Our most recent fortune cookies (Paul ate two).
Hello Everyone!
In Cottonwood, AZ today Paul and I went on an “explore” and wound up going for a hike by a river under a magnificent shelter of cottonwood trees and aspens, all bare except for bunches of bright green mistletoe. Today is the Winter Solstice. It will also be a lunar eclipse of a full moon, the first time this has happened on Winter Solstice in more than 350 years.
An astrologer acquaintance of mine says that tonight is a potent time to release any darkness that holds you back, to let go of any old pattern, grief or pain that has been interfering with manifesting your true life’s purpose. In so-doing you can rekindle your inner fire and plant a new, more positive vision for the coming year.
Anyone who knows Paul and me realizes that we’re not immune to having life issues of our own. Who is? In particular, the topic of “home” has been more than an obsession for the past several years. “Go home” my inner guidance has been saying a very long time. But today, walking under the mistletoe I had a bit of a revelation: is there really any “home” that exists outside ourselves at this point in time?
An old family story came to mind. My grandparents came to the United States as a result of the Russian pogroms when the Jews were forced from their homes at the turn of last century. Imagine “Fiddler on the Roof” minus the singing. My grandfather came to this country first, got a job and sent for his young wife after he saved enough money. After she arrived he wanted to take her out for her first American meal and ordered shrimp which is forbidden under Kosher Jewish law. She was horrified but her husband said “This is your new home! This is what people eat here!” She replied “No! My body is my home.”
“Go home”. I tried it my grandmother’s way. I walked under the trees, visualized myself “at home” in my own skin and came back to myself, breathing, just being. And for the first time in a very long time it felt alright.
Mistletoe grows in the branches of trees and is one of the symbols of Christmas, probably because it is evergreen. But it is also a real life manifestation of “home”. A wide variety of birds use mistletoe for a nest. And not only that, the birds are responsible for the mistletoe being there. Mistletoe finds its way to the tops of these trees through bird droppings. Seriously. Mistletoe is what is known as a hemiparasitic plant. It can thrive quite well like other plants on its own and would not ordinarily be found growing in the branches of other shrubs or trees except via the process of having been deposited there in bird feces. The plant then sends roots into the tree itself in order to survive in what would otherwise be a foreign environment.
This is an extremely rare occurrence in the plant kingdom. Such a surprising ability to not only survive but thrive in such a situation, especially while staying evergreen, makes mistletoe a profound example of Nature’s fertility. Not only that, in places where mistletoe abounds other species become more fertile and abundant as well because mistletoe not only provides housing but food (berries and foliage) for a wide variety of animals and birds. Mistletoe is a symbol of God’s love (or the Goddess’ love in Nordic pagan tradition) and whoever stands under the mistletoe is under Divine protection. No harm will come of them, only a kiss, the symbol of love, fertility and everlasting life.
Paul and I have had quite a few “looking for home” adventures and mishaps in the time we’ve been together. It’s obviously time to change this but we have learned at least one thing: no matter where we go, no matter where we are, we’re always “at home” with each other!
Remember to steal a kiss under the mistletoe this holiday season.
-- Sheryl Karas M.A.
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