Befriending the Lion

 Last night I dreamed that Tyler and I were visited by a lion.  In the dream we are living in our second apartment we rented decades ago, an apartment I liked very much.  In the dream I open the door and in walked a male lion with a full mane. He evidently had been waiting patiently for me to open the door. Yes, I was startled. He went directly to Tyler who was sitting at his computer in a room down the hall. The lion, despite his size,  jumped on his shoulders, not as a fierce predator, but  like a house cat wanting some attention.  The dream was actually very quiet. There was no screaming or roaring.  The lion moved beautifully with ease and purpose, and no hesitation whatsoever.  He knew why he was there. 

In June of 2019 I dreamed of a lion that was following me as I walked my dog along a path. In that dream I am terrified, but the lion simply followed us.  No, I never did grow comfortable with that lion's presence. Today, I feel gratitude that the lion has surfaced once more. What is his message?  Well, I was so surprised, I forgot to ask. I think it takes a while to become accustomed to a lion in one's life. What was particularly startling about my 2019 dream is that the following morning an image of Rousseau's "Sleeping Gypsy" surfaced  in my Facebook feed.  I have always loved this painting. I include my reflection from  2019. I had forgotten about the playful fawns darting in and out of the tall grass. Because I am no longer worrying about them, I can simply enjoy their playful presence on the journey.      

Today Tyler and I are stepping away and taking Jack for a walk.  It really is time to open the door. 

 

Last night I dreamed: 

A lion was walking 

along a dirt road 

that ran along a freeway.  

I wanted to walk that 

path but I was full of fear 

for myself, 

my dog, 

and the small fawns 

darting in and out 

of the bushes

in play. 

I thought, 

"Surely this lion 

is from a zoo. 

We do not have lions 

like this around here."

 

So afraid! 

Yet, he never roared 

and he never chased. 

He simply continued to walk 

that dusty path 

which I suddenly 

could not trust.   

  

This morning, 

when I had forgotten 

the dream, 

this image came. 

 

I must learn to trust 

the lion,

 the art, 

the dream;

most of all 

the dusty road 

where one meets 

Christ

 in all sorts of guises 

trying to nudge us

awake.       

    

image:  Wikiart    

  

     

Surfacing

 I recently had a dream where I am walking on the floor of a sea. I am neither worried, nor elated that I am walking under water. What does concern me is that there seems to be no sea life. There is no color, no fish. I am actually walking in a structure made of grey stone. It has no roof and no floor,  but it does not seem to be a ruin. I continue to walk through empty chambers and hallways. It is not a large building but the stone work is of high quality.  

As I continue to ponder the lack of sea life, I look up. A large pod of what I called whales are swimming above me. I cannot see details because the whales are quite far above me. As I remember this dream, I think the creatures look more like dolphins, but in the dream I know them as whales. I am grateful to see them, but I become concerned again because there does not seem to be any sea life.  I ask, "What are they eating?" There are quite a few of them.  They appear to be black; the sea is grey and very still.  They swim on.  I wake before the last whale passes. 

This morning I share the color red.  The first red offering is a painting by American Surrealist Kay Sage (1898-1963) . The painting is entitled, "Festa". This artist is a new discovery for me. When I first saw it, I felt such a surge of freedom.  Only later did I see that there is a spear-like object attached towards the bottom of what I will for now call a veil. 

The second is a photograph that I took a couple of weeks ago.  I have also recently had a dream of an old woman who was completely cloaked in black. In the dream I am in an office and I see her coming down the hall. I am not frightened. In the dream I know she is there to clean. I am at a desk sorting through files. I move to the foyer to make room for her to clean. For now I think of her as a Wisdom figure, so when I look at this photograph, I think that maybe she is being revealed. I continue to welcome her

The next image is a Frida Kahlo painting. According to the notes I have seen,  she completed this painting about 8 days before she passed.  "Long live life"  is the translation.  Poignant.  She was in physical pain most of her life.   

I was going to stop there, but I was finally able to get a good picture of a rose that grows not far from where we live.   

 

 I come back to a poem I recently received.  The image of the blackbirds seems to mirror the image of the whales in my dream.   

 

I continue to ponder red in our "curving and soaring world". 

 

I am 52 years old, and have spent
truly the better part
of my life out-of-doors
but yesterday I heard a new sound above my head
a rustling, ruffling quietness in the spring air

and when I turned my face upward
I saw a flock of blackbirds
rounding a curve I didn’t know was there
and the sound was simply all those wings
just feathers against air, against gravity
and such a beautiful winning
the whole flock taking a long, wide turn
as if of one body and one mind.

How do they do that?

Oh if we lived only in human society
with its cruelty and fear
its apathy and exhaustion
what a puny existence that would be

but instead we live and move and have our being
here, in this curving and soaring world
so that when, every now and then,
mercy and tenderness triumph in our lives
and when, even more rarely,

we manage to unite and move together
toward a common good,

and can think to ourselves:
ah yes, this is how it’s meant to be.

~ Julie Cadwallader Staub  

--

     

Night Prayer and Novena, Day 9

 So what would you say to the Holy One? 

I greet this night with Christ in my heart. 

I give thanks for the mysteries of the rise of dough, 

and the baking of bread. 

I give thanks to friends who send notes. 

I give thanks to a neighbor who leaves flowers 

for people to take as they walk by. 

I pray for our old dog whose rest is disturbed by fireworks.  

I give thanks as  the evening moves into darkness. 

I give thanks that I do not fear the night  

for it is light to me. 

I pray for all I have read in the newspaper today. 

I greet this night with Christ in my heart.   

   

Day 9  (Sunday)

   

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

This is the great secret of joy. 

