Curves Around Here and There

Well now, I couldn’t not do the  WordPress Photo Challenge, Curves! Pretty much everything in Nature has them.

Our life path, with all its twists, turns and tangents was my first thought.  I know mine has been anything but straight, as I go off trail often. Some people sprint up the mountain in a determined, goal oriented fashion.  I have always enjoyed a more circuitous route, meandering around the hills, trusting I will return to the main road when the time is right, and to veer off once again.

How about you? Do you go for the top right away, to see the broader view early? Or do you wander from the beaten track? Do you find joy in the not knowing what comes next? Either way, I wish you joy in your journey. In everything is love, learning and growth.

If I am too short sighted on my way, I miss the wildness, the spontaneity and the adventure of it all.

So fortunate am I to feel beauty so deeply. I am grateful.

To be so completely entertained by simple things:

The new growth on the tips of pine trees in the spring.

A drop of water held by baby oak leaves unfolding.

To feel the power.

To laugh at the silly shenanigans of a sapsucker wrapping himself around the hummingbird feeder for an easy meal.

To stand in awe before the curve of a hummingbird’s dancing flight.

To notice lessons Nature has to share. To look in the mirror She offers.

This curved leaf, holding a drop of water as a mother holds a child reminds me to nurture my inner little one.

Looking at this little beetle, and the black spots on blue, I am reminded of some probable judgements and negativity I still may hold. As I project my inner uncertainty onto him, he transfers that energy into the Earth, where it is transmuted into positive, useful vibrations for a Higher Good. He needs those beautiful spots to be attractive to a mate, and to blend in to his wooded habitat. The mirror is always there for us to look deeply into our hearts to see what still needs healing, and to notice our growth along the way.

Lizards don’t resist the rock, or argue with the reality of it. He surrenders to its shape, using its solidity, his tail curling along its surface.

Water, the life blood of the Mother flows around, over or through objects it comes upon, shaping the land with patient strength, giving sustenance to all.

The gift of water from Father Sky

nourishes all it falls upon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some might see this tree as linear, but seen as a reflection, the perspective changes. Something seemingly tight lets go in the ripple of a dream.

In a recent post, Michael at Embracing Forever says

“I know uncertainty is like a little film of color that floats on a deep and abiding knowing.  It seems very massive, but it is more like a mirage.”

He continues with, “I’m thirsty because I’m walking through a desert mirage and I believe what I see sometimes, but it is the thirst that will lead me to water.”

We never know what exquisite surprise awaits us around the next turn.

These are the seed heads of the lovely Pasque flowers I have enjoyed for the past 3 months. They are ready to plant their seeds, and say goodbye until Easter next year.

I love their naturally wavy hair!

As we have our summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere, these flowers are going into hibernation like our winter, as are our friends in the southern hemisphere. It reminds me of the Yin and Yang symbol, and the small circles in the larger parts of the design. Everything is everywhere. This brings me faith and a certainty of the Divine, and a love for All That Is.

Happy Solstice everyone. See you around the next bend in the byway.

 

 

A Most Jubilant Stalk of Grass

Delighting in the jewels of an afternoon rain.  WordPress Photo Challenge – Jubilant

 

Our world opens wide, as each seed surrenders to change. In this moment, we naturally reach for the sun. We  are gathering strength for transformations that come with new birth.

 

 

 

Extending, reaching. Vibrating jubilant gratitude for the moment.

Dancing with color and Light, we laugh, we thrive.

 

Expressing ourselves in our own unique way.

We bounce off each other, seeing ourselves reflected in each other’s Light and Shadow.

 

Different parts – water, color and Light – resonating as one.

The drops don’t think about judging each other. They aren’t going to try to figure out what others want.  They are just being who they are – never questioning their destiny to nourish the plant,  to quench the soil’s thirst, to Love the Light.

We are in relationship with ourselves, as part of Spirit – as part of this moment.  We are One.

Layers upon layers we uncover, blessing ourselves and each other as we walk the path of Mindfulness and Love.

Such treasure is water. The life blood our our Mother. May we protect Her.

