Only a few days have passed since I wrote here, and yet I feel drawn to the blinking cursor once more. Last night I had a dream where I was in the midst of a wild storm, traveling across a slippery bridge from one side of the shore to the other. This morning, I woke and came to the computer, and my internet browser was on the post I had recently shared. It seems I was being led to write about the confidence and joy I found in the midst of the stormy crossing. The joy comes from knowing who was there to lead and guide me along the slippery bridge.
In my previous post, I wrote:
Simply noticing, without judgement, noticing where the tension is stored and allowing our love to flow there, is a way to enliven the tissues again. This invites release and encourages flow of energy and healing naturally.
The picture at the top of that post was taken as I sat with the great being known to many as “Grandmother Ocean”. Embodying the feminine energies of creation and birthing, She is the source of many of our lifeforms. Tracing the strands of sacred story and science, we find ourselves led to Her shores again and again.
Something within us pulses with Her life. Something inside calls out, “I am yours and you are mine. We are integrally connected in this wondrous web of life!” We are a part of Her and She is a part of us. Truly, we are one.
And yet, we have all but forgotten. We find ourselves wandering as lost little lambs or frightened feral cats or flying frantically as a misguided flock of geese caught in the winter storms. To watch the news or to read the posts on social media feeds, one might think that we were all doomed to destruction at any moment. Even talks around the dinner table with friends are fraught with worry and fear.
Pulses race. Vision narrows. Muscles tense. Breathing shallows. We are preparing for the assault, every moment of every day. Running for our lives has become the new normal. This has been going on for so long, we do not even know who we are running from anymore.
At some point, it all catches up with us. We find ourselves collapsing in a heap. Exhausted. Confused. Completely spent. We lay still only because there is nothing left to give, nothing left to do, nothing left to strive for. There is, it seems, nothing left.
We struggle. We reach. We grab for something, anything.
And then, someone draws near. The striking of a match is heard. The flickering of a candle. Fire lights the way.
In our memory, somewhere deep inside, a gentle rushing is heard. The swoosh of Grandmother Ocean’s presence is still moving inside us. The old ones whisper. It is time to gather again.
Instinctively, we place our hand on our hearts. We hear and feel it’s rhythm. A shifting is happening. The heart’s voice is given space. This sound, this rhythm of life, like the ancestral drums around community fire, awakens something.
Only when we quiet ourselves long enough are we able to hear the Voice of our faded memory. We close our eyes. Breathing deepens. This shift in breathing brings life deep into our belly, deep into our cells.
We shift our focus, bringing our attention back to the swooshing of the inner ocean, back to the ebb and flow we knew so long ago. Muscle fibers soften. Vision broadens. Pulse rate slows. We go deeper, and yet we are awakening.
Somewhere inside each of us, there is a memory of Grandmother’s embrace. She has a way of softening and smoothing our rough edges. She has done this for thousands of years with the hardest of stones. This Great Being rocked us as we emerged from the womb of Mother Earth. This One, known by many as Grandmother Ocean, has deep wisdom to share. Surrounding us, guiding us, once more inviting us into Her embrace, She sings to us in the old way.
~ Grandmother’s Song ~
Draw near to me, child. You are mine and I am yours. We are integrally connected in this wondrous web of life.
Come to my waters, you who are weary and battered and bruised. Come to me, enter me, let me wash you clean. Come to me and I will revive you. Listen to my voice.
My voice is within you. I flow from the crown of your being to your base and back again. I am with you always.
Notice yourself, every part of yourself. Notice yourself, and cast your judgement aside. Let me wash you. Let me soften you. Let me rock you once more, as I did in days of old.
I am a part of you, and you are a part of me.
Come to me, and remember who you are.
Come to me, child. Come home.
~~~~~
As we lay there, finding ourselves on Grandmother Ocean’s shores, we gently become aware that we are not alone. And we are no longer afraid. There really is nothing to fear when we are all connected. We are all one.
Here, on Grandmother Ocean’s shores, listening to the heartbeat of the world, we remember who we are. With Her guidance, we attend to our whole being. We listen and become aware of every part of ourselves and every part of each other, without judgement. With the guidance of this Great Ancestral Being, we are capable of bringing forth healing, wholeness and fullness of life.
When we listen to the deepest parts of ourselves, we remember, we restore, we renew. We are revived and return to the Source. Guided by Fire’s light, listening to the heart’s song, in Grandmother’s embrace, we remember, just as we remembered through our brethren at Standing Rock – Water is Life.
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