The power of Metaphors in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
All my life I saw the crocodile as a cold, dangerous animal.
Last year, my dear friend and fellow facilitator, Sylvia Huisman posted a story from one of her workshops about a young student who placed a small flower on a crocodile and said, “Even someone who seems offensive has something good in them.”
A few months later, when I met her, I remembered to tell her how the build touched me as I had always seen crocodile as fearsome.
This year, my thoughtful friend gifted me a LEGO® crocodile with hearts on her tongue, along with a note that said “The Power of the Crocodile.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗲
𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹
The crocodile as a power animal is a creature of ancient wisdom, a silent master of both land and water. It carries the strength of survival, patiently waiting in still waters, conserving its energy, and striking only when the moment is perfect. It teaches the art of patience and timing, showing that not all battles need to be fought at once.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘀
Moving effortlessly between water and land, the crocodile embodies the bridge between the unconscious depths of our emotions and the conscious reality we walk in each day. It invites us to explore the hidden currents within ourselves, trust our intuition, and navigate life with keen awareness.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Its mighty jaws and armored body symbolize protection and power, reminding us to honor our boundaries and defend our space. As it sheds its old skin, the crocodile teaches transformation and the courage to let go of what no longer serves us and emerge renewed and stronger.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
Above all, the crocodile embodies strategic patience. It strikes not out of impulse, but with careful calculation. Strength is not just in force, but in knowing when to act and when to wait.
𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵
The crocodile as a power animal calls us to dive deep into our emotions, trust our instincts, act with intention, and move through life with both wisdom and strength.
The more I read it, the more I began to see the creature as one who survives by 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, by 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, by 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴.
Now, that little green crocodile with hearts sits calmly on my table. Every time I see it, I wonder, how one creature can mean so many things: fierce, gentle, feared, and loved depending on where we stand, what we’ve lived, and what we’re ready to understand.
Now, that is the beauty of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP): through building and metaphors, we can see differently, think differently, and sometimes understand ourselves and others in ways we never expected.
Even the misunderstood have something to teach if we just look again.
Manali Mitra is the Founder and Chief Facilitator of BlockstoUnblock Studio LLP
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Taming The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) Method
What “The Little Prince” teaches about LSP facilitation and ethics My love for literature and L…
From Skepticism to the Holy Grail
Decoding the mystery of unmotivated teachers Few years back I got a call from the Head of L&D at…
The Beauty of Being “Sufficiently Unclear”
When the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Master Trainers stumped me with the paradox of clarity, only to reveal …
The Throne and The Blindspot
This is the story of how a legacy organisation used LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® to bring hidden dy…
LSP and Gen Z
When budding designers find their voice Situated in the picturesque foothills of the Western Gh…
Rethinking the Crocodile
The power of Metaphors in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® All my life I saw the crocodile as a cold, dangerous a…
