I’m back in California for some training and paying attention to the details. As my wrist heals, I’m having to learn how to do many things differently. In addition to this, an ongoing pattern of real or potential mini trauma or drama is showing up, followed by a quick recovery of sorts. For example, I forgot my cell phone when I left for the airport, which would have felt disastrous. Luckily, I noticed when I went to capture the gorgeous skyline at the end of my street so I was able to pick it up quickly. It means a lot to mean to be able to stay connected when I travel so I am very grateful. Over the past 2 weeks I’ve had 3 black and white bracelets break – 2 of them were beaded medicine bracelets I made myself and have worn for several years following readings by medicine men in Zimbabwe. It was startling to release these healing talismans and, at the same time, a part of me acknowledged that I don’t need them anymore. I’m now wearing a combination of bracelets that have meaning for me. They happen to be black, white and pink which feels like heart energy balancing the yin / yang of the masculine and feminine, light and dark and other dualities. Who knows how long they will last. The right arm of my prescription eye glasses broke on the first flight yesterday making navigating the airport extra challenging. Luckily it wasn’t far to my connecting gate even feeling as disoriented as I did. Prescription sun glasses got me to my hotel and a bit of tape from the front desk did the trick for a temporary fix. Landing in Orange County, I made my way to baggage claim and waited patiently for a bag that never arrived. Staying curious and calm, I found my way to the United Airlines Customer Service. I thought it was very odd that I had to leave the building and go to another terminal but when I got there, my bag was waiting for me in clear site and my hotel shuttle was outside the door within 5 minutes. I’ve come to think of these daily attention grabbing disruptions as course corrections designed to steer me on my path. While I’m resisting making a story about all of this, I am paying attention. Nonattachment certainly comes to mind. Seems like it’s time to let go of some things that worked before and don’t fit going forward like the bracelets and maybe the way of seeing. It’s also clear I need to pay attention to the details. Since I believe that the universe is interactive and uses every opportunity to communicate, I get that noticing the details that show up in my life is a way of accessing messages specifically for me. Dancing serpents and skunk medicine. A few years ago, I was driving my sister and her family to the airport very early one morning. It was dark, raining and foggy. All of a sudden, two swaying black and white snakes were dancing cobra style in my headlights as if under the spell of an Indian snake charmer! It was mesmerizing and magical and turned out to be the tails of two lively skunks. Skunks meander at their own pace and aren’t inclined to move out of the way until they’re good and ready so we got to watch them for a bit. My niece and nephew who were in the backseat know my fascination with signs so they were quick to ask, “What does it mean Auntie Janet?!” I responded a little glibly, “it means it stinks that you are leaving so soon!” – but I was shaken by the image and did feel there was a message in its startling and haunting appearance. Black and white again – like my bracelets, symbols of balance and duality. Tails up and swaying like activated kundalini energy the message felt like a wakeup call. According to Ted Andrews, the author of Animal Speak, skunk medicine teaches us about respect for self and others. The message resonated with me and it likely had something for my sister and her family too. Messages are often multi-layered and can reveal new insights long after they are first seen.
While it’s fun to play with signs and messages, actively looking for them can be confusing and exhausting, not to mention distracting. My family often pokes fun at me over mundane incidents with tongue in cheek remarks like, “it’s a SIGN!!!” reminding me to keep my perspective. Paying attention is like following the energy and feels like active stillness. There’s usually no need to reach for signs though. They’re everywhere if I pay attention. |