We are enchanted by the gifts given to us by Spirit.

Beginning to bloom.

In each moment is a choice to open and expand; to experience; to relate; to Love. It is our choice to create the reality that serves the Highest Good. It is our responsibility.

 

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Abstract – WPC

 

Embracing a Sacred Tear

Voices from the Deep

As Above, So Below

Shades of Peace

 

Happiness

Gratitude in Lace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Within a World, Within a World

Fire and Rain

Splash of a Water Sprite

Whale Tail and Seal

Dance of Water and Sky

Wiggly, Wavy Reflection of a Boat

Becoming One

Purple Rain        (RIP Prince)

Beauty and the Beast

 

Miracles Abound

Ancient Being Watches

 

 

Jewel in the Rough

Radiance in a Peaceful Heart

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Abstract

Happy Earth Day, Mother!

My Beautiful Mother Earth, Thank You. I Love You.

A Dancey Sort of Day

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/dance/

What kind of a dancing day, you might ask?

I would tell you it is a fast waltz day, or a polka even, a windy “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down” kind of day.

I don’t usually like wind. It ruffles my feathers, rubs me the wrong way, and makes me downright cranky. It throws things about, chairs go flying, it makes a lot of noise and seems like it really will blow the house down. Right now, I want to go outside and make friends with this wind. It’s here for the whole day, so I better get used to it, stop muttering complaints and maybe even learn to like it.

I have to lean in, just walking across the meadow. The wind is about 45mph here right now, with 55 mph gusts. Uncomfortable at best. What am I thinking coming out in this blustery gale of a day?

I head for the pines where I know it will sound like the ocean, and be more soothing.

It is a bit inadvisable to be under trees in this kind of wind, but I have chosen an old friend, Grandmother Ponderosa Pine. She is about 300 years old, so she knows how to stand tall. She has seen a wind storm or two. She knows how to be solid, and how to bend just the right amount to stay intact. She grounds herself in her roots deep down into the Mother.  She centers herself as her needle covered branches sway overhead, while their fast moving shadows dance on the ground. Shadows of needles without the detail. Just lines and odd shapes.

There are countless dancers here – grasses, trees, clouds and shrubs, all moving to a different rhythm depending on their heights, as so many wild currents sweep by.  It is a contemporary dance.

Clouds say,

“Dance with the wind!  Love the wind!  Be the Wind.”

So, I gave in.

I twirled and spun in the whistling wisps, bounded about in the billowy bluster, sprinted and galloped with the gales at my back, sailed through the trees like I didn’t have feet.

And suddenly I was it, and it was me and the force of its breath was setting me free.

I stopped for a moment, just let myself be, and all that I felt was surprising me. Nature’s breath and I were one, and inside my heart felt just like the sun. Warm and fresh, I felt at ease, and all I could do was fall to my knees. Inside my body as I had flown, all negative thoughts from me had blown – up and away and all around, so all I was left with, was Light and sound.

Loving the wind is easier today. Dancing with it was fun. Practicing being with it without any resistance was phenomenal. Then actually being it. The energy came inside my body, becoming my body – not as a chill, but as substantial energy, feeling like Light and Love, transmuting all negativity. For a moment, I really felt one with the wind.

Thank you Clouds.

I love the wind in the cattails and willows. They are an interesting couple, and dance differently to the same music. The cattail stems from last year are stiff, while willow, the most flexible of all, bowing all the way over, and back, looking like wild waves.

Even the rock energy is tussled a bit – they just express themselves a little differently. Muuuuch sloooooweeer.

This wind reminds me we are going to have to thin a lot this year. It is sad to cut trees, but I talk with each one. Only the ones who agree come down. They decide. They make themselves known, if you listen. Trees know what a healthy forest is. They are willing to fall, become rabbit cover with their fallen branches, and then soil microbe food as they decompose. As times get dryer, fewer trees will make it anyway. We cut clumps of old unhealthy trees and some small ones to create fire breaks, which also become nice meadows for deer and elk and bunnies. Then the remaining trees will have a little more water to share. This drought continues although we had a fairly good snow pack. It is melting too early and too fast, and I think our one lone beaver died, so the creek will probably dry up, or go way down to a trickle. Hopefully enough water will remain to keep the frogs and fish alive. But back to today….

