WWTN #9 -- Hawk

Sat, 30 Jun 2007

Hello! It has been quite some time since issue #8, when Bee and Antelope graced me with a visit--and now who has said Yoohoo, but oh, whoa, the HAWK!!

Here's how it happened.

As usual on my trek to work, I crossed the paths through and among the trees of the beautiful Northwestern University campus. I espied a woman standing in the grass looking straight up.

"Is it the falcon again?" I asked, due to the fact that every so often a Peregrine Falcon lands on a nearby evergreenand stands stock still for lengthy periods of time.

She shook her head. "No, it's a Cooper's Hawk!"

"Really!" I stood next to the woman, looking up, but saw nothing. I waited. Suddenly there was a rustle and a flapping and I saw a very LARGE bird. I had never seen a hawk up close and I was mesmerized. She flew to a different tree, and suddenly managed to blend in again and I could not see her.

Me being me, as soon as I could get to a computer, I googled Hawk, Hawk Totem, Hawk Power Animal--read all about it, loved it, was amazed by it. I felt blessed and energized by the visit.

I told a few of my coworkers I had seen a big hawk outside, and oddly enough I received reactions that were neutral at best. Didn't anybody understand? This was a beautiful, big, amazing creature."A hawk, you guys. I saw a hawk!"

"Oh, yeah," said one coworker. "You don't work in the mornings, but a few other employees have seen the hawk, and apparently it catches pigeons in mid-air, rips them to shreds and drops pigeon body parts on the ground right in front of people."

Well. Old me would have been quite grossed out by this. New me thought, Yeah, so? It's a HAWK!

So on I read until I was stopped by one paragraph, written by Jo Brothers, a Clairvoyant, Metaphysician and Spiritual Teacher in New Zealand. I quote it below:

"The destiny of all humankind is to awaken from their spiritual amnesia and realign with the original intention of their soul. When the hawk flies into our life we will be asked to evaluate who we have become and rip out the threads of our self-created illusions. This enables our inner truth to surface."

Wow. I read it again. "Rip out the threads of our self-created illusions." Yeah, pigeon parts on the sidewalk!

Then an inner voice said: "Jen, remember when you were making all of those totem essences? You need to make a new hawk essence, and this message from Jo Brothers is the medicine that the essence will carry."

I was surprised! In the past, when guided to make a totem essence, I'd make the essence first and then I would be told what its medicine was. This is the first time I was told what the medicine was going to be before the essence was created.

...

The essence has arrived. The creation of this essence was extremely focused and powerful. In the making of it, so much was released. So much opened up. After taking my first dose, I sat down and wrote a whole song. For the first time in 10 years.

Also, for the first time in a long time, I am being guided to advertise the essence. Getting past any blocks in the way of self-promotion; Here I Am.

Please share this blog with all of your friends.

...

HAWK ESSENCE FOR SALE. VERY SPECIAL.

Dosage: 3 drops, 3 times a day, under the tongue or in water, juice or tea.

1 oz. dropper bottle--$30.

Healing properties: "The destiny of all humankind is to awaken from their spiritual amnesia and realign with the original intention of their soul. When the hawk flies into our life we will be asked to evaluate who we have become and rip out the threads of our self-created illusions.

This enables our inner truth to surface."--Jo Brothers

...

Ready?

WWTN #8 -- Animal Humor Rules!

Wolf Wisdom Transformational News:
Being and Acting; A Balance

I've just been alerted by these bee-ings, Bee and Antelope. Here's the buzz:

I've known for years that Bee and Wasp are totems of mine.
Seeing them affects me physically, gives me shivers.
I used to wonder—why this strong reaction each time, when I hadn't yet been stung?

Now I realize: It is my sense of being reacting.

My sense of Bee-ing

I will make puns until honey drips from my fingers on to the keyboard. Bee, Bee, BE.

