When my daughter was little I spent a lot of time storytelling. Children have vivid imaginations. They are closer to their emotions and intuitions. Under the age of about seven their ability to think is based in a literal understanding of what they hear us talk about. So my daughter understood that the hills were sleeping giants and cats dreamed the world into existence. I don’t actually know where either of these stories came from but I am sure the hills are giants who are fast asleep and I know my cats are mystical beings. In fact, I feel both these ideas came from the inspiration of our Guide teams. One of the ways that we receive information about the realities beyond this one is through our imagination. Stories contain grains of the information. Little nuggets of spiritual data to help us expand our horizons.
In a book by D.J Conway, Animal Magick, she describes the magickal attributes of cats as: a strong protector, especially when faced with a confrontational situation; knowing when to fight your way out of a bad situation & when to retreat; independent and self-assured; searching for hidden information; and, seeing spirits. Recalling the story I told my daughter I know I explained to her that the cats came into this dimension so that they could help us have a happy life journey. To make sure that we could have a good environment they volunteered to be the ones imagining how this world worked. Their dream would be our reality. Unfortunately people forgot about the dream the cats were having on our behalf and started to treat them as unintelligent animals. Cats still share the world with us. They try to remind us of their part in our reality but as we mostly refuse to connect with them they let us cuddle them instead when we need comfort. The cats are still dreaming, protecting and connecting for us even if we are unaware.
We live with two cats who certainly do a lot of sleeping punctuated by eating and some mad rushing around or sparring with each other. Cats have been in my life for most of it. So perhaps I told my daughter a story I heard when I was small. What fascinates me is the way in which childrens stories and books contain so much ‘hidden in plain sight ‘ spiritual guidance. Not religious teaching. I make a very clear distinction between religion, the grouping of man-made ideas about the Divine into some sort of doctrine to follow, and spirituality, the inward journey of discovering the connection to the Divine within. In fact, I enjoy reading a lot of books that are aimed at children & young people. There are some very strong ethical questions, moral dilemmas and heart searching to be discovered inside these books. And young minds have more flexibility with imagination to navigate these stories to positive outcomes. Perhaps the shift in books for children is a way to encourage then to share the dream the cats currently make.
We have to find ways to change our reality as soon as possible. War, aggression, poverty, fear are the energy we live in right now. Our compassion for others is swamped by the tidal wave of fear, anger and fighting that we are busy giving out or living through. What stories do you tell yourself, your children and grandchildren? What books do they read? Can they imagine a world of peace and harmony? Can you? Take a little time and explore what stories you listened to as a child. You may find that the spiritual guidance you need right now is already contained within those tales.
Day 154 of my blogging challenge.