Transparent Oracle Sunday!

50, Polarity: White Dragon (Above). The direction of Above takes us up and out of the four traditional elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, and reminds us that we are but a small part of the Cosmos.  Above also reminds us that while the Machinery of the Universe is huge, it does have an effect on each of us, and each of us is an important part of the workings of that Machinery.  The White Dragon represents masculine, dispassionate, celestial energies that come into us and into our world from “Above.”  If you see the solar system and the universe as being alive, and as being filled with the manifestations of the Sacred Essences that are the source of life and awareness, then these energies are very important.  We are the Microcosm, after all, and these energies are from the polar opposite, the Macrocosm . . . filled with information, knowledge and wisdom. 

31, Gateway: Winter (North). North is the direction of Earth, and thus of the physical or physically formed or manifested world, and of nurturing, health, finances and security, and the wisdom associated with living simply, being well-grounded, and being in touch with our physical body.  Because this Gateway is square and solid, and appears unshakable and immovable, it seems like a safe place, or a strong foundation upon which we can exist and prosper. 

10, Elemental: Sylph (East). East is the direction of the rising sun, and thus of new beginnings and fresh ideas, as well as knowledge, intellectual ideas and thoughts.  Sylphs personify these concepts, and they encourage the use of imagination in an original way, they tell us to shift as needed in order to take advantage of the prevailing winds, and they tell us to fly free, filled with joy and unencumbered by life’s burdens (at least for a little while).

I then made my mandala.  Hmmm . . . not as easy to interpret as the past few mandalas.  However, there is certainly still motion in this image.  The question I need to ask is this: am I using that strong and safe foundation as a stepping stone towards the ability to perceive other ways of existing and communicating and crating?  Or am I using that foundation to shut out all the wonders and joys and opportunities for evolution that are circling around, looking for an open portal?  This has turned out to be a clarifying mandala for me once I have meditated upon it for a bit.  And it is interesting that each week, my reading seems to be honing in on a coming choice or crossroad.

I biked to Sunset Beach this morning, and paused a bit, marveling at the change from yesterday.  Today, the sky was blue and the water was blue and the sun was shining with that crystal clear illumination that only happens in the Fall, and while there was still a bit of chop, the whitecaps were gone.  I did not linger today; I was feeling the call of Point Park and the 2 mile nature trail.  I needed the soothing healing to be found in a quiet walk through the meadows and forests of the nature preserve. 

I was alone for almost the entire walk, which was lovely.  I walked as quietly as I could, and was rewarded with tiny house wrens, a few cardinals, and the ever-present catbirds.  I paused on one bridge and watched an osprey soar overhead; I was pleased when its circles headed my way and the raptor took a moment to check me out, too.  I continued walking, enjoying the Fall flowers, which were just past peak, and that glorious spicy green fragrance of sun on a meadow.  Glorious!

I watched a Cooper’s hawk wing past; it joined three others high above, circling over the marshes.  And of course, a group of turkey vultures, my totem, made an appearance.  There were very few bees this weekend and only a couple of dragonflies, but the monarchs are still around at Point Park (although I am seeing few of them in town).  Certain areas, where the flowers are still in bloom, had many of the orange creatures sipping nectar from blossoms, or fluttering on the breeze.  I would still categorize their numbers in the hundreds. 

At one point, the trail was teeming with clouds of tiny flying insects, like May flies; could they be midges?  I realized that I may have stumbled upon the final manifestation of an interesting life cycle.  Midges apparently live most of their lives as underwater larvae, but as the lifespan comes to an end, the midges cocoon themselves into pupae, and then float to the surface of the water, where they break free and fly into the air.  The midges then mate, the females drop their eggs into the water, and then within 48 hours they all die. 

Towards the end of my walk, a swan flew by.  I can’t imagine how they manage to get airborne!  They are huge, noisy fliers, their wings making clacking sounds with each wingstroke as they first take off, striving for altitude, and then make a kind of whistling sound once they have built up speed.  The pristine white of the swan looks glorious against the browns, greens, yellows and pinks of the surrounding meadows and flowers, and the blue of the water. 

I guess I found my healing, eh?

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