Since I was a small child, I've had a feeling of being sort of other-worldly; magical, wraith-like, not of this earth. My name, Jennifer, comes from the Welsh name Guinevere—one translation of this is "white phantom." I was always aware of being energy—so much so, that I did not feel at home in my body. Being in a body meant pain, discomfort. Not the grounded-ness that is meant for us by being at home in our earthly form. I am still working on feeling that! But at least I am aware of it!

Since childhood I would see a bee and have this literal BZZZZZ throughout my physical being. I always chalked this up to the knowledge instilled in us at an early age: Bee careful; in fact bee fearful —these creatures have stingers, they sting, it hurts! Physical pain! This was so ingrained in me that I couldn't BEAR the thought of getting stung, although it had never yet happened! I pre-embodied the pain before ever knowing what it felt like.

Then, one summer morning when I was 10 years old, as my mom dropped me off at day camp, I hugged her goodbye. My hand touched her purse and brushed against a Yellow Jacket wasp that had landed there. For the first and only time in my life, I was stung. The pain permeated me so badly I screamed, cried, begged to go home. Forget it. No way was I about to have fun at camp that day! Somehow, between my mom and the counselors, they calmed me down, got me some ice for the swelling, and persuaded me to stay. Well, the pain didn't go away altogether, but it did become more tolerable. I learned that having a physical body can sometimes be uncomfortable, but that discomfort eventually gives way to healing, to being able to use the body in order to have fun again—hence my hike through the forest trail with the other campers that day was lovely as usual!

Which brings me loping to the second totem of the day. Yes, the bee teaches us how to BE. To be at one with our soul's path and work. Wake. Go to our flower. Gather the nectar. Pollinate. Sleep. But sometimes, when the flower has fully bloomed, when the time is right and ripe, you must be a bit more robust, allow yourself to feel the sting, get shaken up, and ACT.

This is where Antelope lopes in and plANTs itself among the flowers. And how did the flowers get plANTed in the first place? Through the ACTION of planting. And who plANTs? You, the gardener. BEE-ing, sowing, growing. Knowing. When to take action, what action to take. According to Wicca Manifestor Lin Oberlin ( www.linsdomain.com) a person with Antelope for a totem is "intrinsically psychic. Often it is in the form of clear-smelling – fragrances and odors will awaken this power." Perhaps this is why Antelope has chosen to BEE planted here among the fragrant flowers in this garden of bee-ing. "Listen to Antelope, but more importantly, act. You will overcome any obstacle in your path."

I leave you with this thought from our dear friend and relation, "Aunty Lope":

This is why, in so many cases, after months and months of painful and meticulous planning and hemming and hawing, so many couples are spurred by Antelope past waiting for their wedding,
And-ELOPE.

WWTN #7 -- Falcon Brings the News

Welcome all to a quick edition of Wolf Wisdom Transformational News!

Major change all around us, major change in my own life.

I moved to a wonderful new place just a few weeks ago.

I have been contemplating other big changes; good ones. Received the message today from Falcon, who flew and perched in a tree outside as I aproached the library where I go to my day job, that big change, yes, is good. But only when it is truly in harmony, and only with patience, and the strength that comes with it.

So I sit in my tree, watch patiently, trying to achieve as much of the stillness of Falcon as I can muster (goodness how still he is, watching!).

Tiny steps will lead the way.

"Falcon teaches control of speed and movement. It shows how to recognize opportunities and act upon them at only the correct moment. Watching a Falcon will show you to fully commit and when to act to achieve success."
--excerpt from one of my favorite places on the web: www.linsdomain.com

WWTN #6 -- Wolf Warrior

In this issue I want to share beautiful words.

Below is a most amazing excerpt from Wolf Warrior, a story I recently came across
by an incredible artist named Joy Harjo. It makes me full of joy to share it with you all! Enjoy!

...

