3D: Damsels, Dragons, and Doggies

Dragonfly takes a little rest to enjoy a fading bloom

Light always lightens the load.

Recent experiences of life in 3D on planet earth here in the woods of the Sangre de Cristo range have found me focused on Zadie Byrd, in particular calming her during stormy weather (we’re in week two of our ‘monsoon’ season – more thunder than rain, though grateful for every drop) and at night when I turn out the lights.

So, what do damsels and dragons have to do with that, you might ask? Are there really dragons and damsels in the woods out back? Well, no (at least not visible to me in this 3D body), but during this time of exploration and experimentation with Zadie Byrd I’ve been blessed with several damselfly and dragonfly visits. These amazing creatures of nature symbolize light, in particular the power of light.

And light is what I want to shed on Zadie’s reactivity. Clarity to define a path to easing her tension and reactive nature is my aim. Lightening my load in the process is my intention.

About the same time as I began to seek the advice of experts, explore options, including the possibility of finding her a new home, dragonfly and damselfly began to ‘visit’. My first sighting was a dragonfly resting in a hanging basket while I tended the flowers. I took note and welcomed it, since, after all my home is the Dragonfly House.

Then, yesterday, I observed a damsel(fly) in distress – inside the kitchen window, flying into the glass in an apparent effort to get back to its world outside that window. The rescue and relocation were simple – a nearby yogurt container and a piece of paper provided just the vehicle needed to secure and transport this amazing creature to the door. Upon release, I wished it well and the damselfly quickly flew into a nearby pine where it landed, seeming to look down and offer a nod of thanks.

Damselfly in Distress

This morning after a walk in the labyrinth, I saw a brief flash of light as I sat on a log in the nearby ‘circle of elders.’ After a few moments, I decided to investigate the end of the log where I’d seen the flash. Voila! There was a (the?) damselfly. Reminding me yet again to bring the power of light to every project, every issue, every concern.  Light always lightens the load.

Yesterday’s rescue and this morning’s encounter remind me of a woodpecker that I saw tangled in a mess of fishing line in a bush many years ago. After calming the bird and painstakingly disentangling it, it flew to the top of the bush and landed. We looked at one another for a bit, me amazed that the being could still fly and the woodpecker seeming grateful for its freedom. I saw that woodpecker frequently in the days that followed.

The muse carries me to these tales (tails?) giving pause (paws?) for reflection and to remember that amidst change, especially change from the inside out, letting go of that which no longer (indeed may have never) serves us we sometimes take several steps forward, then falter or even take a step back. This part of the process offers the opportunity to take stock of where we are, where we’re headed, and make adjustments.  It can also be a pause for gratitude for whatever gifts the event is bringing us and a reminder that while nature is in service to us, we are best served when we honor and serve the nature on which we depend.

Although Zadie Byrd can’t speak human words to tell me what’s going on, like all canine companions she speaks through her actions, her eyes, and her body language. She takes me to that place of listening with my eyes and registering with my heart, a pause (paws) that refreshes.

Source of Light - Damselfly at Rest on a Log

The Wisdom of Dog

Looking to the great beyond …

We humans should never forget our capacity to connect with the collective spirit of animals. Their energy is essential for our future growth. Shirley MacLaine (Dancing in the Light)

I think it’s no accident that the letters of God, when reversed spell Dog. Or, is that the letters of Dog, spell God? I’ve come understand and be grateful for them both as teachers. Perhaps Dog and God are one and the same.

Over these past six months since the amazing Cool Hand Luke Skywalker left his body to continue his journey in the spirit world, I’ve been inspired to explore the canine world and our human relationship to it more deeply. I’m curious about how we humans can be better partners with our canine friends. What do they teach us? How can we better learn? What are their needs? What brings them joy and satisfaction?

Inspired by the partnership that CHLS and I grew over almost 10 years, I wanted to know how I might be a better human partner when a new dog came into my life.

Along the path I’ve read books and watched videos by trainers, animal behaviorists, animal communicators and more. I participated in two amazing animal communication workshops. I learned a bit about the world of service dogs and how they are trained.

I stumbled across a book written by visionary thinker and human potential teacher, Jean Houston. In Mystical Dogs: Animals as Guides to Our Inner Life, Houston chronicles the lessons brought to her by a parade of dogs in her household over decades. I’ve explored the vast diversity in approaches to training – from (ugh!) old school obedience (‘I am the boss of you’) to the positive reinforcement approach in favor by many today. I’m no dog, but I’ll take treats over punishment any day and be much better for it.

Sitting quietly or on solo walks in the woods I often deeply feel Luke’s presence. When I’m open and curious I sense his energetic presence and guidance. He still comes when I call.  And, he appreciates when I speak of him in the present not the past. He knows that life is a continuum that does not end, but merely changes form or is sometimes formless. He’s free of the constraints of the body and tells me “I’m much more powerful here.”

I’m coming to appreciate how deeply intertwined our human potential is with that of our animal companions. Unlocking that potential requires a shift in our mindset from animals as mere pets or companions, to embracing them as wise partners on the journey of life.  I’m beyond blessed that having Luke in my life opened the door to this potential and that he continues to partner with me as the journey continues. 

And, I’m grateful that my heart was cracked open a couple weeks back when I met Sadie at a nearby animal shelter. We’re a pack of three, two of us in body, and Luke in spirit, learning, loving, and growing together.

My heart says that our animals need us for more than the care, feeding and shelter we provide. My heart says their wisdom can guide and support us in these chaotic, challenging, changing times. My heart wonders how I will rise to the potential of tapping into that wisdom. What about your heart?