Swaying into each other – the young ones are only about a hundred years old. They can still bend, so they are dancing in to each other. I take pictures to show the wind, but of course it is not a video, so they just look still. They are not still.

A free form dance kind of a day today. Wind really keeps you in the moment. It steals your attention and keeps you present.

The light dances on water

The wind whips across the water, making big waves and tiny ones.

The wisp of wind and the sun make sparkles on the water. My mother used to call those little lights, dancing faeries.

On a not so windy day, I found these dancers at Bosque del Apache where we went for our anniversary. For those of you following numbers right now, we had our 11^th on the 11^th of Feb.

Now having tea as I tell you my story.  It was a lovely, windy, dancey sort of day.

 

Angles of Perspective

This post is in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This one is about taking pictures of the same object at different angles.

This creekside rock is part of the landscape.

A red-tailed hawk, visionary of the air,  may barely notice it as she soars above.

Do you see the smaller pile of rocks just above the first curve, behind the thin tree?

This is that pile.   It is the home of a lizard. The top of this rock holds his whole world.

To another animal, perhaps a small mouse who lives in a hole close to the creek, the rock is just something to notice as he drinks in the evening.  It is the bottom of it that he sees, and the designs on it.  As his little tongue ripples the water, the reflection changes. I wonder if he knows it is the same rock, mirrored. I would guess not.

I walk on top to visit my friend, the lizard. He comes out to greet me.

Later, I go back across the stream to sit. I meditate with the rock, enjoying another perspective completely.

We are all One, yet we see things so differently.

The outer world is a mirror of our own unique inner reality.

May we see love and unity as our world changes and shifts. May our hearts be open to all that is.

Perspective.

May we be empathic to the perspective of others, and observant of our own.

We lost a beautiful teacher recently. Dr. Wayne Dyer. I remember him telling a story about perspective. It went something like this.  He was almost bald, with a thin band of hair. He said, “you might look at me and think that I don’t have much hair. But if you saw this little bit of hair in say…..your soup, you would think it was a lot of hair. Perspective.”

It is transforming to see the world through many perspectives. In hawk vision, we see the big picture – the overall view. There is much responsibility in this awareness. Compassion and wisdom can be aquired here. It is a higher perspective. It is a vantage point from which we see that all gifts are equal in the eyes of the Great Spirit.

From mouse vision, much detail can be seen. We can look at ourselves and others very carefully.  Slow down and really look.  Look deeply, as if through a magnifying glass.

And our dear lizard is prominent in dreamtime. With lizard as a friend, symbology becomes a deep perspective. Quiet listening in several worlds, separated only by a thin veil.  Breathing deeply into and through our shadow, we grow in deep wisdom.  As we pay attention to our dreams and the symbols therein, lizard shows us the subtleties of perception.

This picture was snapped from the rock with zoom lens

As our world changes, and we change within it, may our perspective hold a great amount of gratitude.

 

 

 

 

Loving the Inner Little One’s Heart

In response to Sindy’s Inner Child Challenge at bluebutterfliesandme.

On days like this, I come home with muddy knees and butt.  On days like this, I am eight.

I believe we have within us every age we have ever been. I love and have deep compassion for all the ages I have been, but eight is my favorite. She is adventuresome, sure of herself, strong and happy – especially in Nature. She is creative, free and natural, running like a horse – before everything hit the fan in her life.

I am lucky to have never lost touch with her. I have always made sure to either live in Nature or have easy access to it wherever I have lived throughout my life.  A lot of people lose their inner children. Trauma, the process of separation/individuation, adolescence, the need to appear mature, busy-ness, or for whatever reason, sadly, they often go away. I encourage you to invite them back.

