I've spent the week in a place and with people that are profoundly transformative, which means most days I am presented with opportunities, surprises and experiences that I would not ordinarily have available to me. I'm trying to make the most of it and yet at the same time I recognise my need for silence and the outdoors. Being cooped up in a building all day is not good for me.
I started the week with an animal card reading to mark the spring equinox. I held the question where am I meant to be, and selected a card from the pack. I drew the Badger as my animal totem from now until the next equinox.
If you would like to read more about animal totems and more specifically badger medicine go here http://morningstar.netfirms.com/badger.html
What touched me is finding out that "in Native American "myths" Badger was the keeper of stories and this too indicates that story telling through the sharing of life experiences of the self or others, writing or other forms of communication such as art that "tells a story" is important to Badger people as well. Perhaps it is because Badger is the great story teller and myth and stories are so powerfully healing for so many that Badger folks cannot get too close to too many people: They have things to share with the wider world and being tied down to one person, place or thing goes contrary to what these folks came to planet earth to do. Many do require extreme amounts of "down time" time to be alone, even on a daily basis, if they are to be able to accomplish their healing work and even stay sane!"
This takes me on to a theme in a number of amazing conversations I've had during the week each in someway revolved around the theme of balancing energies - where the horizontal world meets the vertical world, or how some describe in organisational settings the rebalancing of alignment (decision-making and action) with attunement (nurturing and relationship building). Mythically this can be seen as finding a chalice for the sword or the relationship between the court and the forest. In the forest we move into liminal space in order to connect with the mystery and presence our futures, for which we can rehearse our contribution before heading back into the court to share our gifts, knowledge or skills.
For me right now I am fascinated by this process and how it is shared within communities or even if it can be shared collectively or does it have to be a personal journey or quest? The wound in the world manifests itself in many guises. One of which is the imbalance between male and female energies. When you are born into a patriarchal world you know what this imbalance feels like. How can we come together and rebalance our energies so as to live in a way that honours both? How does story and myth serve this process? I feel it is getting closer to the time when people need to step forward to explore this wound collectively and seek ways to heal it.
