On the evening of the second moon, Ana once again returned to the water’s edge; this time humming cheerfully as she danced. It wasn’t very long before she was raising her arms, clapping her hands, humming, and twirling like a carefree, little girl. Oh how she danced and danced, and continued to dance as the moon rose over the setting sun in search of the Wise Woman for her second lesson.
This time the Wise Woman, again dressed in the colors of water and fire, was waiting for her. Ana sat on the grass along the water’s edge and opened her right hand palm down to show she was eager to know more.
Very pleased, the Wise Woman smiled and said, “Your index finger represents your Mind. It gives you a sense of direction, combining all your thoughts, dreams, and desires.”
“Sometimes, though, whether we are fully aware of it, we allow past pains placed upon our minds, either by our own infliction or by the infliction of others, to consume us. Out of fear of being hurt again, we begin to hide our thoughts, bury our dreams, and deny our selves of desires. Eventually depression and nightmares set in as fear of exposure robs us of our true thoughts, our true dreams, and our true desires.”
“Hmmmmm,” said Ana. “I don’t have that problem.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes … pretty sure.”
As they continued their conversation, they began to build a small fire along the water’s edge.
“Are you ready for a Spiritual Bath?”
Ana disrobed, walking carefully into the gently moving stream. Once comfortable, she closed her eyes to clear her heart, mind, body, five senses, and spirit of all the day’s emotions, thoughts, dreams, and desires.
Totally relaxed now, Ana envisioned her ten fingers as a drawing instrument, her body a canvas.
She touched her soft hair and outlined the shape of her head. Her facial features followed, from her forehead to her chin…
As she drew, she started to see and feel who she was with her mind as well as her heart, five senses, and spirit… Like before, just like the first time.
She opened her eyes and looked into the flame on the water’s edge. As she did, she recalled how she dreamed of going to college to be a social worker, a teacher, or perhaps a writer. An average student, teachers and parents alike told her that her grades were not good enough to go to college. Determined to prove them wrong, she said, “Watch me!” Over time, her grades improved over time and she attended a local college.
She first studied the social sciences. Oh how she loved Psychology, fascinated as to why people behaved the way they did. Sociology was a close second. She enjoyed learning about people, the communities where they lived, as well as their cultures, beliefs, and traditions. Unfortunately, Ana struggled with the practical aspect of the social sciences – namely, social work. While she wanted to help the less fortunate, she found it difficult to relate to many of their challenges as she had lived a sheltered life.
Ana then gravitated towards education, hoping to become an elementary school teacher. Oh how she loved planning lessons, tailoring lessons around different learning styles. What’s more, she loved working with children in the classroom setting; especially the young ones. Their thirst for knowledge was insatiable. Unfortunately, Ana, and the classroom teacher who observed and evaluated her did not get along well. Having taught many years, the teacher had a set way of doing everything. “Too rigid,” Ana thought. Much like a little girl herself, Ana loved to learn and was open to trying different approaches with different children to see what worked and what didn’t.
Disillusioned with social work and education, Ana started to take writing classes and kept a journal of her writings. Oh, how she loved to write – especially poetry. She received so much encouragement from her professors too. One in particular said she had a gift for ‘language compactness’ and that while it might take a few years to know for sure, he thought she truly had a gift for the written word. He said she had ‘raw talent’. Excited, Ana couldn’t wait to share the good news with her family. Finally, she knew what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to be a writer and had a talent and passion for it too.
Her excitement quickly diminished though when her father said, “No daughter of mine is going to be a writer.”
“But why not?” she asked.
“Because very few people make a good living at it, that’s why! Novelists live troubled lives, Ana. They tend to observe rather than live life; and ultimately, as they isolate themselves from the world, alcohol and drugs become their only friends. As for journalists … well, they just prey on other people’s miseries in search of a story. And there’s certainly no honor in that.”
Determined to become a writer, Ana whispered under her breath, “Watch me!”
It was then Ana realized she came very close to giving up her dream. As the memories flowed, she cried uncontrollably, realizing she fought vigorously for everything – to obtain a higher education, to learn about people and communities, to use her talents as a writer – all in an effort to gain confidence and reach her full potential.
With her tears finally diminishing, she looked up at the moon’s brilliant light for guidance as she slowly returned to shore. Once on shore, she stood by the warm fire to dry off before getting dressed. As she did, the Owl whispered, “Ana… always listen to your thoughts, dreams, and desires. Delivered as a voice from within, you may also see them in the form of dreams. All guide you in finding your life’s purpose.”
Looking up at the three-quarter moon, Ana listened to the Owl’s soothing voice felt from within. As she did, she thought about all she learned this evening about her self, her dreams, her determination to fulfill them, and about having to fight for everything. Taking a deep breath, she started to realize she even fought with those who agreed with her! Taking another deep breath, she realized she no longer needed to fight. She had achieved so much in life. She not only became a writer as she had hoped, but she learned she had a great passion for life as well as people and their communities. She thought about all of her experiences so far. Perhaps there was to way to blend all of her talents so she could help people within the communities where they lived. It was then she realized she was capable of so much good; so much more than she ever imagined. She could touch so many lives with her talents. Reclaiming her mind along with all of its knowledge, all of its dreams, calmness soon followed.
Ready to learn more, Ana searched for, but discovered the Wise Woman was no longer with her. “Where did she go? Have I learned all I need to know yet?” she asked herself.
“Have patience,” the Owl whispered. “There is still so much more to learn.”
Very weary from the journey thus far, Ana returned home to rest.
To be continued…