My mom got sick when I was 10, so things got hard. She was a beautiful, loving, nurturing mother who I loved deeply. She adored me and helped me through the early years of a lifelong illness I acquired when I was 2 months old.  She died when I was 12, leaving me with an alcoholic father – very sweet, loving, sensitive poet of a man, but a rage-oholic when drunk, which was most of the time. Or he was embarrassing me to tears in public. The grief was unbearable. I missed my mom more than I can ever say. Kids weren’t allowed to grieve back then.  It was Nature that saved me, and being 8.  Specific people were certainly imperative as well, but my little eight chose happiness. She chose love. She chose to let go of bitterness. She chose an early spiritual path. She is my true heart center.

In my 30 year psychotherapy practice, I have done a lot of inner child work. I love it. I love helping people to get in touch with their inner little ones. Feels sacred to me. I am trained in a modality called Psychosynthesis. Part of the process is to separate the personality into its different parts, or sub-personalities, get them talking to one another, and helping them to learn how to get their needs met in healthy ways.

So, you see, inner child-ness is important to me on many levels – personal, professional, and truth be told, I just like to explore and play.

Taking pictures is one way I get in touch with her. All I have to do is go outside with my camera, and I am automatically her. I am immediately filled with gratitude and joy.

Another way to be her is to play in the mud. That can be actual mud by a creek or it can be clay….or remember silly putty? Or play dough. Ok, how many of you remember the smell? It tasted like salt, not how it smells.

Coloring is fun, or a doodling technique called Zentangle. I just painted a pair of white sneekers with a bunch of kids and adult kids at my friend’s birthday party.  Yeah, colored Sharpies and rubbing alcohol. Who knew?

Dancing, singing, expressing without judgement. Judgement is not for inner children! It hurts them. Or shame. Never ever shame your inner child. When the inner critic is present – you deal with it as the adult. Don’t let it near the inner kids, unless they want to tell it off.

Every year I get together for a 5 day camping trip with close friends with whom I was in community in our 20s during the 1970s. We go to a different beautiful place every year. We are 3 generations now, so all ages come. We are the originals and then there are the 2^nd genners (generations) and 3^rd genners. One of the 3^rd genner kids this year said. “I love how we are all kids no matter how old we are when we come to this….except Pop-pop. He’s a grown-up.”

So, with groups of trusted friends – play!  We play all kinds of games that all ages enjoy, like Corn Hole. This involves 2 slanted boards, far away from each other, that each have one small hole. You have little bags like bean bags, only corn instead of beans, and you throw them into the holes. My game partner, a beloved 2^nd genner and I won the championship one year, but alas, we somehow lost our edge.  Oh well. We all just laugh and talk, walk and play, eat a lot and have a blast.

There is a Corn Hole team called The Lady Bugs

Ride a horse. Go on amusement park rides – unless they are too scary. Sort of scary is ok to gently push a little to boost confidence, but if the inner kid says no, don’t do it. Go fishing. Climb a tree. Skip. Paint your face rainbow colors. Have a slumber party. Go to a lake and watch a sunset with a friend. Go on a road trip with a friend. Or go by yourself or with your dog. Watch kid movies. Read kid books. Drink a chocolate milkshake…unless you are allergic to milk. Oh, and hang out with kids doing whatever they want to do. It’s usually something fun. Play dress ups or with dolls. If you are a guy and never got to do that, and wanted to… Do it now. Lie down outside and pick out shapes in the clouds.  Swim in a river, lake or the ocean. Swim with dolphins. Play with your pet.  Create something.  Build a castle in the sand and decorate it with sea shells. Build it for faeries or gnomes to live in. Have a theme party. Pretend. Imagine.

It’s a heart, right?

Sit by a tree and close your eyes. Listen to every sound. Smell every fragrance. Feel the earth beneath you. See how many sounds and smells you can detect, then feel/smell/hear them all as one. Make up a story about an animal you see.

Often issues come up for us as adults. Go inside.  How old were you when you first felt what you are feeling? Love that child. Ask her or him what happened that made him or her feel this. Go back to that scene. Feel it. Stand up for her or him as you, the adult.  How does the child feel with your support? Let the child talk and cry and just hold them.  Listen to them and validate their experience and feelings. Tell the one who hurt them where to go. Just be with the inner child. Be strong, solid and loving. Let them know how important they are to you. Apologize for not keeping them safe and that you will keep them safe now. Then go do whatever they want to do. Eat a lollipop. Swing on a swing set, singing at the top of your lungs. Whatever. Let them feel your love, compassion and belief in them. Let them know they can get through anything with your support.

