A little while ago, the wonderful River introduced me to Rob Brezsny’s Free Will Astrology. This week’s horoscope has piqued my interest a tad:
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Ninety-seven percent of all youth play video games, dwarfing the number of kids who participate in activities like basketball, track, and javelin throwing. That’s why I’m an advocate of making video games an Olympic sport. We should recognize where the real future of competitive sports lies. I mention this, Sagittarius, because it would be a good time for you to start upgrading your video game prowess in preparation for a possible berth in the 2012 or 2016 Olympics. In fact, the moment is right to plan on getting the training you’d need to become a master of any skills that may eventually win you rewards, even if they’re not yet getting their rightful due from our culture.
The bit that intrigues me is the concept of getting the training you’d need to become a master of any skills that may eventually win you rewards, even if they’re not yet getting their rightful due from our culture. This is exactly what I am hoping to do with my work in the Foundation for Holistic Spirituality, which I talk about in my newly-updated LJ Profile, and also my work as a Spiritual Companion in the future.
Every experience is an opportunity — a chance to learn, to grow, to challenge oneself and stretch to one’s limits… And beyond. Cast off the shackles, tear down the curtains, step forth and let the light shine through and on. That frission of fear you may feel, that nagging doubt, that ache which calls into question your belief of your own self-worth… Let that all go. Reach down inside your body, feel the knowledge and wisdom and energy in your bones, in your blood. Everything is rooted in the body — so feel it, and stretch out — and experience. Grow. Inspire, and be inspired.
And most of all: Enjoy.
I have come across three quotes recently, which have spoken to the deepest areas of my soul — so I thought I would share them here for others to be similarily inspired.
“If you don’t change the direction in which you are going, you will end up where you are headed.” — Confuicus (reputedly)
“We all want to be free. That is human nature. We want to be free from pain and suffering and limitations. If we look deeply into our hearts, we know what we want; we are in love with the condition of liberation. Our pain is the feeling of alienation or separattion from our Beloved, which is this freedom … But finding true nature is not for the timid. It requires courage and a sense of adventure, a fearless heart, and optimistic strength.” — Hameed Ali
“Our own worst enemy cannot harm us as much as our unwise thoughts. No one can help us as much as our own compassionate thoughts.” — Jack Kornfield
Further to last January’s announcement regarding the national regulation of complementary therapies such as Reiki, aromatherapy, massage and so on, the BBC reports on the launch of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).
Here’s a copy of the BBC News article in full. My thoughts follow — so please scroll down if you’ve already read it.
Alternative therapy ‘crackdown’
by Nick Triggle, Health reporter, BBC News
The head of the UK’s first regulator for complementary medicine has promised to get tough with the industry and drive out cowboy therapists.
Maggie Dunn, co-chairman of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), said it was time customers were given proper assurances. She said the regulator, which is being launched on Monday, would clean up the industry used by one in five people. And she estimated thousands of clinics may go out of business in the process.
The main plank of the council’s work will be to operate a register of practitioners. It will not judge clinics on whether therapies are effective, but rather on whether they operate a professional and safe business.
To get on to the government-backed register, therapists will have to show they have the right training and experience, abide by a code of conduct and ensure they have insurance in place.
Ms Dunn told the BBC News website: “I think most of the profession is operating to good standards, but we know not everyone will be able to register. If that means that people who are not up to scratch are driven out of business, I will not cry for them.”
There are over 150,000 complementary medicine therapists working in the UK.
Ms Dunn said she suspected between half and two thirds of them would make it on to the register which would allow them to use the regulator logo on literature and display in shops. Of the rest, some would just need a little extra training to make the grade, but that would still leave many thousands who were not good enough.
Regulator’s standards
As applying to the register is voluntary, Ms Dunn accepted that some therapists might not put themselves forward. But she said they would be found out in the end as “within a year or so” customers will be looking to only use therapists who have met the regulator’s standards. Ms Dunn said: “It won’t take long for customers to starting asking whether a practitioner is registered or searching on our website for ones that are. They will then vote with their feet.”
At first the register will be open to massage and nutritional therapists, but in the coming months it will be rolled out to areas such as aromatherapy, reflexology and homeopathy.
“It is easy to think these are all low-risk specialities, but I know someone who had a rib broken by a masseur so it is important we have proper regulation.”
Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter’s Peninsula Medical School, said: “There does need to be more rigour in the regulation of complementary medicine as there will certainly be cowboys out there. However, I have concerns that the regulator does not have mandatory powers and is not looking at the efficacy of these therapies.”
