Considering for a moment that everything in nature consumes
something else for its survival, our anthropocentric viewpoint of what’s ‘right
and wrong’ does us a disservice. While I’m a huge proponent of being aware not
to cause other beings unnecessary pain (and not acquiring unwanted karma as a
result), Jaguar medicine isn’t about applying judgment to ourselves or others, as
much as it is about finding what’s true for us as the unique individuals /souls
we are.
Vision:
(broken-) open conduit
happy dog that looks like (a demon-) Coyote, open mouthed
biting into (smoke) stream
a cork zipper-pull /toggle being brought down /opening
collar opening
marshmallow (burnt)
fire (that consumed it)
…
How much of how we express ourselves do we do in the
interest of gaining or maintaining the approval of others? A better question,
perhaps, is how much of how we limit
our expression is done for that purpose? It’s one of the greatest of Coyote
tricks. While it might seem to offer us personal safety and some measure of
happiness, allowing us to be influenced by what we perceive others would want
from us keeps us from discovering and expressing what’s integral to our own
selves. On the pretence that it’d be ‘dangerous’ to do otherwise, it cuts us
off from our passions, and in doing so, we keep our greatest gifts mysteries, secret
from us. We suppress our expression, our own knowing (‘until the time is right’,
we might tell ourselves). Veiled in this way, even our one-on-one link with Great
Spirit is interrupted.
Loosening our reliance on perceived structures of authority will
not only help us access other dimensions of our soul’s self, but other
realities of existence. Consider cleaning yourself up; removing what isn’t
‘you’. Burning off the shell of others’ voices doesn’t mean you’ll be forever scarred. On the contrary, you’ll see
the essence of the ‘treat’ that is you underneath it. You’ll find new tastes that
you wouldn’t otherwise know (like the charred part of a burnt marshmallow). You’ll
definitely learn something about the
fire that transformed you.
If you’re concerned your life will denigrate into the chaos
of nature, consider that nature exists in balance, whereas mankind – with all
its strictures – has a historic tendency towards unbalance. As Chief Dan George said, “We are as much alive as we
keep the Earth alive”. To this point, we haven’t done very well at that, doing things
the way we’ve been doing them, have we? Explore the jungle that is you – there
are innumerable medicines there, waiting to be discovered.
Big Medicine Love to You
~ Black Feather
