Continued from Part 1
Finally, I concluded that something
just wasn’t right. So, I got down on my hands and knees and had a really good
look at Blackie. It hadn’t moved at all since the day before. I poked. No
movement. Blackie was dead. Then I noticed the real problem. Black, almost
invisible, nylon netting. Black snake. Dark mulch. The snake had gotten all
tangled in the mesh netting and had died. What had really happened? Malnutrition?
Dehydration? Exhaustion? All of the above. I don’t really know.
What I did know was I felt
terrible – absolutely terrible. Intensely terrible. I was angry. I felt sick to
my stomach. I was disappointed. I was ashamed.
As the day progressed and night
fell, I continued to feel horribly saddened by Blackie’s passing. My
ego-based perception had interpreted all the events of the last 10 days from
the perspective of my perceived “struggle”
to learn which perennials do well here, are reasonably unattractive to deer,
can handle periods of heavy rain and drawn-out draught, look nice, and are easy
to maintain. Blackie was just a very
welcome and very “natural” cog in the machinations of my ego-perceived gardening.
I felt proud and special. I had never had a snake help me protect my
plantings. Wasn’t this really wonderful? “Ahhh! Isn’t nature truly magnificent?”
It never dawned on me to try to
really look and watch Blackie. Why would it dawn on me? After all aren’t my
perceptions relflective of reality? The overarching answer from A Course in
Miracles (ACIM) is “No!”
I’ve never had a reaction like
this before to a “natural” situation. As I tune out the chatter in my monkey
mind (including the should/ought – shame/blame), I’m beginning to understand
the shift of my “knowing” of the oneness of life. I’m aware that I am changing.
A year ago, I do not believe I could have experienced these intense feelings. I
am learning that my connection to Blackie was very real and, although I selfishly
personalized the relationship between the snake and me, the unity-of-life
emotions I am experiencing actually represent a step forward for me.
So, I am officially acknowledging
the significance and power of Blackie – my latest teacher/guide in my spiritual
journey. Please join me in thanking him (her?)
for providing a wonderful – albeit very painful – lesson to me.
Thanks for listening and, as
always, feel free to share this message with your family, friends, and
spiritual acquaintances.
Don
#1 May, 2012
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