You’ve probably met them, before, these old friends of mine. They live on a wall near my writing chair, in a room where there is often the noise called news coming from the TV. It turns out that they want to join the conversation!
We’ll skip the swearing and crying. I’m guessing you’ve got your version of all that covered. Let’s do introductions, instead.
Aslan. Matilda. (Or Boudicca!) And a cardinal bird named Elsie. Not so much intentional as demanding. And I’ve needed their messages a whole lot, lately!
You know Aslan, I suspect, from C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Wise and powerful. Benevolent, but formidable. You can probably guess why I find him appealing in this moment!
Then, Matilda/Boudicca. (The painting hasn’t made a firm decision yet, and she could assuredly be both!) Powerful women leaders in times when women weren’t permitted to be powerful. Matilda of Tuscany was my cousin. She is often described as one of the most important governing figures of the Italian Middle Ages. She was also a spiritual leader and a huge supporter of the arts.
Boudicca, hundreds of years before Matilda, was a warrior queen in ancient Britain, also considered a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence. It’s likely that she, too, was a relative.
The bird is named Elsie after my grandmother who told me, when I was about six, that cardinals were ancestors who’d gone on, coming back to check on us and encourage us.
And, yes… they’re livid about a whole lot of the news.
Here’s the thing that I’ve realized… these stories and images are powerful #Filters through which I’m engaging the context of this moment!
For today, I am claiming their wisdom and strength… still alive in my being and spirit. I’m also claiming their #inquiry…
What can you do – what do you need to do – so that what you love to do works better???
Yep! You. Now. In the midst of this context.
And, I have a plan, though it needs to wait until Friday. Watch for a special email! In fact, if you’re not on the email list just now, use the pop-up thingy and get the elves to fix that!
ps… Fairy Tales coming soon. And more Wisdom Cards! (It pays to listen to the walls!)
