Connected

The Mystery within...

I had the great fortune to take a quiet, early Sunday morning walk, with my yellow lab Oliver.  We moved along paths in a wood where a thin soft layer of fresh wet snow lay.  No other human foot traffic had yet disturbed the thin even layer of moist softness.  But there were definitely signs of other traffic--most notably deer, turkeys, raccoons and rabbits.  I felt privileged to follow in their footsteps.  Only three deer made themselves visible to us but I felt connected to all with whom we shared the trails, as well as the still iced over pond, bare trees, and intermittent peaks of sun.  I wanted that sense of connection and peace to stay with me and expand to the people I would encounter throughout my day.  And I envied the native peoples who had lived closer and more connected to the land and one another.

But as my day moved forward my heart felt overwhelmed from current threats to God’s creation and our alienation from one another.  Perhaps it will be the gift of fear that will bring us to acknowledge what our world needs, awakening our dependence on the land and on one another. 

I was reminded of my long ago reading of “Seven Arrows” where author Hyemeyohsts Storm tells of the Sioux tribe’s peace shields that depicted an individual’s strength along with one’s weakness for all to see.  What a great ego softener that honesty would be.  It could elicit understanding and help from those I encounter throughout my day.  And my strengths would be known for what I can contribute to the whole.               

What if we each designed our own peace shields as medicine to reconnect us to the land and one another?