"A young man, about your age or mine, went camping with his dogs. It was just a few years ago, not long after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, when white ash covered the northern cities, an event predicting a turning of the worlds. I imagine October and bear's fat with berries of the brilliant harvest, before the freezing breath of the north settles in and the moon is easier to reach by flight without planes. His journey was a journey toward the unknowable, and that night as he built a fire out of twigs and broken boughs he remembered the thousand white butterflies climbing toward the sun when he had camped there last summer.

Dogs were his beloved companions in the land that had chosen him through the door of his mother. His mother continued to teach him well and it was she who had reminded him that the sound of pumping oil wells might kill him, turn him toward money. So he and his dogs traveled out into the land that remembered everything, including butterflies, and the stories that were told when light flickered from grease.

That night as he boiled water for coffee and peeled potatoes he saw a wolf walking toward camp on her hind legs. It had been a generation since wolves had visited his people. The dogs were awed to see their ancient relatives and moved over to make room for them at the fire. The lead wolf motioned for her companions to come with her and they approached humbly, welcomed by the young man who had heard of such goings on but the people had not been so blessed since the church had fought for their souls. He did not quite know the protocol, but knew the wolves as relatives and offered them coffee, store meat and fried potatoes which they relished in silence. He stoked the fire and sat quiet with them as the moon in the form of a knife for scaling fish came up and a light wind ruffled the flame.

The soundlessness in which they communed is what I imagined when I talked with the sun yesterday. It is the current in the river of your spinal cord that carries memory from sacred places, the sound of a thousand butterflies taking flight in windlessness.
He knew this meeting was unusual and she concurred, then told the story of how the world as they know it had changed and could no longer support the sacred purpose of life. Food was scarce, pups were being born deformed and their migrations which were in essence a ceremony for renewal were restricted by fences. The world as all life on earth knew it would end and there was still time in the circle of hope to turn back the destruction.

That's why they had waited for him, called him here from the town a day away over the rolling hills, from his job constructing offices for the immigrants. They shared a smoke and he took the story into his blood, while the stars nodded their heads, while the dogs murmured their agreement. "We can't stay long," the wolf said. "We have others with whom to speak and we haven't much time." He packed the wolf people some food to take with them, some tobacco and they prayed together for safety on this journey.

As they left the first flakes of winter began falling and covered their tracks. It was as if they had never been there.

But the story burned in the heart of this human from the north and he told it to everyone who would listen, including my elder friend who told it to me one day over biscuits and eggs. The story now belongs to you too, and much as pollen on the legs of a butterfly is nourishment carried by the butterfly from one flowering to another, this is an ongoing prayer for strength for us all."

--excerpted from Wolf Warrior by Joy Harjo

WWTN #5 -- Bee in your Bonnet? A Thank-You Note

Fly in your soup?

Animal friends bring messages constantly. It is up to us to listen (or not). We of course don't have to pay attention to our fine feathered or furry or winged friends, but if we choose to, we may feel calmer, and more informed, relaxed, refreshed and magically infused than we were before the animal (be it in physical or spirit form) graced us with its presence.

A couple of months ago, I was going along in a kind of sad and bluesy mode--had been for a couple of days. The unavoidable repetitiveness of "wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep" was weighing heavily on me. One day I woke up, got ready for work, left my apartment, walked to the corner and turned left, just like I do every day. Suddenly in the distance I saw an object speeding towards me through the air. It quickly came closer and I realized it was a hummingbird! WHOA! I hadn't seen a live hummingbird in YEARS! It whizzzzzed past my head, almost grazing my left ear, whizzzzzed just as quickly away, and was "gone".

I felt shocked, exhilarated, happy! The beauty of hummingbird had zapped me. Of course, the totem medicine of hummingbird is as follows: "It can help you find joy and sweetness in any situation." (http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/hummingbird.htm) On to work, with a new perspective gained! Hummingbird is bringer of joy, and gave me this medicine to pass on to others as it whizzzily whispered past my ear.

