Deer Hearts,

In 1963 Bob Dylan wrote, “The Times, They Are A-Changing” and the lyrics are still relevant. Indeed, we live in changing times. Weather and climate is changing everywhere on the planet; governments and economic systems are shifting; technology is changing so rapidly, many folks have a time keeping up.

If the circumstances of your life suddenly changed, what would still be important to you? What would fall away, no longer important? Would your values change – the lesser ones maybe? Who would still be in your life?  What about the people closest to you? Would you revive some relationships that are faltering? Who would you finally let go of, to live their own destiny? 

Would the very fabric of life take on a new clarity and brightness – ordinary things like walking down a tree-lined street or the scampering of a squirrel – taking on a precious quality, because you are poised between really seeing them as though it were the first time, and realizing that these so-called ordinary things might not always be in your experience. Would you appreciate things you’ve always taken for granted: the sun for warmth and growth; the miracle of a robin’s eye, the way your jaw works to speak and eat, or that from tiny seeds grow trees and our food?

Would you allow yourself deeper partnerships – first, within yourself – giving yourself everything you’ve always wanted from others: acceptance, understanding, praise … do you give yourself kudos when you do something inspired? Do you know your true self unfettered by the ego’s drives and fears? Would you know how to love yourself through tribulation? Would who you really are be recognizable to you? Would you appear different to the world?

Would you make sure you had the essentials? Enough food, and fuel to keep warm. Would your sense of style be replaced with things that serve the greatest purpose in your life – the sturdiest, warmest boots, a coat suitable for the most extreme weather? Would you stay connected with a support system, with people who love you? Would your animals be well-cared for, and most of all, treated lovingly? Do you let animals teach you about happiness? Could you imagine and foster a deeper partnership with them and the rest of the natural world, expressing gratitude for all they give you?

And what about what lies beyond? Are you in continuous relationship with your guides, totems, angels (for you, does that include star beings), and even Source? Would you thank those same “angels” when another car misses yours by an inch? Do you respect the right to live of even the smallest creature, as well as the so-called inanimate things around you, which are also extensions of Source? Would this be the day you DECIDE and DECLARE yourself to be in partnership with all life, even while you gratefully take from the Mother’s resources, what you need to live?

Would you be completely disoriented if your routines went away, or would your inner self still be your compass? Would you still find time and desire to make art and express yourself creatively, even if you are stressed or under pressure? As your body changes, can you appreciate what you still can do, and the health you are able to maintain?

 If other people were also in transition, would you care about them, as you would yourself? Would you make efforts to act cooperatively with them, looking to help those most in need? Would you share? Would you look at the suffering in the world, have compassion, and realize that “there, but for grace, go I”?

Would it all come down to appreciation, enjoyment of, and gratitude for what you do have, or would you swim in loss and grief for what you don’t have anymore? Would you trust that even in changing circumstances, “angels will bear you up, lest you dash your foot upon a stone.” Psalms:91:11. 

BE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL OF LIFE. THE DECISION IS YOURS

In kinship,

Cie ~ Thunderbird Starwoman