Walk in Nature, and explore every little thing.

There are many things to do to make your inner child happy. Listen to her/him. Validate what s/he says and take action to protect him/her. Love your inner child’s heart always. Be in the Moment…..And Remember To PLAY and Have Fun!

Rock Concert

Wandering mindfully in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, where I had an inspiring vacation last month, I found myself enamored by the wondrous and varied rock formations.

Crags and outcrops whittled and sculpted by water and wind over hundreds of millions of years have become arches, bridges, caves, windows, shelters, and exquisite pieces of living art.

As the water seeps through cracks in the sandstone, slowly eroding its façade, shapes and designs appear. This one is clearly a tortoise.

Recognizing the sacred, I sit.  My heartrate slows with this intimate exchange.  Through the heart, the connection is made. Giant rocks are the best meditation teachers. The wisdom of stillness.

These primordial symbols of eternity were both intriguing and enchanting.

Numinous being with your steadfast wisdom, thank you for mesmerizing me with your deep eternal mystery, conveying the divinity within us all.  I am spellbound.

Portals to another place…

Another time….

Another dimension.

In the ever evolving movement of our lives, we flow, overcoming and transmuting our struggles, floating on the Power of the Divine.

Tranquil, enduring design of waves gone by.  You teach us to withstand and embrace the swells and currents of our lives, allowing ourselves to be shaped and transformed by strength and vulnerability.

Pearls of wisdom, the colors of serenity.

I am immersed in the masterpieces of abstract art all around me.

In this artistic cave, I can easily stand beneath the arch under the green wall.  I am humbled by the enormity. Whole communities of people lived in this dwelling place.

Looking through the window to the sky, the tones of color created by water and earthy minerals catch my breath.

Shrouded in myst, standing in reverence behind the waterfall, I feel tenderly caressed and splattered, sheltered within the protection and unfailing strength of the colorful perennial sanctuary.

Absorbing this energy and offering mine, I feel composure and integrity.  Plants growing on moss, growing on different moss, growing on lichen growing on this jaggedy edged friend.  Love in the face of loyalty.

Charmed by a jewel that reflects and holds the Light.

Like being inside of a mysterious wave or a tunnel to the unknown.

Ah, the relationship between the immortal and the ephemeral.  The sylvan faeries congregate, enfolded in the solid embrace of their wetted home, as their devoted guardian, worn by weather, delights in their presence.

Walking in balance across the bridge connecting where were have been to something beyond struggle and mortality. From chaos to acceptance, truth and peace. Grace.

As we let go of the layers, and as we age – we are changed.  Each wrinkle, each spot tells a story. Character.

In the eternal constancy of our Souls amidst change, we build endurance and substance.

Movement dances on the immovable.  The harmony of base and treble; discipline and unbridled play.

Gently, the moist breeze flutters, showing off the intricate green make up worn by this gigantic face.

Hidden, hallowed cave, into which one travels to the mysterious and shadowy underworld. In an alternate reality, it is the secret fort of a young tom boy girl.

Gentle feminine strength and stability.

Swathed in a cloak of pebbles and moss, the ancient one breathes.

In admiration, I gaze upon power and permanence. Perseverance of a climb offers strength and perspective to complete one’s quest.

Thank you Mother Earth, for your peace, which is keenly felt. Thank you for tranquility, solidity and the wisdom in your presence. Thank you for your strength, your guidance, your perpetual entertainment, your enduring Love and for teaching us all how to be our most Authentic Selves through example. Thank you for sharing your Beauty. Happy Mother’s Day.

 

 

For the Sheer Joy

Quack, quack, quack, quack! Even their descending quacking can sound like laughter.  No wonder they make me laugh so. You know already how I feel about duck butts if you have been following my stories. I laugh. Out loud.