Health minister Ben Bradshaw welcomed the establishment of the CNHC.
“Members of the public who use these therapies will be able to check whether the practitioner they’re seeing is registered with the CNHC,” he said. “If they are, they have the reassurance of knowing that they have had to meet minimum standards of qualification and that they have signed up to a rigorous code of conduct. Practitioners too will benefit by increased public confidence.”
Therapists will have to pay £45 a year to join the register.
As a member of the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT), I have been kept up to date with the development of the CNHC throughout the year and have been waiting for its launch. I hope that the creation of this Council will enable therapists and clients alike to have more faith and flexibility in the various therapies available today, and less opportunities for wannabes, cowboys or con artists to make their mark. I also hope that the guidelines and procedures offered by the Council will offer greater safety — again, both for therapists and for clients.
My main concern with organisations such as this is whether they will get caught up in politics, governmental ideals, or misunderstand/misrepresent the therapies in question. A lot of decent, qualified and honest therapists may lose out if any of this become the case, which would be a shame. Holistic therapies needs more good publicity — we’ve had too much bad press in the past, so something positive and authoratative would be good for all concerned.
The other worrying thing is that there does already seem to be some fragmentation as to the regulation of holistic therapies in the UK — for as well as the CNHC, there is also the General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies (GRCCT). Again, I have been watching and reading about this Council via the FHT news, and find it interesting considering that this has grown out of a Federal Working Group (FWG), set up in January 2007 as recommended by the House of Lords and supported by the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health. In contrast, the CNHC is supported and funded by the Department of Health.
However, it does mean that there are currently two competing voluntary self-regulating bodies for holistic therapies — the GRCCT (which was launched in late 2007) and the CNHC, which launches today.
As the FHT has pointed out, “…there should be a clear separation between the regulatory body that is responsible for protecting the public and the leading therapy body that is providing profession specific advice” (FHT News Regulation Update to Members, retrieved 19th January 2008). At present, neither organisation seems to offer that precise distinction — but maybe things will improve. It seems stupid to have to register on both bodies, but it could be that this is the best way forward for therapists at this time, in order to achieve the greatest exposure to potential clients and to “prove” the belief of the therapist in self-regulation and appropriate registration of holistic therapies.
However, it is also interesting to bear in mind that all this currently covers only twelve therapies —
– Alexander Technique
– Aromatherapy
– Bowen Technique
– Cranial Therapy
– Homeopathy
– Massage
– Nutritional Therapy
– Naturopathy
– Reflexology
– Reiki
– Shiatsu
– Yoga Therapy
… which leaves a whole heap of other therapies (e.g. Crystal Healing, Essence Therapy, Muscle Energy Technique… et cetera) currently without any guidance or information on becoming self-regulated. It could be that, in time, either the CNHC or GRCCT (or whomever they merge to become — maybe — or even a third body to compete against them both) will expand to offer registration and regulation to as many therapies as possible, in order to provide both therapists and clients the best possible support and service available.
Of course, this means increased cost to the therapist — which will have to be passed on to the client. *sighs*
I am thinking about the GRCCT registration process, and while I am not currently registered there I am considering it. Fully insured, and as well as being a member of the FHT, I already hold memberships in the British Flower and Vibrational Essences Assocation (BFVEA), the Flower Essence Society (FES), and the UK Reiki Federation (UKRF). Many of these bodies are members of, or are interested in joining, regulatory councils such as the GRCCT and the CNHC. However, I think I will wait to see what the CNHC requirements are, and how they fully compare to the GRCCT, once they have been up and running for a while — and then make a decision as to who to register with for the purposes of self-regulation.
To this end, I have already emailed the CNHC to request that they inform me once the Reiki register is open for applications. At present, that’s the only therapy that I practice which is affected by all this — however, future plans for my continued personal and professional development (CPPD) in this field may require me to register in other therapies later in time. We shall see what happens there. In any case, I should hear via the FHT regarding the opening of the Reiki register — but it doesn’t hurt to register my interest directly with the CNHC and cover one’s bases, so to speak.
For the moment, there’s nothing more I can do in terms of becoming registered and undergoing voluntary regulation. I think what I will do, though, is sit down at some point and sort out my professional portfolio. I need to ensure all the certificates for my qualifications and CPPD work are in there, along with any other documentation and my insurance details. If I can get that sorted out over the next few months, then it means that I should have everything on-hand once the register does open and I make my decision regarding registration.
