Standing within the Otherness

©2014 Mary-Lynne Monroe

"I stood willingly and gladly in the characters of everything ~ other people, trees, clouds. And this is what I learned, that the world's otherness is antidote to confusion ~ that standing within this otherness ~ the beauty and the mystery of the world, out in the fields or deep inside books ~ can re-dignify the worst stung heart."

~ Mary Oliver

What a rich and vibrant imagination Mary Oliver has! She writes of the capacity, the ability to stand in the character of another ~ whether that 'other' is human or not. I meditated deeply on this concept, which was a good thing to do. I remembered times when I did perhaps what she writes of, or perhaps something that's only akin to it.

In February of 2014 a friend and I took a short road trip. We arrived late and settled into our room. I woke earlier than she did so I bundled myself up, gathered my camera and gloves, and set out for a walk. The air was clear and crisp with frost covering the shaded bushes. I set a quick pace. Every possible element of nature seen on that walk spoke to me ~ the high blue-shadowed hillsides, the stark trees with their arms askew, the noisy crows. I spoke to them all as I snapped photos. As I was returning to the motel, caws became louder, more insistent and angry. I looked around for the cause of the crow's ire. Sitting in a nearby tree was a beautiful red-tailed hawk. Whispering my gratitude to my beloved crows, I pointed my camera into the branches. The hawk seemed to pause, posing for me, head turning from side to side, body occasionally bouncing forward. I was so engrossed that when the hawk took flight, I could feel my body lighten and lift. Although at that moment, I lost sight of the hawk, I felt the full extension of the wings catching air. Returning to myself, I went inside the motel to prepare for the rest of my day ~ overflowing with joy and gratitude.

Have you had an experience of connection with nature, of 'standing in the character of another'? What was it like? How did you feel afterward? How would you step into nature to find that kind of experience? Are there other authors who have described the kind of experience you had?

Super New Moon in Pisces and Solar Eclipse

Tuesday, March 8th at 23:19 UTC (11:19 p.m.), the Solar Eclipse begins. The four-minute antumbra will begin at 1:59 UTC (1:59 a.m.) on Wednesday, March 9th. It will be visible in a swath of the Pacific Ocean and Micronesia. Living on the West Coast of the U.S., it will not be seen in the sky, but it will begin at 3:19 p.m. and be at its maximum at 5:59 p.m.

Those are the technical details. Then there are the other, more arcane meanings. A solar eclipse happens when the three most powerful and influential celestial bodies ~ Sun, Moon and Earth ~ align and create a new energy, a new story, for us to embody. Having this particular eclipse happen while the Super New Moon is in Pisces sends us into Mama Ocean, the collective unconscious, where depth hides the memory of every story that's ever been lived on Earth. It contains all of archetypal life as well as the myths we plumb to guide our steps. Within this container rests our creative imagination.

This is the New Moon for travel into the Dreamtime, for practicing and dancing with our creativity. Mama Ocean helps us shape-shift in that deep, dark realm, in the primal womb. This is the time to engage our passion and uncover what we are passionate about ~ to dream a present and a future that embraces each and all of us. Within that Dreamtime travel, there is a call to stay present, awake and aware. It is a time of healing the deep soul wound through many clear or subtle routes, including karmic completion, full awareness of feelings, forgiveness of self and others.

What are you feeling as you pass through this Eclipse and New Moon? What draws your heart? your passion? How are your interactions with others shifting? How are you expressing this? What creative expression calls to you? Are you answering it?