Did you know that kangaroos cannot move backwards only forward? I woke up at my usual time this morning and the blog post started forming in my mind. Then I fell back to sleep and had a dream about kangaroos. I cannot remember the blog post that had started forming, all I can think about is kangaroos. When the universe puts something in my path or my mind I pay attention to it, well most of the time anyway. So what information does the kangaroo have for me? I think I hit on the message with the first sentence, forward momentum only. I can’t go backwards though I can cause myself a lot of suffering by living in the past in my mind. Okay, universe forward it is.
The other thing that popped into my mind this morning while I waited for coffee was spiritual warriors and the feminine energies maiden, mother and crone (read wise woman). I think most self aware women are spiritual warriors. According to Wikipedia, “The term spiritual warrior is used in Buddhism for one who combats the universal enemy: self-ignorance (avidya), the ultimate source of suffering according to Buddhist philosophy.[1] A heroic being with a brave mind and ethical impulse. Different from other paths, which focus on individual salvation, the spiritual warrior’s only complete and right practice is that which compassionately helps other beings with wisdom.” I would have to say I know a few of these people and they can be any age, race, or sex. So why does that term keep popping into my head? I realize that the term warrior is mostly associated with war but in this case it is more about the internal war that takes place inside of each of us. It takes experience, training, discipline and heart to be a spiritual warrior and offer yourself to the world.
I don’t think of myself as a spiritual warrior at this point, I describe myself more as a crone. The word crone seems to have a negative connotation to it and images of wrinkled old women with warts on their nose comes to mind but perhaps we just need to change our perspective. In years gone by the crones, in a lot of cases, were the ones who held the knowledge and helped people. They were the healers, the counsellors, midwives, the wise women who had the life experience and self awareness to be all of these things. You enter the crone stage after menopause which despite the way western society has medicalized it, is still a natural process. I am lucky enough to have had the experience of it naturally. Was it always fun and pain free? Not a chance but I knew what was going on and never sought out medical treatment for it. We have turned most female natural transitions into medical issues. Painful menstrual cycles, childbirth, menopause, there is a pill, surgery or hormone cream for that. Yes the medical system has saved a lot of lives and I am not bashing it, but when did giving birth and menopause become viewed as medical conditions instead of a natural ones. There are tools to aid you as you go through these stages and the wise women have known them for years. My grandmother’s recommendation of a certain tea for menstrual cramps was far more effective than the prescription the doctor gave me.
In this youth obsessed society we are overlooking the value and beauty of the crone! We have been there, done that and have much to share. If our society has no heart how can we hope to survive? We cannot go backward and change any of it but we can move forward and be part of the changes that are coming. Even western medicine is taking small steps in the direction of treating the whole person and is incorporating Reiki, meditation, spiritual practices, among other things into their system. It is happening slowly but it is starting to gain momentum. I am greatly excited by this! I take responsibility for my health and use food, herbs, essential oils, Reiki, crystals, energetic therapies etc to maintain it but seek out medical attention for things as well. I think our future is a beautiful combination of natural healing and medical science. They diagnosed my painful kidney stones but I turned to a crone to get rid of them, rather then wait a painful month for the second test needed in our medical system. The crone’s remedy helped me within three days and it didn’t even taste too bad. My doctor asked me what I used and when I told him his response was, “My grandmother swears by that!” I have also tweaked my daily food sources so my body does not create more painful stones.
So be a spiritual warrior and use your self awareness to help others. Embrace the crone and or warrior in you and others. Be the best you that you can be and spread the love and knowledge. We have much to offer each other but it does not happen without heart. Spiritual warriors walk the earth with their heart wide open and change the world one human connection at a time. These connections add up! One person cannot save the world but continued small actions of love and compassion from each of us can. Love each other, the earth and all her inhabitants until there is no one and no thing left that needs healing, then we can dance. Thanks to all the warriors and crone’s that paved this new path for us that is based on our past but not stuck in it.
Dance with each other!
Love everyone
Donna
Life in a Slightly Soiled Chair 