I just hope that all this works, and does what it is supposed to — without further damaging the image of holistic therapies and the therapists who practice them.
A friend of mine, Elizabeth Bear, twittered earlier about a sign in a shop window. The sign itself reads: “Your voice is more important thank your fear”.
I find this quite thought-provoking, really. How many of us haven’t spoken of our opinions or stood up for our beliefs solely through fear? Whether it be the fear of the consequences, of being laughed at, of not being taken seriously — fear has a big part to play in why we don’t do things… And, sometimes, why we do.
But why have a voice if one is not to use it? Why form individual opinions and beliefs if one is not going to share? Why care what other people think if one is not going to enter into debate, offer suggestions, comments, disagreements, agreements — heck, just voicing your thoughts?
The more I think about this, the more I know there’s probably a longer post in the making here now — but that’s for another day. I’m going to let it percolate in the recesses of my mind for as long as it needs. However, in the meantime I ask — What have you not voiced recently? And, as a sidenote: Was it worth it?
And then, even more interesting — How about we remove two words from that sentence? How about we open it out into all its possibilities and glory? Let’s try it:
Your ______ is more important than your _______ .
What would you fill the spaces with? Why?
How about… Your belief is more important than your doubt. Your happiness is more important thank your workload. Your instinctive heart is more important than your logical mind. Your dreams are more important than your should-do’s…
So… What say you? What answers do you have? Where do those answers take you?
Some time ago I wrote about taking time out for me to heal, and also willingly sacrificing my “I’ll do that!” reflex. And whilst in some ways I have been able to achieve these things, in other ways I have not.
My health has still been up and down, and that points to me not striking the right balance. With ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia, obtaining such a balance is easy; keeping it is the hard bit. Triggers change if not daily then weekly, and something that didn’t knock you sideways last week now brushes you over as if you’re a leaf in the wind. I’ve been less mindful of what my body has been telling me of late, and that means naughty Heathwitch — and now, at last, I’m listening. Or, at least, I hope to be.
And so, there’s been a number of changes of late. One is that, no matter how important my dreams are, I am more so. There have been changes at work, and that has had a knock-on effect throughout the rest of my life, including the work I was doing with the local am-dram society — the role I’d accepted in their forthcoming panto, where I was playing the Witch.
That’s right: was.
The fact that I’m now doing more in my day job, and the sudden rise in the rehearsal schedule for the panto (which was expected, but not for another month at least), meant I was suddenly working double-hard through the day, heading out to a three hour rehearsal in the evening, and then coming home and working some more. My sleep patterns became disrupted, insomnia started to creep back in the door, and my health began to plummet.
With regret, I knew what I had to do. It was simply a case of everything coming at the wrong time, but at least I was aware enough to recognise what was going on and so took the action I needed to. After all, at a base level it was a toss up between being able to do my day job (and thus keep the roof over our heads), or doing the panto.
I withdrew from the panto as gently as I could, and I believe the society already has a new witch, for which I am thankful. I will still help out “behind the scenes” as and when I can/work allows, and of course I aim to see the panto too.
That’s not been the only change, though. At the start of September I finished teaching the current intake of my coven’s training course. Ordinarily this wouldn’t excite me — I’d already be looking ahead to the next intake — but this time it’s different. This time, I get a teaching sabbatical. Oh, yes.
Finally, my HP (Bear) and I can have a rest. We can dedicate more time to our own personal development and read up on the things we want to read, try the more advanced rituals we want to try… And, yes, have a rest — take time out from teaching, from lesson plans and marking homework papers, from printing handouts and preparing class materials… Whoo. :)
And yet what did I do? I promptly filled my time with lots of things (such as the panto, or committing to other things which, really, do not matter) and lots of my free time went out of the window — which then meant my health suffered even more.
What’s worse, I’d forgotten the fact that I am important, and that I’m supposed to be saying “No” more often. Whoops.
It all came to a head last week, when Andrew came down with some infection/flu bug thing whilst we were in Glastonbury — and I, illness-magnet that I am, caught it from him a few days later. We both spent all last week ill in bed, which was both a good and a bad thing.
Bad, because really, we should have been taking care of ourselves more. And also, we have new kittens to enjoy. :(
Good, because it meant that we could take care of each other, and also stop to take stock about how much we were both doing and realise that something had to happen about it all. And also, we have new kittens to enjoy. :)
Andrew is now much recovered. I am still struggling, a few days behind him — but hopefully, I should be back to “normal” (whatever that is, LOL) come middle of this week. And in amongst all this, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about spirituality, what I’ve been doing and what I need to be doing, and where do I go from here. And even though more changes are afoot, one thing’s still for sure.