Another animal that sometimes buzzes in to my life, never failing to make me feel inordinately happy and fulfilled, is the Bumblebee! It is one of my totems, as well as the Honeybee and the Wasp, but before now I hadn't yet fathomed the depths of what they had to teach me. Today, I "randomly" stumbled on to this website: http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/animals/animals.html and I came across this wonderful passage about Bees. I was blown away, and wanted to share it with you all!


"There are books available that can help in deciphering the message or gifts of a particular animal. Some of these books are quite insightful. Above all, pay attention to how the visit from the animal felt to you. For example, if you were to search in a book for the meaning of a visit by Bee, you may learn about the importance of productivity or the value of community. However, Bee came to me with some unexpected information, information that I'd not seen in any book. During a time when I was doing research on the nature of prayer, I was approached by Bee during one of my journeys. She told me that all Bees live their life as a prayer. She went on to share with me much information about prayer and how to pray. Recently, during a time of loss, I was again visited by Bee. She asked that I ask the Bees to pray for me and also to go out into my gardens. Sitting beneath the Spring blooming trees, my attention was drawn toa loud humming. I looked up to see a cloud of Bumble Bees among the branches of the trees. I began to hum along with them and felt a peace settle over me. For months after that day, I encountered Bees in the most unlikely places. Reminders for me that they continued to pray, and also that I was not alone. Neither are you."--Raven Cypress Wood


What strikes me as I read through it again is the SOUND of the word. Bee. Bee. BE.

All animals have medicine, knowledge, and beneficial power that they want to share with us. They want to help us. Their messages can be different for each individual and it is up to us to listen and discern.

Animals, I want to thank you for your gifts, patience, help and kindness in this and all lifetimes; thank you for coming to my side and sharing your knowledge and your power.

Thank you Spider for spinning the creative web of eternity. Thank you Alligator for your rumblings of primal energies and deep wisdom. Thank you mammals, insects, birds and reptiles. Thank you all.

WWTN # 4 -- Dragonfly and the Art of Stillness

July 31, 2006


Here, Now. Why is it that so many of us find it much easier to be anywhere but here, now?

I know it is very difficult for me!

But, guess who came to lunch?

I went on my little half-hour break at the university where I have my library day job.

As I sat by the window in the student center, looking at the greenery outside and munching my Vegan Soy Burger, a creature whizzed by on the other side of the glass--yep, again with Dragonfly! I smiled as I munched.

He whizzed past again--another big dude! Then, suddenly, he landed in a bush, where I had a very clear view of him. And he stayed there!

In my experience I have seen dragonflies hover, whiz, and very briefly "alight" on something before whizzing off again. Never had I seen one actually land, let alone stay put!

As I finished up my soy burger I couldn't take my eyes off my friend. I noticed his beautiful, lacy wings, then moved on to his body. The way he'd landed in the bush, he was in an upright position. He looked like a miniature person! I could just see him hopping down from the bush and walking away like a snazzy little man, wings flopping airily along behind him.

I did not want to look away, but time was ticking, and I had to eat my avocado. I cut it in half, making two little avocado bowls, took my spoon and started munching again, glancing frequently at my still motionless friend. I sincerely half-expected him to morph in to human form, and realized this just might have been what folks in the green fields of Britain have been spotting for centuries and deeming as Pixies! And really, who's to say they're not? Certainly dragonflies hold all of the magic of faeries.

Having done justice to my avocado, it was time to head back to work. And guess what? Mr. Pixie was still solidly grounded in his bush as I started the trek back.

Well, I thought, I'll be darned. If a dragonfly, of all people, can sit still for more than 20 minutes and BE HERE NOW, then I can learn to do it, too.

The lesson begins today.

Wolf Wisdom Transformational News #3 -- Dragonfly

Welcome to Issue 3 of WWTN!

It's the 19th today--the date of the number 1. (In numerology the breakdown is as follows: 19=1+9=10=1+0=1.) 1 is the number of new beginnings. Of rebirth.

