by himself. And the antelope gazed far into the distance at all the elephants friends and family, stirring in the early morning sunrise on the other side of the reserve.

A Perfect Farewell

“You have so many people who want to be connected with you – just as you were only a few weeks ago.” Go to them and feel that deep energetic joyful connection and remember you are loved, safe and connected to everyone and everything.”

It was the best goodbye ever. Elephant wrapped his front legs and trunk around the antelope and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.” I love you”, said the elephant. “I see you”, said the Antelope.

Elephant marched back into camp and bounded over to his friend Giraffe to tell him how much he appreciated their friendship. Giraffe look at him, confused and then said, “okay let’s play football.”

As the teams gathered, the old group of friends laughed and joked as they played their jovial game of football.

Journeys Often Begin Where They First Started

And it was where she had left him that she found him again. Laughing loudly as he scored the first goal of the game, she could feel the vibration of his laughter creating that giggly feeling in her. She was relieved to feel the deep love that she had felt before. And she realised, that it was not the same love, it was deeper and more profound. She felt connected to him. It was only by allowing the darkness in that she could feel the completeness of love, beyond the fairytale. And she sat there on the sidelines, quietly watching him and cheering with all of their friends, as one.

Tripped over by the giraffe he fell right in front of her. And looking up he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I’m so sorry” she said. “I never meant to hurt you. I just couldn’t get comfortable with how to relate to our friendship. I needed to work it out.”

Picking her up in his trunk and tossing her in the air with a loud trumpet, she knew she was forgiven. And at the end of the game, he sat with her watching the sunset. Gently he said, we both needed space to remember who we are without each other. Unless we deal with the shadow of love, our experience of it will be incomplete. I know that now.

Clearly, now I realise that our energies were too connected, so when you wobbled, it tipped me off balance and we were both out of kilter. Who knows who wobbled first. Hence, let’s just acknowledge that we weren’t able to release that energy because we didn’t free it through our words.

We Can Connect Through Communication And Sometimes No Words Are Needed

At the end of the game, he sat with her watching the sunset. Gently he said, “we both needed space to remember who we are without each other. Unless we deal with the shadow of love, our experience of it will be incomplete. I know that now.”

“Clearly, now I realise that our energies are so connected, so when you wobbled, it tipped me off balance and we were both out of kilter. Who knows who wobbled first. Hence, let’s just acknowledge that we weren’t able to release that energy because we didn’t free it through our words.”

Sitting there, they agreed to speak freely in safety with one another from now on. “Antelope, my friend, from this place of knowledge I can love you unconditionally. Know I will always be here for you.”

Then the Antelope turned and she looked deep into the abyss of his eyes and knew their bond was forever forged. In fact, no words could have expressed a deeper meaning.

And they leaned in to feel one another in total energetic alignment.

Safe and comfortable in perfect heart and root balance and harmony.

THE END.