This Witch is still walking her path, baby! :)
I really needed to read this Daily Om post today.
Create Time For Self-Compassion: Being Gentle With Ourselves
During those times when our lives are filled with what seems to be constant change and growth, it is important to remember that we need to be gentle with ourselves. Since it can be easy to use our energy to keep up with the momentum of our lives, we may not be aware of the fact that we are much more likely to run ourselves down. When things seem to be moving quickly, it is especially essential that we make a point to slow down and be gentle with ourselves.
It might be difficult to notice what is happening to us for we may be so caught up in the whirlwind of our lives that we lose sight of the direction in which things are heading. Being gentle with ourselves doesn’t mean that we don’t accomplish things. Instead it means that we honor ourselves on an ongoing basis and take care of the needs of our bodies.
This means different things to different people. For instance, it could mean having a session with a healer; taking a remedy, herbs, or vitamins; or getting extra sleep. Putting our energy into ourselves in this way helps create space for a more positive, loving, and accepting view of our lives. By setting the intention to do so, we will be more cognizant of our energy levels on a daily basis and more able to replenish them as needed.
The more we are able to treat our bodies with gentleness, the more tenderness and compassion we will call forth into our lives. Learning to understand and pay attention to what our self needs will in turn allow us to fill our lives with unlimited loving and healing energy and to truly take care of the things that mean the most to us.
Whilst studying in Glastonbury last weekend, I had an ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia flare. It was severe enough for me to back out of day two of the course I was doing, and take stock. I spent the rest of that morning in bed, sleeping deeply, and then having a long shower. Andrew and I had a short walk around Glastonbury centre and also met up with a friend for a quick drink before we headed home — slowly, gently, and with care.
Later, once home and unpacked, I made a simple healing altar by the bed. I used a tealight, anointed lightly with lavender and rosemary oils, and placed it in front of one of my Goddess statues. This particular lady is sitting cross-legged and with her hands open in Her lap — into them I put a piece of paper upon which I’d written the word “healing”… All of this done with intent, of course! I lit the tealight before bed and let it burn through the night (ensuring safety, of course!) to heal and protect us.
Since then, I’ve had to be more aware of myself, my body, what it wants and needs. I have been reminded of the need to be gentle with myself more often, instead of pushing myself onward more and more, and striving to get everything done.
At Lughnasadh I pledged to willingly sacrifice my “I’ll do that!” reflex — as in, I’d say “No!” more often. I have been achieving this, surprisingly — opting to stay quiet when someone on an email list has asked for assistance with a project, for instance, or saying politely to a friend that I can’t take on any more at the moment. I am feeling lighter for it already.
And yet… This Daily Om post has brought back to me the need for some self-compassion. I need to spend some time with myself, honouring myself and healing up, because if I don’t various commitments on the horizon will not come to pass. There’s things I want to do then that are more important than things that I could push myself over the edge doing now, if that makes sense. It’s partially a question of priorities and working out what’s important to me — but equally, it’s realising that I need the time to heal and be gentle with myself.
My aim for the rest of the week (at least!) therefore is to take it easier, and be more compassionate towards myself. I am compassionate towards others — why should I be worth any difference in attitude? I shouldn’t. I won’t be. I will be gentle, and tender, and let myself be and do what I need to.
I was reading back through my Book of Shadows this morning, and I guess it’s the season for profound messages. Back in June, I did a meditation with Dolphin Calf essence, from the Wild Earth Animal Essences. Dolphin Calf is one of the Wild Child range of essences, which nurture children and also an adult’s inner child who may still be wounded from childhood experience.
This was not an essence I would ordinarily gravitate towards, but as I was in a workshop at the time and we all had to meditate with one of the Wild Child essences, I decided that it would be the best (only?) option and I didn’t want to sit out the experience. I do remember going into the meditation feeling very scared — after all, who wants to deal, head-on, with any unresolved issues regarding a parent’s death? — but it turned out okay.
The thing I love about these essences is that they are so remarkably simple and yet so profound. In my meditation I met up with Dolphin Calf, who had the following wisdom — I love the logic here! — to impart:
“She gave you breath. You can breathe. She has never left you.”
Shortly after this stunner — I’d never considered it this way before — Dolphin Calf left me treading water. I felt very alone then. And suddenly Gaia was there, a very comforting, re-affirming presence. Her words too, were simple: “I am your mother and every mother.”