Dear Human — I’m here to teach you to play!

Forgiveness: A Requirement for Resiliency and Peace

Snowy clouds obscure the mountains’ majesty as holding resentment obscures our own …

Forgiveness is more than a function, more than something we do or say to others (or to ourselves) after they (or we) have done something wrong. Forgiveness is an attitude of nonjudgmentalism, whereby we're always looking for the true self in another person, the spark of divinity, the best, the creative potential.  Joan Borysenko (Pace e Bene’s This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey – January 22, 2020)

They caused the first wound, but you are causing the rest; this is what not forgiving does. They got it started, but you keep it going. Forgive and let go, or it will eat you alive. You think they made you feel this way, but when you won't forgive, you are the one inflicting pain on yourself. Bryant McGill (Pace e Bene’s This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey – January 21, 2020)

Last week when I explored nurturing resiliency (here if you missed it) I didn’t see resiliency’s link to forgiveness. I invited readers to think of a challenge you’ve faced and to consider ‘in what ways was your resiliency hampered?’  Little did I know that the question would bring me straight to the importance of, indeed the requirement for, forgiveness as an element of resiliency.  

In fact, the connection didn’t occur to me until this morning as I was re-reading the two quotes above. When I first saw them, they resonated deeply.  I knew that this week’s musing would be built around them. What I didn’t know was how up close and personal that would prove to be.

Borysenko’s idea of forgiveness as an attitude not simply an act struck me first. It seems obvious upon considering. Like love, forgiveness is not something we do then check off our list. Forgiveness is a way of life, of being grounded in the non—judgmental understanding that everyone has their story, good and bad; we are all different, we are all the same. Unity. We are one. (Yes, even those who have ‘done us wrong’ and those whose views and behaviors we loathe.) Gulp! Such words are easy. Practicing them as a way of life is our challenge. It requires vigilance. In order to forgive we must let go of our need to be right. I have some work to do.

It was the quote from McGill that really got my attention (or should I say shook me from the inside out?).  I was invited to look at a resentment I’ve held for a while around a promise not kept (at least I thought a promise was made).  Beyond that personal event, I was invited to look at the many judgments I hold. Judgments about those who see their companion animals as pets to be controlled rather than as partners deserving respect and care. Judgments about some social media posts and those who make them. Judgments toward those who perpetuate violence upon the planet, to those whose political views and behavior I abhor, and beyond.

McGill’s words invited me to look at the cost - to me personally and to the greater whole of which I am a part.  I saw how failing to forgive wears me down, impacts my well-being, my resiliency, my peace. Whether as a conscious, intentional choice (as in ‘I’ll never forgive him, her, etc.”) or simply because we are unconscious of the opportunity before us, there is a high personal cost of holding on to our judgments. Indeed, not forgiving can be seen an act of violence against ourselves. I experienced one of those wonderful, yet excruciating and humbling ‘duh, but of course, ah-ha’ moments. Blessed be!

I have some work to do this week on my personal resiliency, my peace, indeed my health and well-being. It’s not just eating right, taking my vitamins, and physical exercise, it’s taking a deeper dive into what forgiveness means to me and how I will embrace it today, tomorrow, and beyond. Stay tuned!

Beyond the clouds … blue skies to come!

Animals, Integrity and Humility

A Small Bird Visits for An Early Morning Feast

All animals on this planet help forge a living energy chain, tying together the power of Nature to the manifestation of life. From the lowliest ant to the largest mammal, Earth animals support our human existence. They are the conduits through which vital Earth energy passes. Gregge Tiffen (It’s Springtime: Flow with the Power of Nature­ – April, 2007)

As the new year dawned, an event occurred that required me to a make a choice about whether to save (or at least attempt to) an animal. Thus, this week’s muse doesn’t take me to the land of goals and commitment and action in the way that an early January post typically does.

The small animal, possibly a bird, a mouse or another species of small critter, had somehow found its way into an interior wall of the house. The fluttering and thumping sounds indicated that it was desperately trying to find its way back to the point of entry (a point I have yet to find).

A friend was visiting at the time. We prayed, calling on Spirit and other nature beings to bring energetic support and help the critter escape. If this being couldn’t find the way out, the only possibility for rescue was cutting a hole in the wall near the sound and hoping the poor creature could get to that opening where we would be waiting with a box to relocate it back to the woods.

The wall contains numerous electrical boxes and wires, so cutting required tools and experience that I don’t have.  I needed the help of someone more skilled than I but calls to friends and helpers on my list turned up empty.  In hindsight, that’s no surprise as I was torn. I wanted to save the animal, yet I wondered whether the expense of cutting a hole then repairing it was worth it. Especially with no guarantee that the creature would survive.

In the end, I made the choice to abandon an attempted rescue. In doing so, I find myself humbled by facing the reality, once again, that my love of nature and the animal kingdom has limits. As millions (half a billion at the last count I heard) of creatures are dying and more threatened by the bush fires in Australia, did I fail to take an action that might have made a difference in the delicate chain that is life on our planet? Everything matters you know.

Did I compromise my integrity in the choice that I made? What does ‘worth it’ even mean? If as Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated,” how did I measure up in this instance?  While I won’t beat myself up over my choice or these questions, they are worthy of exploration.

The event was a powerful reminder that everything matters. No event (and no creature) is too small to not teach me something. Now, it’s up to me to decide how I will use and apply that learning.

Before the snow …