So here I am! Today, in Queensland you can’t get
more obvious than saying ‘it’s raining!’ In fact that is an understatement!
And what options do we have
on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon? One could be to read a story…even have a
wine if you are so inclined…and there is one coming (story that is!)
On a serious note Queensland has had and
is still having a battering with the weather. We have gone from dustbowl to
floods in a couple of days. I was chatting with a friend on Facebook this
morning and he commented that Australia
was not a place noted for its gentleness or moderation and wished us well in
our ‘dance with nature’…what am awesome expression…thanks Dave.
Before I get to the water…let
me digress…I wish to ponder on a flame for a moment…bear with me. A few years
back I was at a National Speakers Conference and one of the speakers Colin James
opened his presentation with a slide, a simple image of a blazing camp fire, the
flames rising high, mesmerising me. The image was so powerful I could almost
feel the heat. In that instant my mind flew - to male power, dominance, wisdom,
strength and control. My mind took me to men sitting round a campfire, a space no
woman would invade. Now those who know me know I am far from a shrinking violet!
Yet that image burned into my soul.
Later I started to think – if fire represented male + power…what would represent women? I came up with water – woman + wisdom + flexibility. Water is constant, it flows, it is unstoppable, it wears rock away, if blocked it will change direction and find another way round…it can be gentle, calm, peaceful and serene. Or it can be powerful, destructive and dangerous. And water will put out the flame! Perfect description for a woman I think!
OK, Ok before I get carried
away…I delved deep into my computer and found a mythical transformational tale
written while I was doing a sensational and amazing 90 day program with the inimitable and gorgeous
Denise Moser. It rather fits with the women, water and transformation as we move
through our current ‘dance with nature’.
Now…this is the best bit…grab
a wine or beverage of your choice and settle in for a short read…
Auntie Yindiri
A
mythical transformational tale by Di Riddell
Beyond the rainbow, not so long ago, before time was
known, there lived an ancient tribe who knew the secrets of life. They lived in
harmony with each other and nature, were blissfully happy and all things were
open to them.
Great droughts followed by devastating floods came and
afterwards life was different. Many moons came and went, floods raged, seasons
became wild. Throughout this time tribal members drifted on becoming lost in
their daily chores unaware that life had changed.
Auntie Yindiri, a female elder of the tribe, no longer
young and strong became aware of something beyond. She sat alone at an
important place by the sea where she had experienced much sharing of wisdom
long ago. Often, she had sat on a rock at the waters edge with her grandmother,
she leaned forward eagerly to hear as the very soft tones of her voice… almost
a whisper her grandmother communicated with hand signals, the rhythmic clicking
of her tongue and the gentle tinkle of water in the background. Here she made
contact with the spirit of the frogs, the beauty of butterflies and the
magnificence of the eagle.
Back then this had been an area rich in light timber,
wildlife from the land and the sea. It was a place where sunlight filtered
gently through the trees. The flow and tinkle of water cascading over rocks created
a mantle of peace.
Today a barrenness had overtaken their community,
country and spirit yet they were lost in the daily grind. Yindiri was sad for her people and she knew
not why and she sat looking and reflecting on the water. In long ago times the men had sat around the
camp fire telling stories and images of male power and control swam before her
eyes. In parallel times the women sat hunched over the rocks at the waters edge
and used soft whispers, hand gestures and tongue clicking to relate stories of
the magic and power of water and women. She reflected on the strength of water,
it may drip and wear a rock away, it may rush in flood and create a new path,
overflow and wash away or sit still and reflect its surroundings. In turn water
extinguishes a fire.
As she sat there silently the frogs came and crawled
over her leaving her clammy and sticky, the caterpillars came and tickled her
inching over her naked body with their many legs and she took no notice.
Finally a beautiful proud eagle came and hovering before her pierced her with
his ever seeing stare. Yindiri fell into a deep death -like quiet trance.
While she was in this trance those frogs, caterpillars
and the eagle communicated with her in special ways.
The commune of frogs croaked ‘we will work with the
humans’
Yindiri we do not much about humans, we do know a lot
about being a community and the cycle of the secret to life. We will share with
you how our community works with the land and the water. You will learn how our
understanding of the flow of water and balance with nature will help you to
heal, flourish and be strong.
‘We will guide them’ chanted the procession of
caterpillars
If you are open to our messages we will share the
secret of how we live. Our life is short and we have much to do. We then experience
the value of time alone and finally become beauty in motion as we collectively
or singly soar to greater heights. This we know about and can share with you.
The eagle – flying far above looking down knew much
about humans and still preferred to be an eagle. She communicated survival, faith
in beyond, being in harmony with nature and rejoicing in a new life.
The
eagle has a life span of up to 70 years but to reach this age she must make a
hard decision. In her 40’s her long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey
which serves as food, her long and sharp beak becomes bent. Her old and heavy
wings due to their thick feathers cling together making it difficult to fly.
Then,
she is left with only 2 options: die or go through a painful process of change
which lasts 150 days. The process requires that she fly to a mountain top and
sit. There she knocks her beak against a rock until she can pluck it out. The
beak grows back slowly and then it will pluck out its talons.
When
the new talons grow back, she starts plucking out the’ old-ages feathers. After
5 months, she takes her famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.
Yindiri awoke and acted with purpose, she became
energetic. Communicating openly,
inspiring others – she knew what her community needed. She treasured the earth
and the earthlings and the earth shared its treasures with her.
The rest of the tribe at first ignored her and failed
to notice her changing. They took no notice as each day she ventured further
away and returned with a new message or a grain of knowledge gathered from the
earth or the water.
The day came when she knew it time for her journey of
transformation. No one noticed she had gone. Although they had enjoyed her
story telling and sharing’s no one had attempted to explore and find their own.
Now fresh, free and strong she travelled far by day
and at night she showed thanks to the frogs for showing the balance in nature,
the caterpillars for showing her how to enjoy the journey and making the most
of every moment. She danced in sheer delight.
When she was surrounded by the unknown she used her
understanding to avoid danger. At times nature raged around her and she used
her senses to perceive danger in advance and her strength to endure when that
was the wise way.
When she was so far from home that she no longer knew
the way back - she sat silently. Time passed. Meanwhile back with her tribe,
relationships grew stronger, they worked in harmony. The flow of the water was
reflected as people grew in knowledge and lived their own adventures. In this
place she saw beautiful turquoise water reflecting images of frogs, butterflies
and an eagle.
In her dream state she pondered the value of change. Many times, in
order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get
rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only freed from past
burdens, can we take advantage of the present and grow.
When she awoke, she felt somehow different. With the
beauty of a rainbow appearing behind her she felt calm and inspired. With
a feeling of the power of water coursing through
her veins she set off for the place of her dreams.
After many days Yindiri came to a flowing river, water
tumbling over the rocks and she saw the expansive eagle symbol on its surface. An
iridescent blue butterfly flitted across the warm rocks. This was exactly the
vision of her dreams. She set down her few possessions on the bank and dived
in. The flow of the river pulled her to a twist in the river which sucked her
over a natural drop and below the surface. She was tumbled, she relaxed and
went with the flow emerging in a magical place only seen in her dreams.
Here she marveled at the multifaceted beauty suffused
with a sparkling rainbow of colours reflecting around her. She discovered a gay
and joyful community of people with a freshness of spirit that tinkled through
the air like laughter in a breeze. The people seemed to have been waiting for
her, it was as if she had returned home and in a heartbeat. Yindiri was at one
with herself, the universe and everyone else.
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