I returned from the meditation feeling calm, reassured and grateful. Since then, I’ve considered this often and I’m feeling myself heal a little more every time I do. I know the grief and pain over my mother’s death will never fully heal, but every step towards integrating it more fully into myself is a wonderful experience — even if it does not feel like it at the time.
Back in April I blogged about my encounter with Hare. Since then, my life seems to have become a rollercoaster of transformations, one after the other — some small, some large; some short, some still ongoing.
During the weekend immediately following that encounter, Hare appeared twice more — both of others’ doings, not mine. First, in the logo of Lalune, where Andrew and I ate out with friends in Glastonbury on the Saturday night; and then, immediately after the meal — in the window display of The Goddess and Green Man, across the street. Suddenly I seemed hyper-aware of Hare in my life, and the symbolism behind her/him.
Transformation. The Goddess. Creativity. Speed. Awareness.
A number of spiritual experiences have happened to me since, which is one of the reasons I’ve been mostly silent on the blogging front. The first came that very Sunday, following on from all the instances with Hare.
I have been studying in Glastonbury for a Certificate in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Companionship with William Bloom. The course comprises of five public weekends followed by five certificating classes limited to those studying the whole course. The April weekend was one of the former, and specifically addressed The Endorphin Effect.
I had been enjoying the workshop and was working through the meditations and exercises with (what I can only describe as) a “challenging ease”. However, I didn’t expect what came out when I worked on one of the questions… It reduced me to tears.
Due to various prior events in my life, I’ve viewed myself as secondary to others. They have always come first, no question. Yes, I believed that I looked after myself in the sense that I could ensure that I could step up to the plate whenever others had need of me — but this was not the same as the realisation that came that weekend.
The realisation that came may seem simple, but to me it challenged a personal world view that I’ve held for a good majority of my life: I matter.
I was crying by the time I worked that out — not just little tears but great big hulking sobs. A friend took me away from the course for a while and held the space with me as I cried. For the first time in my life I realised that I really did matter — that no matter how much I did for others, I was important too. Years and years of thinking that I was unimportant, that I didn’t matter in the slightest, shattered in that moment. As I realised that, I broke down. A lot of grief poured out of me in those tears, along with anger at being caught in that cycle for so long, and a bitter unhappiness that I’d let it happen… It all came out as I cried. But what’s more, an odd mix of excitement and fear also arose — both due to the sudden possibilities available to me, the sudden lack of limits.
This was some kick up the arse for me, to be sure. And since then, I began to assert myself more forcibly. I found myself saying, “No, I can’t do that for you.” I began to delegate. I drastically re-worked my to do list. I began to prioritise time for me, instead of insisting on getting everyone else’s needs out of the way first. I began to work out what I needed, what I wanted, and started taking steps to make those things happen.
For instance, I took a deep breath and did something that I’ve not done for ~12 years, but which I’ve been aching to redo: I auditioned for a play. Okay, so I allowed a bit of typecasting — I went for the role of the Witch in this year’s panto as produced by the local am-dram society — but I went for it. That was the important thing. I did something I wanted to do, and instead of saying that I didn’t have the time or whatever due to X needing this or the fact that I thought I’d do something for Y, I went for it. And what’s more… I got the role. :)
Since then, I’ve been riding this transformation thick and fast. One of the things that has arisen from it all has been my connection to Deity, and I’ve had to severely sit back and take stock. Until recently, I’ve been claimed by two Gods, three Goddesses, and a Santarian Orisha — that’s a lot of work, in terms of tending altars, adhering to holy days, building up a conscious, working, ever-present relationship with Them. And as I considered this, I realised that some of those relationships have served their purpose — that my work with said Deity has been completed. I have passed through the time of my life that They claimed me for…
Some Deities claim you for life. Some claim you for a specific time period, or circumstances. This is, I believe, different to working with a Deity for a prolonged period of time — it’s closer than just a “usual” working relationship. Deeper. And I came to fully understand this recently — along with a deep knowing of Who had claimed me for life, and Who hadn’t.
And so I created ritual, sitting with each Deity in turn, and untangling the knots I’d twisted myself into in order to keep pleasing all of Them at once. As I did so, I got them impression that some of Them were amused by this turn of events — especially Oya, Orisha of change! — and while I felt my heart bleed at times I knew it was the right thing for me to do at this moment. Afterwards, I left offerings to Them, thanking Them for my lessons and Their time with me. It may be that I work with Them again in the future, and that’s fine — but at least the connection will not be as intimate as that demanded when being claimed.
