Cover Artist: Erin Rainbow
Title: Awakening
Medium: Coloured pencils and black textas
Contact: e_gillmore@yahoo.com.au
Feature article: Awakened
Awakened.
He walked in circles, very impatient with himself. There was something he had to understand and he just hadn’t got it. There was something he felt he needed to know and he just didn’t know it: like a missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle, some eureka moment, an awakening. Because he was impatient with himself he became impatient with other people. “The wise one will know,” he thought, and was intent in having an audience with him now.
“Out of my way!” he stormed at the young boy having trouble controlling a herd of goats on the road. The boy looked afraid that he would be run over if he didn’t move quickly. The imposing figure thundered past on his galloping mare. It would be evening soon so he would have to spend the night at the inn. It wasn’t a pleasing thought, but that was nothing unusual. These days not too many things happened that were pleasing to think about.
The inn was clean enough but the only room available was a shared one. To share with a man that snored, forgot to shower and could barely hold an intelligent conversation was not something he looked forward to, but it couldn’t be helped. The frown lines etched deeper on his forehead.
He pondered on all the idiots he came across in his day. There was the housekeeper, who never seemed to put his clothes in the right place or cook his eggs the way he liked. Then there were the neighbour’s cattle that seemed to like his land best. He would herd them up and send them home because their incompetent owners didn’t seem to care. There were the people that worked for him; they couldn’t make a decision to save themselves. Idiots, he was surrounded by idiots. He thought himself a reasonable man. He had a quick thinking mind that stood him in good stead for business, but he could not and would not tolerate fools.
The inn was starting to get rather busy and was quite noisy by the time he finished his first ale. With the look of this clientele he didn’t expect to find an answer to any philosophical questions here. A cynical smile passed his lips as though the prospect amused him.
He didn’t see the blind traveller enter the inn with his walking stick. The blind man was guided by his acute sense of perception to a table on the far side of the room. Sensing there was someone at the table he stopped and said, “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” The man, preoccupied, looked up keen to send any drunkard on his way. He saw the glassy stare of the man, the walking cane and gestured uselessly. “No, please, have a seat.” The blind man sat in silence, staring into space.
“How do you travel?” the man asked.
“Oh I have a horse,” he replied.
“You travel by horseback? That is quite amazing.”
“I am not alone,” said the blind man. “I have a loyal friend who travels with me. My horse knows to follow him.”
“But what about the lay of the land, the contours, how do you stay in the saddle?” The man’s interest was piqued. He knew how he rode and was sure he would not be able to ride blindfolded.
The blind man smiled, “We do not ride at a gallop. There is no hurry. Instead we prefer to enjoy the scenery.”
The man frowned. Was this blind traveller having a go at him? He chose to ignore it. Instead he asked, “Where is your friend?”
“He will be tending the horses. He prefers horses to people. He says horses are always predictable.”
“Well I’m not so sure about the predictable part,” the man replied. “I have been sent flying by my share of stubborn mules.”
The blind traveller shrugged. “You always get a perfect match.” There was a little more to this blind traveller than he first thought. His silence was a signal for the other to continue. “The horse can sense what you are feeling and decide whether he likes you or not, rather like people do.”
“People don’t decide that. They just react to one another,” the man stated authoritatively. After all, he had come to that conclusion by his own experiences and was convinced that this was the truth.
“Look around this tavern,” the blind traveller suggested. “Tell me what kind of people are here.” The man reviewed the bar where men were now drunk and falling over each other, two of them in a blind stupor on the floor. “The place is filled with drunks,” the man replied disdainfully.
“Then it is my understanding,” said the blind traveller gently, “that you will find situations and people that displease you wherever you go. Now let me tell you what I see.” He sat there and listened, a smile curling his lips. “There are friends come together to celebrate a man’s first baby. There is a couple over in the corner enjoying a meal after an enjoyable day’s travel and there is a young couple just behind us who are in love. It is a wonderful place to be.”
The man was amazed. “I didn’t notice all of that.”
“No and nor will you when your thinking is only of mistakes and tragedy,” he added gently.
“But that’s my reality,” defended the man.