Ducks just seem to know how to have a good time.  This time of year, they appear happy as can be.  It is warm, the ice has melted on the pond, the males and females have congregated and it is time for play. They chase each other about, splashing and quacking, and sometimes running on the water flapping their wings. I can’t help but feel good watching them. Again, if you accuse me of anthropomorphizing, I am fine with that.

I watched a pair for a long time one day. They were separate from the others. It was an intimate sort of moment, with soft quacking, chasing and splashing. They would dive under together, be gone for a few seconds and come up together. Then the female started rolling. For the sheer joy of it; over and over she went horizontally, her little orange feet kicking each time she rolled onto her back and paused there. Then somersaults – over and under, head over webbed feet. Then the two glided past me, the sun refracting his brilliant iridescent blue/green head feathers, and her soft brown camouflage. I watched their peaceful togetherness, their reflections bright in the water.

Parenting styles differ among ducks. Sometimes the male stays to help, but usually not. About three years ago, I watched two mama mallards over a few weeks. Both started out with seven ducklings. I can never get over how cute those little yellow, brown and black ducklings are. One mother, maybe a first time mom, just couldn’t control the little ones.  She would call and call and they paid no attention to her. They stayed fairly close, but spread out, playing together. She seemed at a loss as to how to get them together. She seemed to say, “kids! Um…..kids…uh..come on now, KIDS!!” They would disregard her completely, until she was finally able to physically one by one gather them into a line.

Found on Pinterest

The other mother, only had to softly quack once, and they all came immediately and formed not a line, but a close knit clump. From afar, they looked like another adult duck. I thought that was one smart mama!

Found on Pinterest

 

Each day, sadly, the mother with the scattered ducklings had one less little duck in her line up. Snapping turtles, raccoons, herons, large bull frogs, coyotes, hawks, owls and weasels could easily capitalize on her lack of skill.

The other mother, incredibly still had seven. I loved the very soft “baap baap baap baaps” she made to them, and the little peeps back. Someday, I really ought to record a duck and duckling conversation and play it back to myself while falling asleep.  It is soothing to my heart.

Once one got separated from the family and was frantically and loudly peeping in panic. She did not go to it. She silently stayed with the others. She couldn’t leave them vulnerable. The sound drew a coyote near. She flew near it and feigned injury, quacking in pretend pain. The coyote chased her. She easily got away, then came back through the reeds for the other duckling, and again there were seven.

Found on Pinterest

 

The creek dried up that summer. The adults all left, having lost their broods. I looked for our one family every day, but finally assumed them all dead. About six weeks later, walking by the dried and cracked soil of the creek, I saw them. Eight full sized ducks that all looked alike, except one was slightly larger – the mom and her seven children waddling through the tall grasses. Against all odds.  I was thrilled! Soon after, the rains came and filled the creek, giving them the ability to run along the water to take off. I like happy endings.

I have such mixed feelings about them nesting here now. We have water in the creek now, but will it last? I have learned to let that go. If they make it, wonderful. If not…well, I need to love compassionately and unconditionally, not sentimentally. Otherwise, it hurts too much.

According to Ted Andrews, ducks have been known to symbolize emotional comfort and protection. Because of their connection to water, they are linked to the feminine energies, the astral plane and to the emotional states of humans. They can remind us to care for our own emotional natures. As they eat by dipping their heads into the water (hence duck butts), they can remind us that our emotions can give us sustenance. They can be very amiable and display a wide variety of emotions. All ducks have grace upon the water, reminding us to handle our emotions with grace and ease.

They do not move well on land. This could reflect an inability to feel comfortable with most people in your life. They may reflect a need to find comfort in your own element and with those of like mind and spirit. The mallard is a very prolific duck, and are a nice animal to meditate upon this time of year.

Found on Pinterest

 

As you study them, you will find ways of applying their habits to your own life.

Tomorrow is Easter, and I think of the surviving duck family. I thought them all dead, but they came alive and rose to the sky.  May we all die to the old, and resurrect a new life, full of possibilities and dreams. May we be blessed throughout the year with new energy and a birthing of our true heart’s desire. May our thoughts be clear and loving as we create our world. May the waters of life flow through us as we meditate and pray for Love, Happiness, Peace, Hope, Grace and Ease.