I spent all last week wondering what last week's newsletter was going to be about. Watching. Waiting. Analyzing. Trying to fit an event in to the mold of a newsletter about transformation. The week came and went.

I had a lot on my very active Gemini mind, too, apart from the newsletter. The "what ifs" and the "maybes" and the whirling dervishes in my head were doing their thing, and then some.

Walking the dog after work at dusk: "I just don't know--...On the one hand--...but on the other hand--...and/or, and/or, and/or...."

On my way to a session with a client last Saturday: "What if--...Or maybe--...Or if not that, then....)

Sure, there were outside influences which planted the seeds that grew in to these niggling thoughts. But instead of weeding my mind, I watered the seeds, let them grow in to big stalks of anxiety which rooted themselves in my stomach (ouch) and tickled my brain.

This morning as I began my trek to work, I was planning on taking my usual route; it is the quickest and most streamlined. But I felt a little twinge, and a voice said: "Take the scenic route." The scenic route is a beautiful walk north along verdant Evanston.

I became almost annoyed with my intuition. The scenic route takes longer and I was already running a bit behind schedule. But I listened. I knew there was a reason. I thought: "Maybe if I went the other way I would be stung by a wasp--...Or maybe this--...Or maybe that...Maybe, maybe, maybe."

I figured I would take full advantage of the scenic route, since it wanted me to take it so badly, and I ducked in to my favorite cafe to grab an iced coffee to go. I said a quick hello to a writer friend who was relaxing at a table, and explained like the White Rabbit: "I'm late! I'm late!" I took off down the street.

"Well," my mind went. "Maybe I was supposed to see my friend in there. Am I supposed to ask him something? Maybe I need to...Maybe, maybe, maybe." And on it went, my mind in such a whirl that I almost forgot to take notice of the beautiful front yard gardens along the blocks of the "scenic route"--after all, a "scene" is to be "seen"!

Luckily, walking past a lovely and surely turn-of-the-century home I spotted one of those wooden garden decorations-on-a-stick, the kind that you stick down in to the earth among the flowers and which are almost always ducks or butterflies with wings that spin or flap in the breeze. This one, however, was a huge dragonfly, painted blue.

Dragonfly. Dragonfly is my spirit guide who comes during sessions, to assist in illuminating the "parts" that need healing. So when I see Dragonfly outside of sessions, I always feel encouraged in some way. I stop, breathe, smile and say: "Thank you, Dragonfly." Which I did, this morning. Once in this calmer state, I was able to say: "If Dragonfly comes for me to light up parts that need healing, then what part of me needs healing right now?"

And then I realized: Seeing Dragonfly immediately quietened my hyperactive mental chatter, caused me to take a deep breath, and helped me feel more centered. And then I remembered back to last week. Walking the dog at dusk, the whirling dervishes running rampant in my head, I'd looked up to see several large dragonflies whizzing around the top of a lamppost. But did I listen then? Not so much.

I remembered back to Saturday, on my way to a session with a client; the "maybes" and "what ifs" jumping around like grasshoppers from dendrite to dendrite in my brain. I had been startled by a big hovering creature to my left, and I turned to find probably the largest dragonfly I'd ever seen whizzing its way up towards the top of a very high fence. That certainly took my mind off its chatter for the moment! I remember thinking that it's a good thing dragonflies don't bite humans! And then I felt glad and exhilarated that it had visited me. I felt calmer the rest of the way to my appointment.

It took a week and a half, and a large, rather obvious wooden rendering of my illuminating friend, but Dragonfly has finally got his point across: "Jen, how can your mind truly fly with all that buzzing in your brain?"

Jen inhales, smiles: "Oh, yeah." Exhales.

New beginnings.

Wolf Wisdom Transformational News #2 -- Headless Rabbit

July 5, 2006

Last night was the 4th of July, fireworks and all. My boyfriend Rich and I decided to try and meet several friends there--some of whom were already supposed to be ensconced in a certain picnic area, some of whom were supposed to arrive after us and find us there.