Only can the unseen power of love 

can open my heart to all others 

and their hearts to me. 

I will make love my most effective tool, 

bringing happiness to others and myself. 

I give and receive the abundance of love 

that is needed in my life, 

that I might bless and be blessed. 

I now know the great secret of joy, 

and life is transformed. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

 

My gratitude to Rev. Carol Parrish-Harra for these novenas, and for hopefully understanding my adding Christ to the beautiful mix.      

  

 

photograph: my altar for Sunday with my neighbor's generous offering. The angel fell off the desk during the earthquake this week. One wing was damaged, but Tyler was able to mend. She has been through a lot. As have we all.  Let us be good to ourselves and one another, and  

 pray.    

     

 

Novena, Day 8

 I have been thinking that if we greet each day with Christ  (or whatever word brings a sense of the sacred to you) in our hearts, we should also end our day with "I greet this night with Christ in my heart." I find the rhythm of opening and closing meaningful for that is the ongoing rhythm of this life.  We are not static. 

This morning in my reading, I came across this passage, "Self-knowledge and experience of God unfold together and into each other...It is a path in which we leave egoism or incomplete selfhood behind, the egoism that tries to control and monitor the process of self-knowledge."*  We must constantly ask ourselves, "Am I on a path to know God, or my own ego?"  We say vigilant because the ego is desperately trying to maintain control, whereas God tenderly whispers, "Come." It is like trying to listen to a very quiet voice in the midst of a marching band and a cheering squad. Yes, distraction comes easily. However, let us be easy with ourselves in this time of unlearning and learning. I appreciate the image of unwrinkling in this novena. Sometimes I do feel rather wadded up. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

I address each one whom I comfort 

with tenderness and strength, 

knowing love within my heart. 

Though shared from my heart, 

the offering shines in my eyes, 

unwrinkles my brow, 

brings a smile to my lips 

and a ring in my voice. 

For each pleasant and constructive experience, 

I am grateful. 

From each unpleasant experience, I learn. 

For the experienced of awakened life, 

I am uplifted. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart.  

  

Rev. Carol Parrish-Harra (first and last lines have been edited)  

 

*The Selfless Self," Father Laurence Freeman, OSB, p. 86 (1998, Continuum) 

image: This photograph was taken in Millbrae probably close to a decade ago

Novena, Day 7

 "You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope."

~ Thomas Merton  

The schedule I was envisioning for this morning was interrupted even before the tea was poured.  The dog got sick - twice. He seems to be fine and has just returned from taking a walk with Tyler. I think learning to gracefully deal with interruptions and then simply to return to your plan is a worthy lesson. I have to practice this over and over during meditation. There will always be interruptions. Some you can put on hold; others you simply cannot.  Regardless, we always need to return, whether it is to our mantra, or to what we need to do next.  

This quote by Thomas Merton arrived in my inbox this morning. A timely reminder to simply tend to the task at hand. 

  

Day 7 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

Henceforth, I shall love all life

and all kingdoms in every expression. 

At this moment I take steps 

toward a greater level of expression 

for myself and all of humanity. 

I grow in my understanding 

of the power of love and its holy purpose. 

I can succeed with love alone in my life, 

as a great power that leads my experience. 

Love alone is capable of uniting all life 

in such a way as to complete and fulfill. 

Love takes each one of us 

and joins up by the deepest in each.

This appreciation hastens the day when all 

life is consciously linked together. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart.   

 

Rev. Carol Parrish-Hara  (I have substituted the word Christ for love in the first and last lines).   

 

Image: Downtown San Leandro, July 2016

Novena, Day 6

  I did not sleep soundly last night, so this morning I am a little tired. I almost did not attempt to meditate because I was certain I would just drift off to sleep. However, we are encouraged to return to our sitting place whether we feel like it or not.  I am grateful for those wise teachers, and I did stay awake.  I am also grateful for the small meditating community that gathers with me on Wednesday evenings. They, too, help keep me steadily on the path. You are welcome to join us!  Just drop me a note for the Zoom link.   

Day 6

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

This day I will love myself. 

As a result, I inspect all that enters my body, my mind, my heart. 

I resist overindulgence and cherish my body 

with cleanliness and moderation. 

I uplift my mind through knowledge and wisdom of the ages. 

I refuse to become complacent. 

I fill myself with gratitude for the opportunities that come. 

I feed my spirit through meditation and contemplate 

the great mystery of life. 

My heart unfolds and embraces all of life. 

My love blesses the Earth. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart.  

 

Rev. Carol Parrish-Harra (Edited. She uses the word love instead of  Christ.) 

  

photograph: San Leandro, June, 2021   

  

Novena, Day 5

 I think that starting my morning, before I even get out of bed, with the statement, "I greet this day with Christ in my heart," is helping to keep me honest. I cannot make that quiet declaration and then begin to complain and worry. I have to move into another direction: the one that clears the way with  fidelity and love. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

I respond to the actions of others with love. 

Adversity and discouragement will beat 

against my shield of love and become soft as rain. 

My shield of love sustains me when I am alone, 

Uplifts me in moments of despair

And calms me in times of confusion. 

I awaken to the new day with vitality

and joy of living. 

As my courage increases, my enthusiasm rises. 

My desire to greet the world overcomes every fear.  

I accept happiness from the sources made available to me. 

As I become stronger, I cast aside the shield

And walk unencumbered among the family of humanity, 

giving and receiving. 

The radiation of unconditional love awakens the joy 

of living in everyone I meet. 

I greet this day with Christ  in my heart.  

  

Rev. Carol Parrish-Harra

(in the first and last lines I have substituted the word Christ for love.)  

  

image: San Leandro, April 2016