The blind traveller shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be. There is not a person in this world who has the same reality as you or the same experiences. You can look at what you like or you can look at what you don’t like. And you will always receive a perfect match either way.”
“But things that happen are not always things that we like,” he was starting to understand.
“You always have a choice as to how you assess or respond to things that happen. You cannot control others but you can control how you feel about what they do. And when you do that,” the blind man opened his eyes as if seeing a new world, “you are awake and alive.”
Gayle Maree
Stewart Natural Health Clinic 4095 3600
Regular article: Wildlife Wisdom – Pee Wee; Presence
Silently walking, always stalking: this is the life of the tiny Aussie Pee Wee.
Pee Wee feels as equally at home in the bush as he does in the city. This miniscule bird is endlessly searching for a tasty morsel, seeking out sumptuous grasshoppers or a sweet juicy grub.
Pee Wee has adapted well to new and modern habitats. As field and forest have been converted to give birth to highways lined with brick clad suburbs, he has coped well to evolve and accept his new challenges.
As the velocity of life in this new millennium continues to increase, it brings us new challenges to adapt to and overcome. If we teeter on the edge at times, trying to find our centre of balance we perhaps avoid and delay the imperative need for change.
How different is the medicine of Pee Wee. He gets on with the task at hand, never fazed by danger or any threat to his life. This tiny Aussie matador simply steps to one side without change to his breath and without care or regret. With the grace of the Creator’s gift of evolution, Pee Wee sees all as an opportunity for growth. He confidently steps out of the old and into the new, unfazed by a new reality.
Pee Wee has mastered the art of Presence in the Now. He walks his earth walk with the peace of mind that this conscious awareness brings.
Pee Wee builds his nest in clear sight in a circle high on the branch of a tree, never attempting to conceal his habitat for he knows there is nothing to fear. He builds his nest from the mud of Mother Earth. It is just big enough for him or his mate to snugly fit with his developing family protected within.
If by fate Pee Wee has come to your hand today he knows that he can trust you with his one dark secret. His magic informs you of the only thing he battles with in these modern times. “Man has gifted me with the glass window pane as he has you, the mirror.”
He calls to you softly. “Life is simply about the Self facing the Self. You can master your surrounds and appear to take all in your stride, but it is your Self that you are here to face and conquer.”
When Pee Wee sees his reflection in the glass he does not recognise his Real-Self looking back at him. He sees it as a competitor and attacks it over and over; flying and pecking at this reflection of the Self with distrust until he is exhausted and can fight no more. Never learning from this futile war, he continues his attack again once his strength returns.
His magic calls you to attempt to succeed where he has failed. “Master the reflection of this false self and be at peace with who you are Right Now.”
Pee Wee magic reminds you, “Look in the mirror at your Real-Self. Be Present with your Real-Self. How do you feel about what you see? Do you wage war or do you love and respect your Self? Do you accept your Self just as you are? Can your negative identities and self-doubts step peacefully to one side in order for the Real Self to shine?
Pee Wee asks, “Does your reflection bring thoughts of fear or disdain, disappointment or doubt? Is your instinct to reject and repel? Or do you unconditionally love and accept?”
The magic of Pee Wee calls you today to become Conscious. Act with love for all things and see in all things the reflection of your inner Self.
Look closely at the Self and learn from Pee Wee behaviour. He asks you to resist thoughts of war on the Self and find acceptance and inner peace within. As you view the beauty reflected in the mirror of another and of self, find your Presence and accept it in the Now.
He urges you to ponder, “Is this internal fight necessary and real? Can I accept Me as I am Right Now and love Me and my life as it is Right Now?”
Does your continuing war within deplete you like it does Pee Wee? When you see your reflection do you launch an attack as he does? If so, he suggests that when you cease the internal onslaught the external onslaught ceases also to exist.
Like Pee Wee do you blame the phantom intruder for causing your own conflict? When you love and accept your Self both inside and out, acceptance and love are reflected to you in your external mirror of life also. Pee Wee reminds you to be Present Now. “True happiness and peace come from Acceptance of the Self and your Life in the Now.”
© Susan & Trevor O’Sullivan 2008
Ph Susan 0417 730 313
Email metaphysically@bigpond.com