We arrived at the lakefront destination. My head hurt a bit, I was limping because I had recently twisted my ankle, and we were both tired and sort of "over it" already--but we had told our friends we would be there, so we faithfully arrived.

Once there, it was already a bit past 9pm, and really too dark to make out anything in great detail--we walked and circled the area in vain, but could not see our friends.

We came across an empty picnic table and sat down, thinking that at least we could see some of the fireworks, and that maybe our other friends would find us if we kept to one place.

The fireworks began and we could just make them out through a clearing in the trees. Suddenly we heard a strange repetitive flapping sound.

Coming down a path we saw a street performer wearing a mask which resembled the character Pantalone, from the Commedia Dell'Arte: Dark leather, covering half the face, and with a long, protruding nose. He was walking along while balancing on a giant ball, and in each hand held a giant black hand-held fan--these were the source of the flapping sounds! I realized he was selling neon glow-sticks, and would also stop and perform magic tricks for the children. The whole time he did not speak, and used his body to express and communicate.

Because of his mask, I immediately thought: "I wonder what message Raccoon has for me?"

In between performing for the children, he would pull his mask up and talk with what seemed to be his girlfriend, as they decided which way they would walk next. In those moments, of course, he seemed less magical and more "human".

I remained very focused on him. Seeing performers expressing with body language always fills me with a longing for the 7 years that I was a practicing pantomime, silently conveying everything to the audience with my body--emotions, actions, humor.

Eventually the performer and his friend moved on, and our other friends hadn't shown up, so, tired, we left the scene of the fireworks early.

We walked home slowly. We found ourselves on Chicago Avenue, one of the busiest streets in Evanston, and traffic was zooming past. As Rich walked and I limped along, I stopped suddenly, looking down at a patch of grass next to a store front. "Oh no! Look, Rich, a dead rabbit!" The body was long, shaped more like a hare, and laying motionless on its side. Rich then mentioned something that I had noticed on some level but had a hard time grasping: "I think it is missing its head."

Seeing something like this is usually so hard on me, because I physically feel the pain of what the creature has gone through--so I say a quick prayer for its soul and move quickly on, which I started to do in this case. But something drew me back.

I turned to Rich and asked him to hold my keys. My arms began to move over the creature. I could feel that its soul had not left the body yet. It seemed in shock from having its host die so suddenly. As if on auto-pilot I began journeying to help the soul move on to the next level. I won't go in to details here; suffice it to say the helpful spirit guides came to assist, and the soul was safely able to move on.

As the journey/healing came to a close, I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and we continued our walk home. Suddenly I realized I was crying. I turned to Rich and told him: "I'm not crying because I am sad. I'm crying because I feel good."

...

This morning, I started to think about last night. I allowed myself to feel gypped and frustrated at the fact that somehow our friends did not connect with us. Then I reminded myself that if we weren't where we were when we were, I would have missed the masked performer and also my shamanic appointment with Headless Rabbit.

Suddenly I recalled my thought about Raccoon. I thought: I must look up Raccoon in my books about totem animals and find the message that is there for me. But a voice said: "NO. Look at the whole experience."

I went through every detail again, remembering how I felt at each interval of the evening. When I came again to the fact that the rabbit's head was missing, I thought: What do you have when you are missing a head? You have a body.

And then I knew.

The masked street performer was NOT Raccoon coming to me with a message. He was also Headless Rabbit! Putting the dark mask on made his face "disappear," and he was left only with his body with which to communicate! What could be more grounding?

I also realized that when I was drawn back to do the healing for the rabbit, it was my body guiding me, not me guiding my body. This is why it felt so good that it brought tears to my eyes--the body knows what is needed, and trusting that feels good! Sometimes our heads can get in the way of body-knowledge.

And then I remembered: After doing the healing for the rabbit, my headache was gone!

Wolf Wisdom Transformational News -- An Owlish Experience!

