Spirit Guides

Holy men encircle me; saffron robed monks listen as I explain how difficult and desperate I feel. I fall to the ground and cry, wailing from a place deep in my core. Patiently the monks wait for my tears to exhaust. I get up and they smile and remind me how I am loved, how I am not alone, how everything is fine. One of the holy men hands me a small brown bag of saffron rice “eat this it will give you strength.” All of this spoken without a word said out loud.

This dream changed my life. I knew everything would work out. I was being watched over. Spirit guides.

After my father died a crow screamed at me in my back yard till I did what I thought the bird was telling me to do. The humpback whales of Maui saved me from my recklessness and working to protect their population helped me feel a part of something. The dragonflies that watched as I counted whale pods remind me of that time wherever I live. The monarch butterflies in Mexico habitat became a spiritual experience in nature’s cathedral. Now I feel like someone is saying hello to me when one flies by.

     A new friend is diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and within a year is dead. A month later a spotted owl arrives in my front yard. Perched on a cedar tree for two days staring at me as I grieve. I sit outside on my patio and watch the owl for hours. I am in the presence of wonder and beauty as the owl balances on the thin branch with ease. A peace settles over me.