Journey School Stories

What a shift in thinking this Halloween Costume challenge has become. Generally, you just pick what you want to "be", put together the outfit, maybe some facepaint and special jewelry and Voila! , you are a gypsy, queen, bum, cheerleader, cheetarina (cheetah ballerina) or even a witch. But to try to draw what you most desire to you, well then, you have to get into the very essence of that thing itself. To discover what it most desires.

Rae's wish for an Akbash puppy became heartbreakingly appropriate for this assignment. She has been helping to care for a litter of eleven puppies for the last couple of months. On the days that Jeff works at the small dairy, Rae goes with him, spending hours cuddling, romping, feeding, communing with these amazing animals. Just a few days before they were old enough to leave their mama, the pups contracted a very fast, very deadly illness. Seven of the eleven puppies died, including Tongka the runt puppy Rae had named before she even saw his precious face. For the first time in her life, the abstract concept of crossing over is brutally real.

I overheard her talking with Zoe about "recreation ". My mama heart jolted when Zoe corrected her term, "Do you mean reincarnation?" For the last week, we have explored death, heaven, spirit, reincarnation, redemption, God, religion and atheism. Rae has gone from calling Tongka back exactly as she knew him to trying to find the essential spirit of the pup that she cherished most - what he needed to feel safe, what he would have loved to do with her, what would invite him to come back into her life. I do believe the pain of death is for those who are left behind. This assignment gave Rae the chance to stop thinking about the hurt of being left behind and explore the exquisite choice of being born.

This is how Rae began exploring the spirit she wants to attract to herself in this shifty time:

"Akbash dogs need work, herding, protecting, and to help others. Akbash dogs need love no matter what age. They need at least 5 acres to run on. They are loving, and independent, as well as loyal to their owner. They are attracted to "Puppy Wuppy Wuppy Wooo!" They love to chew on things, and that's a fact! If and when I get a pup I will train him for search and rescue. If I ever get lost I want to be found, and I want a friend."

Zoe had more difficulty choosing what she wanted to draw to herself. When I asked what her costume might be, she replied "Myself. I will go as 'content'". Gotta tell you, this soothed quite a few fears, atleast for the day. As mom to a young teenager, I keep looking for those neuroses all the parenting books tell me I'll have to be vigilant for, to nip in the bud, early intervention and all that. "Content" was a nice thing to hear. It didn't however get her out of the homeschool assignment! As we explored what skills, talents, landscapes, people, or events she would like to experience, we kept coming back to animals. Seeing how our place is already home to a dog, cat, 22 chickens, a horse, a cow, and a bull calf, I wasn't sure I was ready for her to be calling in more animals just yet.

A barn though, now that would be a blessing. We have rehabilitated the shed on our rental property as best as we can but it definitely lacks spirit. It just plain feels temporary. Zoe spent some time reaching into the essence of Barn and came up with this:

"A barn is built to shelter, to keep warm those who seek it. A barn wants to smell of hay and animals. To sound like chickens clucking, the soft low of a cow to her calf. A barn wants to last centuries, to house ones who need protection. To softly creak and groan in the wind. A barn wants to be lit with yellow sunlight, or cozy lantern shadows. When the night turns cold and frosty, and you can see your breath, a barn will shelter you from the cold, will capture your heat, but will let you walk across the threshhold at your will. A barn wants to be filled with life. And I want to pour life in to it. To fill it with laughter and hay, and red bows."

As for designing a physical costume to attract the spirit of what you most want, I've found that to be more complex than I had originally thought. For example, I desire to draw to myself the Logue Mathias Forever Home. I've mentioned that it isn't just any piece of property but the one I believe is out there just for us, ensouled with a spirit that will be our true partner for generations to come. I will know it is ours because I will not have to repair the bathroom. I kid you not, we've had to repair, rehab, or completely rebuild the last four bathrooms - in one house, we had to do two bathrooms. So, I'm asking our land to deal with its pipes before it becomes ours by dealing with my pipes before Halloween. For the next week, I am working with Steven Harrod Buhner's "The Fasting Path" to clear out old business and enable a clean slate for vital living. Good dreaming!