I’m going to ask you to be patient with me for just a few moments, dear reader. It’s going to take a bit of background before we get to the more important part of this story. A bit of packing and checking the map before a journey, if you will. And, there’s a surprise along the way!
First, though, greetings from an old friend! Yep… a blue friend who appeared on my easel late last summer, during a big journey called #Animystica. It had a lot to do with relating with the natural world around us. The kind of awareness that often – in these days – goes unnoticed.
And, yes… there were surprises involved! Also crystals. And, in my case a couple of unplanned mythical friends that needed lots of looking-up!
It’s worth noting, first, that I’d been thinking a lot about voice in those days. You see, we #Animystica people we were also writing a book! And one of the first questions any writer faces is that of whose voice they’ll use to write. My usual choice is first-person with lots of “I” statements. That book, not so much! In fact, it was probably my first experiment with what we might call an “omniscient” narrator voice. And, just between us, that was more than a bit scary. (Fortunately, I’ve had some really good teachers!)
For now, though, back to my blue and purple friends. In fact… let’s start with the purple hair! It’s meant to be amethyst crystals, completely composed of fingerprint prayer dots. Amethysts are known to be beneficial to the mind… soothing or stimulating, depending on context. They’re also associated with tranquility and believed to be supportive during meditation. My favorite part of their lore, though, is that they may help with decision making, opening one to common sense and spiritual insights.
All of those things felt really welcome in those days. You see, I was claiming some insights which at least part of me knew wouldn’t be real popular with a whole lot of the characters in the news.
That brings us to the other kind of crystal. Kyanite. The blue kind. An indigenous Shima – or wise woman – I know had told me, soon after we met, that it was a power crystal for me. And, given the fact that it, too, is believed to have a lot to do with empowering voice, with speaking one’s truth, I added some to my Medicine Basket. In fact, there’s one on the window sill, just beside the magic chair, as I cause these words to appear! It’s also believed to help cut through fears and blockages. Kind of a Filter thing I can hold in my hand!
There’s more, though to the painting. The part I suspect was really calling to me as I dreamt.
Yep! Selkies!!! Or, in Celtic traditions, seal people. Another of the things I didn’t learn in school…
They are believed to symbolize the wild, untamed feminine spirit, connected to sea and nature, and holding the potential for both beauty and mystery. The one on your right, as you look at the photo, literally appeared out of the under-layers in the painting. And she looked lonely, so I added the second.
Now, we’re ready for this moment. I was writing, late in the evening, utterly overdosed on news and needing some auditory company. Joan Baez was apparently busy, and, while I was arguing with all the streaming buttons on the TV, a surprise popped up. Princess Diaries!
Yes, I’d seen it before. Largely because I love Julie Andrews! In that moment, though, I was hearing with new ears.
In her role as Queen, Julie speaks these words to her struggling granddaughter, just before the big ball is about to begin:
Courage is not the absence of fear, but judgement that something is more important than fear.
And, yes… the tears started to flow! On screen and in me! It was time for research!
Turns out, those were the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the USA, during the World War II years.
And, as I slept and dreamed that night, I was somehow joined by crystal women and selkies, all celebrating the wonder that I had just claimed a new Filter! One that seems, well, timely!
And so it is. And so it shall be, in me.
The notion of Promise… well, that’s for another day, very soon!
ps… that book I was writing back in the day was, indeed, A Creation Poem… Since I need to go to the Post Office anyway, I’d be thrilled to hand sign and mail you a copy! Just click here to order yours. Maybe some sacred holiday reading??? And, if you sign up for my mailing list, you can save 10%. Now would be a really good time. There’s big fun – and learning – just around the corner!
