If, while idly browsing among your fingertips, you should happen upon a fingerprint pattern that looks like a bunch of little lines defining a camel's hump or maybe a wave, you have probably discovered the fingerprint known as an arch. All of us can identify with some of the concerns associated with this fingerprint, but to those with two or more of them, the issues they represent are especially relevant. Some who have of number of these fingerprints think of them as "arch enemies." Just remember: if you have 'em, you asked for 'em.

Arches stand for safety: safety in your body, in your emotions, and on the planet. Arches represent the life-scale learning program of turning struggle into ease. To facilitate this, people who are dueling with arches create experiences that invite alarm and panic. For example, if your fingertips were loaded with arches, how would you handle something like punctuality? If you had and 8:00 flight or a 3:45 appointment, would you press your luck by leaving the house a few minutes late, then driving a little too fast, clipping those yellow lights as they turn red? If you had multiple arches, wouldn't you sign up for stressful life situations, the better to practice panic control (nine kids and an absent spouse, car trouble, run-ins with chain saws, falling out of trees, losing your keys, taking a wrong turn)?

And how would you handle those stresses? Wouldn't your first choice be to go numb? Yes, if you had a lot of arches, you would be tempted to shut down emotionally: to drink, or to do drugs to control your trepidation. Any zombies you might know could be stuck in the early phase of dealing with arch issues. Ouch! But there are other, more successful ways to learn how to be safe and it is no accident that the people who have the most arches may be the most likely to seek out and ultimately find quietude in the presence of panic. Such people may find success in grounding themselves through their physical bodies. They may find a deep connection with nature. They may become superb organizers, planners, and efficiency experts. And they may be the ones to ask the most disarmingly essential questions, grounding themselves and the rest of us in security.

Fingerprints are with us for life. If you are in quest of ease and safety, the urge to stir up struggle will surface throughout your life, even as you move toward a balanced life. Just when things have been going so well, when you've gotten so organized, you overload your tight schedule. Suddenly you're feeling behind, tense, overwhelmed, and your spouse is mad at you. Again! At The IIHA, we call this adrenal addiction, but it's just your way of learning more about finding a center of peace and calm. Take a deep breath and give yourself credit for that.

AAAAH!