I now find myself, then, claimed by two Deities. And that’s okay. I rather like it. They are, After all, the two I cannot live without: Hekate and Anpu. And later, whilst trancing, I walked with Anpu alongside the Nile. We sat side-by-side and watched the water and sands, my back against His pelt. We sat together and He said not a word — but it was the best comfort I could ask for.
So … Transformations afoot. I’ve been doing a lot of internal work, a lot of thinking and making changes happen. My ritual room has changed again. My spiritual practice has changed too, both due to the need for change and due to the slotting into place of teachings from not only the Certificate in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Companionship but also other workshops and opportunities. I feel like a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces didn’t quite fit before, but are slowly locking together now.
It’s not been easy. I’ve cried, I’ve raged, I’ve crawled into a ball beneath my duvet and refused to come out. It’s reminded me, on more than one occasion, of the scene in Practical Magic where Sally takes refuge in her bed after the death of her husband. Andrew, of course, has been a complete star and I am blessed with his presence and love. And while there’s been no physical deaths (thank the Lady and Lord!), there’s been a lot of spiritual death, spiritual rebirthing. But not just that — there’s been times that I could feel the transformations occurring on so many levels… Not just spiritual or emotional or mental, but physically and energetically too.
…And I know it’s not over yet. Onwards, Excelsior!
Another thought-provoking post from Daily Om.
Just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, although this is a common way in which people deny the existence of spirit guides, angels, and other unseen helpers in our lives. However, anyone who has encountered such beings can attest to the fact that they do, indeed, exist, just as our breath exists, keeping us alive, even though we can’t see it. The wind exists, too, but we only know this because we feel it on our skin and hear it moving the leaves on the trees. All around us and within us are things we can’t see, and yet we know they are just as real as the grass beneath our feet.
What we see and don’t see may just be a matter of perspective, like the ladybug who sees the leaf on which she sits, but not the tree the leaf grows on, or the person sitting beneath it. And the person beneath the tree may or may not see the ladybug, depending on where he focuses his attention. Still, all of these things, whether seen or not seen by the person or the ladybug, exist in reality. Some people are more gifted at accessing that which we cannot see, but given an open and willing heart, anyone can tune into the invisible realm and begin to find their way.
Human beings have always done this, and it is only recently that we have fallen into distrusting the existence of what we can’t see. If you have lost touch with the unseen world, all you have to do is resolve to open your heart to its existence, and it will make itself known. Closing your eyes in meditation and visualization, or engaging the unseen through the written word, are just two ways to welcome the invisible back into your life. Whatever you choose to do, cultivating a relationship with that which you can’t see is a time-honored human practice that can greatly enhance your life.
This morning, I drove Andrew to the train station. On the way there, we passed some roadkill — a rabbit. At first I thought it was a hare, but then I corrected myself and said it was too small. In any case, it was obviously fresh, and the local corvid population was already enjoying the feast. And so does the wheel of life turn…
On the way back however, just as I’d passed the roadkill again, something flashed from the bushes — and I braked, hard. The hare stopped in the middle of the road, all long and lithe and large, and stared at me with liquid eyes. For a moment, everything stopped. The sound of the radio drained away, to be replaced by the sound of a heart beating — mine or the hare’s, or maybe the Earth Mother’s, I wasn’t sure. The hair prickled on the back of my neck. But for one long second we stared at each other, the hare and I, and then it was gone — leaping easily across the remainder of the road, and into the undergrowth.
I didn’t think we had hares in this area; in fact, I’m pretty sure we don’t. Nonetheless, a hare stopped my car this morning. Am I to take this as a sign, or pure coincidence? Given I had a bit of a crisis of faith at the start of this week — one that is slowly resolving, with me beginning to feel not only back on the right path but even more sure on said path — I’m not exactly leaning towards the concept of “concidence”… And yet still I remain torn.
The hare is a symbol of the Goddess, and offers gifts of awareness, creativity/fertility, speed, and transformation. Ever since I saw my first hare — last June, whilst staying at a health spa with Andrew — I have found my thoughts returning to the hare again and again, but without any time to properly research or discover the hare’s teachings. The famous image of the moongazing hare is one that has repeatedly drawn me, but with no action on my part. And now this…
Maybe the Gods are trying to tell me something, and I’ve just been too wound up in my headspace to take heed. That should change. Going back to the beginning, back to being aware — simply aware, simply connecting — would not be a bad start. So, brother/sister hare, what secrets do you have to share?
