"I dreamed of you this morning," he said. "You were standing in a calm, clear pool of water when a pod of sting rays swam up and began circling around your feet. Helping you in through the open window I was standing safely behind, a snake with its fangs bared then rose up behind you. Thankfully, someone else closed the window on the striking serpent as I led you away from the slithering creatures," he shared.
He asked mama for interpretation. She said that it was a good sign that the pool was calm and clear.
Usually, he flippantly responds that he doesn't like it when others communicate in code. Later, however, we "randomly" flip through Coleman Barks' Essential Rumi; his choice and I sweetly chuckle at his blatant contradictions. He opens the book and it falls unto chapter 21 - Beginning and End. "The King and the Handmaiden and the Doctor" begins like this:
"Do you know why your soul-mirror does not reflect as clearly as it might?
Because rust has begun to cover it.
It needs to be cleaned.
Here's a story about the state that's meant by soul-mirror."
And it ends with the Three Brothers and the Chinese Princess:
"It was the third brother who had been ill up until now, who received the hand of the princess.
He lived the marriage of form and spirit, and did absolutely nothing to deserve it."
"Hmmm," he responds, after we finish reading aloud to each other each of the two stories, sipping, like fine wine, the metaphors while tasting how they apply to each of our lives. "I love a good story," he says, his belly full with imagery and poetry. Again, all I can do is laugh. "Yes, STORY IS MEDICINE."
Stingray Medicine
from Ted Andrews/Animal-Wise:
Keynote: Gracefulness in maneuverings and moves. Staying on course.
Stingrays are relatives of the sharks. They have flattened, flounder-like shapes with long whiplike tails that have a stinger or poisonous spine attached. Stingrays have electro-receptors on their snout by which they accurately detect buried food. Some generate and emit low level electrical pulses that help them to guide and recognize food and danger. Often, when stingrays are totems or messengers, people get tingling sensations to alert them to the presence of danger, and treasures, etc.
A network of nerves informs the stingray of the position of each part of its body wherever it is swimming. For those to whom the stingray is a totem, there is a natural gracefulness, a sense of never being lost. This individual is usually confident in maneuvering and operating in whatever environment in which he or she is found. For those to whom stingray is just appearing, the ability to maneuver gracefully in new environments will need to be developed.
When the stingray appears, trust in your own inner guidance. Trust in your own ability to find what is beneath the surface. Do not be afraid to whip that tail around to protect your own dance in life. It will be much smoother and more graceful than you imagine.