June 27, 2006

Hello, my lovely shamanic people!

I have recently been pondering a shamanic weekly newsletter in which I share some sort of transformational experience with you, and invite you to share yours with me!

I believe that we all have magical experiences each and every day, and my Wolf totem is urging me to clear a path to a place where we all can share these experiences with the wonder and joy that they warrant.

One goal of mine would be to put together a compilation of our experiences and distribute this amongst ourselves--and even amongst others!--thereby growing our shamanic community.

This week I will be sharing AN OWLISH EXPERIENCE with you all.

...

Last night I did not sleep very well, and at one point when I finally drifted off, I dreamed a friend of mine (who has Cherokee blood) and I were walking down the street where I live in southeast Evanston. There are many dogs who live on my block, but we don't often get much out of the ordinary as far as wildlife is concerned.

Suddenly in my dream I saw a couple of people next to a parked car trying to pick up an animal that was between the wheel of the car and the curb. I nudged my friend, pointed and said: "Look, an owl!!"

We stood watching as these people tried to bring the bird up out of the gutter and on to the grass where it would be safer. I remember thinking how amazing the bird was--and in hindsight, it seemed so real and so tangible!

I did not remember my dream until this afternoon, while sitting at my relaxing day job at a university library, perusing the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. I opened by "chance" to the chapter on owls, and, ding-ding-ding! A bell went off in my head. I read again what I already knew about owls:

One who works with owl medicine will be able to see and hear what others try to hide.You will hear what is not being said, and you will see what is hidden or in the shadows. You can detect and pinpoint the subtleties....Owl people have a unique ability to see in to the darkness of others' souls and life....These vision and hearing capabilities have metaphysical links to the gifts of clairvoyance and clairaudience as well.

I thought to myself, let's see; in my dream, the owl was standing in between a curb and the wheel of a car--surely not the best place for it--and why were the people trying to lift it up? The owl was not injured, and owls are strong birds. Surely it should be able to fly away.

Then I thought: What is this dream telling me? OK, time to exercise my skills a bit here, and reconnect with and hone my ability to perceive the deeply hidden parts within others. After all, why else am I here? (Here on this plane of existence, not here in the library. :)

That trail of thought continued for a while, and then sort of faded. I found myself people-watching as patrons passed by. Then I saw a woman who passes by my desk just about every day. She always catches my interest due to the strong duality of her loveliness as contrasted with her very stolid composure.

As I sat in a sort of dream state, the first line of a poem formed, then another, then another....until I had formed my interpretation of a shamanic portrait of the woman's inner spirit. (She will remain anonymous, especially considering even I do not know who she is!)

I include the poem here:


Deer-Woman

by Jennifer Esther Glickstein



There is a woman
who seems to be very beautiful
who I see every day,
and who I will never know.
Her bones tell me so.

The line of her jaw whispers
of a Roman soldier I once knew;
leather-strapped sandals on sturdy feet
bind protection to him like a shield.

A gentleness around her eyes, though,
belies a sensitivity she is powerless to control;
her totem Doe softly singing mysteries
of the unruly forest which must secretly grow
within her tidy kitchen: Pots and pans
shone spic and span line the walls
like knights hung out to dry.

Her nostrils want
to tell of the subtleties of the cinnamon
she's sprinkled in her chocolate;
to speak of the stir of lavender
she's kicked up outside her garden door;
to share the immediacy of the night-blooming jasmine
which rides in on waves of darkness
through her screen.

But her bones say No.
Head held high, feet lined up
toe to toe, she walks straight past
as she does each day--
Yet, in her wake,
blows music--faint.

...

The crafting of this poem not only brought, for me, a very bad case of writer's block to a halt (at least for now), but hopefully it filtered in some sort of healing energy and light to the woman's spirit, to do with what she will. WHOOOO knows? I hope it has done some good. I know it has for me!

Thank you, Owl!

And now, tell me your stories. I look forward to your feedback and experiences!