Happy Easter everyone!

If you would like to know the pre-Christian roots of Easter as a celebration of the Spring Equinox, Sindy published a great history on her blog this morning. Read here.

Goose Music

Yay!  The geese are back! There are two pair so far.  We used to have the same 11 every year. Five pair and one lone goose. They came seven years in a row. They tried rearing young each year, but there has been less and less water, so they were successful only one year.  Each year we see babies, and are hopeful.

Last year we watched the mama on the nest, and the male keeping vigilant watch – just far enough from the hidden nest to draw attention away.

The babies are yellow when they hatch. Right away, the parents bring them to the meadow by the creek.

 

It seems like the day they come out is the same day the yellow dandelions start to bloom. Perfect camouflage. After a couple of weeks, they turn a fluffy gray, just at the same time the dandelions grow their fluffy gray seed heads.

From pinterest

 

Geese are such solid parents. One watches, while the other eats and teaches. Then they switch roles. If a predator nears, there is no panic in the goose parent’s stride. They just round the goslings up into a line – one parent leading, the other heading up the rear, gently urging the little ones along, who suspect nothing. With calm, skillful determination, they get them into the safety of the water, without scaring them into a scatter.

From pinterest

 

Geese talk about everything. Everything.

“ Honk, aaawww, aaawww, honk honk ticlic aaow”

“Huuumph, aawwww. Oooooh honk, ewwup….”

“ Should we go to the other pond?”

“I don’t know.  What do you think?”

“ Yes, let’s do it. I am becoming annoyed by all these ducks!”

“ But, the other geese.  They may take our spot.”

“Well, we can come back and chase them away.”

“Ok, lets go!”

“Alright. I am ready. Let’s go then.”

“Now? Right now.”

“Yes, let’s go now.”

“OK”

“Ok!”

“OK!!  Let’s go!”

“Let’s go now!!!!!”

“OK!!!!!!!  LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

“We are going!”

“We are flying. We are flying. We are flying.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

“Let’s land. Let’s land.”

“We are landing, we are landing.”

“Other geese are here.”

The other geese start talking too and there is a big chase, and one pair comes back making a beautiful water ski landing in perfect synchronicity. They have a lot to say about it all.

Fortunately for us, we love the sound.

One spring day, when the 11 were here, one pair flew over to some flat rocks on the other side of the pond. Even though they argue about territory all the time, the other pair in the pond was not having it. They just thought it was wrong, wrong, wrong for that pair to be on those rocks. They started barking at the pair on the rocks. “Honk! Honk, honk squeep! Mutter mutter, squeep! Honk, honk!”

I know, I know…just a little more anthropomorphizing. Please just indulge me for a moment longer.

“You can’t be over there!”

“Yes, we can!”

“It’s just not right! Geese don’t sit on rocks on the other side of the pond! Get back in here where it is safe!”

“Oh brother! Honk, honk! We are fine. Leave us be, mutter mutter,”said the pair on the rocks.

“No, no honk, squeep! Don’t make us come over there!”

“Nah, we are fine, mutter, mutter honk.”

The arguement escalated with no you can’ts and yes we cans for about 45 minutes. Finally, the pair in the pond flew to the rocks and chased them back to the pond.

“Ok, ok…whatever! Jeez…mutter mutter aaww.”

Then all was peaceful again. Soft chirring, clucking, errrup, aawww sounds, then graceful silence.

Until… “Let’s go eat in the field.”

“You want to go eat in the field?” etc. etc. Talking, talking, talking, louder and louder, the four flew to the field, and then had to talk for a while about their exciting 50 ft excursion to eat alfalfa and dandelions and grasses.

Another aspect that I find interesting, is when there is a common enemy, they all come together. They can be in the middle of a territorial disagreement, but the second another goose is in some kind of danger, it is all for one and one for all. United we stand.  My dog and I were crossing the field, and all 11 geese formed a line and started slowly marching toward us until we changed our direction.

I once saw the 11 chase off a herd of 30 elk. Shouting and dive bombing. The elk finally gave up. Even toward coyotes, I have seen them take a stand.

We haven’t seen the 11 in three years. They must have given up after losing their young so many times.  I don’t know if these four used to be part of that flock, or if these are new ones that don’t realize the water often dries up.

It is snowing as I write this so, maybe, maybe, maybe we will have water through the summer. Hope. I love hope, but it can be a little mean.

There are a lot of predators here: coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, snapping turtles, raccoons, bears, weasels, snakes, hawks and owls. If the water dries up, the geese don’t have a chance with their babies.

I know and trust that Nature knows what She is doing, but I do believe climate change is at least 75% human caused. Sometimes I feel hopeless becaues I don’t see us changing all that much.  Coal and fossil fuels. Why are there not solar panels on every commercial building, and on every covered parking structure? Why are new houses being built without even passive solar capacities? Why are we still using gasoline? I do in my own truck. Why are there green golf courses where water is scarce? Ok…soap box.  Sorry, but I struggle with this. I am happiest when there is enough water to keep the creek and valley alive. It is mostly out of my control. I am doing all I know how to do.

This is my biggest happiness challenge. I can’t bear what we are doing to our Mother Earth. The greed! It hurts me. I have talked a lot about true Happiness not being affected by “upset because.” Here is where I flunk at this. I do get upset because of all this, yet I continually try to keep my inner Peace and Happiness through it, though it breaks my heart.  The prediction is that our creeks here in New Mexico will dry more and more. That is not ok with me. Today, however – and I am big on being in the moment – today we have water in the creek and the geese are here. Yay! Love, gratitude, trust and happiness.

Geese are loyal animals, and mate for life. They communicate profusely. They teach us about communication, especially through story- telling. They use sky, water and land each day – the elements of earth, air and water. Air symbolizes the mind, thought, wisdom, freedom and breath. By working with our breath, we can mitigate our stress, and also learn to empower our thoughts. Air separates the Earth and the Heavens, a realm in which prayer and visualization can become manifest.

Water is the environment of the emotional, the creative, the unconscious, dreams, and intuition. Geese fly from both water and land, encouraging us to rise above our thoughts and feelings, above our struggles, to lift ourselves up; also to develop higher forms of intuitive discrimination. We can rise to new heights, where there are endless possibilities, and be grounded while doing so. Geese also wade in the water.  Their heads are in the air (wisdom), legs in the emotional/intuitive realm, and feet in the grounding mud.

Their eyes are on opposite sides of their head, giving them great range of vision. They have keen eyesight both close and far away. This can remind us to be mindful of vision in all directions, including past, present and future, physical and spiritual.

Their necks are long and flexible, a bridge between body and mind – head and heart. A link between physical consciousness and spiritual consciousness.

They are very graceful on the water, as we can also be present in our emotions with grace and compassion. They put their heads under the water to eat roots growing there. We can also nourish ourselves with our feelings, creativity and intuition.

They are migratory birds, and use natural currents to gain altitude. They know when to start, what route to take and where they are going. We can learn from this for our own migrations (inner and outer). When they travel long distances, they shift formation, creating wind drafts that make it easier for those flying behind.  They take turns to conserve their energy. The ones in front pay it forward.  When one of us makes a quest in life, or we heal or shift something inside, it becomes easier for others to follow suit. The healing energy is added to the collective.

The birds don’t fly directly behind one another, so all can see. They offer us greater vision, both physical and spiritual. The V formation reflects an aiming to new possibilities, like an arrow. Let your imagination fly, and feel the joy as you manifest your dreams. Feeling it will raise your vibration. Make your creative visualizations fun!

In the newness spring, with the equinox upon us, we can learn a thing or two from the geese. As we let go of the old and open to the new, may our lives be happy!  May this be a new birth, awakening and renewal for all of us in this time of balance between light and dark – in the water sign of Pisces.

Happy Spring Equinox everyone!

Happy Autumnal Equinox to those in the Southern Hemisphere!